By Wes Nakama

No longer on the outside looking in, Moanalua now looks like the team to beat in OIA Division I football after an impressive 41-28 Friday night victory over visiting Kailua.

A jam-packed capacity Homecoming crowd of about 3,500 watched Na Menehune jump out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and then hold off the Surfriders to improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in OIA DI, in sole possession of first place. Kailua fell to 1-5, 1-2.

Moanalua went 2-5-1 two years ago and 1-7-1 last season, head coach Andrew Manley’s first at the helm.

But Manley, a former standout quarterback at Leilehua, said he knew Na Menehune had the potential for better times ahead.

“Absolutely,” Manley said. “I played against this community, you see them show out for volleyball and other sports … you know they have ‘it.’ You just have to put the product on the field. These past two home games, this is what we’ve been talking about and what we’ve been working toward, and the players have gotten this for us. Getting the community involved, getting (the players) to not just play for us, but play for their families as well. So it’s good to see their support, they’ve really bought into this.”

For the second straight week, Na Menehune got their fans pumped up early with first-quarter scores off turnovers. Against Wai’anae last week it was two interceptions — including a pick-6 — and Friday night it started on the game’s first possession with Nakoa Orlando’s blocked punt, which he then snared out of the air and ran in untouched from 18 yards out. Andy Nguyen’s extra point made it 7-0. 

On the very next play from scrimmage, Malakai Kaumavae recovered a fumble at the Kailua 16, and three plays later Isaac Harney scored on a 12-yard quarterback keeper. Nguyen’s PAT extended the lead to 14-0 with 8:37 still to go in the first quarter.

Later, a 20-yard punt gave Moanalua a short field at the Surfriders 34-yard line, and Na Menehune capitalized two plays later on Harney’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Jayce Bareng, and Nguyen tacked on the extra point to make it 21-0 with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

“We’re starting fast, our motto this week was ‘Start fast, finish strong,’ ” Manley said, adding the points from defense and special teams helps the offense. “We feed off it, man. That’s what we do at practice, too. On Tuesday, the defense dominated, and I love seeing it. Being an offensive guy, of course I want to see our offense do better, but at the end of the day when the defense is thriving and getting us short fields, we’re going to put that thing in the end zone.”

Moanalua pushed the lead to 28-0 about midway through the second quarter after Harney found Bareng open downfield and Bareng sprinted past three defenders for an electrifying 81-yard touchdown play. Bareng, a rare fourth-year varsity player, finished with a game-high eight catches for 142 yards and three TD’s.

“He was killing it today,” Manley said.

Kailua cut the lead in half with two late touchdowns before intermission — the first being an 11-yard pass from Isaiah Keaunui-Demello to Stoney Pocock with 1:50 remaining to cap a nine-play, 80-yard drive, and the second an 8-yard toss from Keaunui-Pocock to Xavier Kauhi-Babas with 27 seconds left set up by Kauhi-Babas’ fumble recovery at the Moanalua 39.

Na Menehune opened the second half with a 10-play, 89-yard drive capped by Harney’s 12-yard TD pass to Bareng, but the Surfriders answered with a 75-yard pick-six by Romeo Ortiz to cut it to 35-20 with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Moanalua then opened the fourth quarter by finishing a 15-play, 64-yard march culminating in Kalino Judalena’s 3-yard run to make it 41-20, and Kailua could only manage a safety with 1:12 left, and then a two-yard keeper by Keaunui-Demello with two seconds remaining for the final score.

Bareng said the journey from losing seasons to first place this year wasn’t easy, but is now paying dividends.

“I mean, there’s always ups and downs when it comes to that, but we just pushed through,” Bareng said. “We started (well) early this season, we knew we had something great, so we just have to roll with it. We just stress every week to get better, fix the little things, work on the small things and hopefully each week we get better and by the time playoffs come we’re top-notch and building on a good note.”

For Bareng, who is the latest in a line of family members attached to Moanalua, helping Na Menehune build a championship vibe takes on extra meaning.

“I mean, I’ve been here basically since I was born, my mom was a coach (for Moanalua),” Bareng said. “I was in the gym since I was like, one month, it’s always been ‘Bleed Blue.’ So to be able to play for this team and play for this school is something special all the time.”

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