First Quarter
The Tigers score immediately on Gerime Bradley’s 98-yard kickoff return. McKinley 6, Kailua 0.
Second Quarter
Bradley is active again. He’s playing defensive back, as usual, and running back. He just picked off a pass by Kailua’s Noah Auld to end the first quarter. Tigers driving inside the Kailua 10-yard line.
11:09 – Mathias Tuitele-Iafeta is in the shotgun, runs a play-action and a perfect 7-yard lob to Pono Kini for McKinley’s second touchdown. MTI’s a lefty and Kailua’s defense was frozen. I admit, that was a stunner. Gerime Bradley scores on a toss sweep left out of a power-I formation. McKinley 14, Kailua 0.
8:10 – After the Tigers fumble in their own territory, Kailua drives and scores. Christian Mejia scores on a catch and run to the pylon, a 16-yard pass play from Auld. McKinley 14, Kailua 7.
5:23 – McKinley likes the power I. On third-and-1 from their 44, they hand it to No. 44, Tuitele-Iafeta, and he breaks off left tackle for a 56-yard touchdown run. I think he likes this synthetic turf just fine. Now he’s back on the field for defense. Did I mention he’s also their punter? He’s 6 feet, 237 pounds and can play almost any position. Ironman. McKinley 21, Kailua 7.
Tigers on the move. Tuitele-Iafeta with a nice scramble under control and completion to the Kailua 32. Then he runs the read option, jukes a linebacker and sprints for a 28-yard pickup. First and goal, Tigers.
1:39 – Bradley scores on a power-I toss sweep to the right. McKinley 28, Kailua 7.
Halftime: McKinley 28, Kailua 7. The Surfriders drove to the Tigers 11-yard line, but dropped a pass on fourth-and-1 with about 30 seconds left before the break.
Third quarter
9:50 – Auld scrambles right on fourth-and-10, finding Koolauloa Gaspar in the end zone on a tip-toe catch for a 16-yard touchdown pass. McKinley 28, Kailua 14.
First down, McKinley, bad snap in the shotgun. Pacheco scoops the ball up near the goal line, barely avoids taking a safety and somehow finds a receiver in the vicinity. His pass falls incomplete, saving the Tigers from a 20-yard loss.
2:44 – Fake field goal play by Kailua goes astray. McKinley linebacker Pono Kini pretzels Auld on the wild scramble run to the left, ending the play at the 10-yard line. Not sure about this call. Kailua has a kicker who made a 57-yard field goal this season. That would’ve brought them within 11.
Fourth quarter
10:09 – Tigers fumble, recover, then on the next play, fumble the ball away. Kailua’s Wade Lono recovers at the McKinley 40. Kailua’s sticking to its five-wide set, content to hit the 5-and-out routes. Tigers tiring?
4:00 – McKinley driving in stealth fashion after stopping Kailua in the red zone again. Tuitele-Iafeta is looking a lot like a Samoan Tim Tebow, a 237-pound bulldozer between the tackles who can occasionally loft a 15-yard spiral for a completion. There he goes, option pitch left to Kini.
3:13 – Here we go again. Power I toss sweep right, Bradley scores untouched on a 14-yard run. McKinley 35, Kailua 14.
Ensuing kickoff: A squib/pooch kickoff by, who else, Tuitele-Iafeta is recovered by the Tigers at the Kailua 23. That would be a squooch kick, wouldn’t it?
Final: McKinley 35, Kailua 14. Tigers take two knees in the red zone and call it a wrap.
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