Moanalua dominates Pearl City behind Judalena’s big night
BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 5, 2024
PEARL CITY – No stop in sight.
Moanalua Na Menehune stayed unbeaten in OIA Division I play with another victory Friday night, spoiling homecoming for the Pearl City Chargers, 55-8. Led by senior running back Kalino Judalena’s 114 yards rushing and three touchdowns, Moanalua moved to 6-1 on the season and remained an unblemished 4-0 to remain atop the OIA Division I standings.
Na Menehune took a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game after Chargers quarterback Ikaika Torres tossed an interception deep in Pearl City territory, allowing Moanalua quarterback Isaac Harney to find La’akea Tapaoan on a 13-yard touchdown a few plays later.
The visitors from Moanalua added on to that lead after forcing a Pearl City punt, driving deep into the red zone before Harney pitched one to the right and found Duane “DJ” Miller for a five-yard score with 1:03 left in the opening quarter.
Pearl City, who has struggled with injuries and other various personnel limitations, finally seemed to kick into gear as the 2nd quarter began. Torres started to show off his running ability, scrambling around for first downs while rolling out of the pocket to force the action down field.
The aggressiveness of the junior quarterback paid off in points for Pearl City as Torres connected with senior wide out Keaton Tomas on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 5:14 left in the first half. The two-point conversion try was successful and made it a six-point deficit for the Chargers, 14-8.
Faced with the first adversity of the night, Moanalua responded quickly as Na Menehune drove the field in just under two minutes and saw Judalena rumble 14 yards forward for his first touchdown of the contest to make it 21-8 in favor of the visitors. After Torres was intercepted again right before halftime, Judalena added a 1-yard score to send Moanalua into the locker room leading big, 27-8.
Na Menehune sandwiched halftime with scores, continuing the offensive success into the opening of the 3rd quarter as Moanalua star wide receiver Jayce Bareng sprinted free behind the defense and Harney dropped it in the senior’s arms for a 60-yard touchdown and 25-point lead just 24 seconds following the midway break.
Judaleno would finish his hat trick of touchdown runs with 3:18 remaining in the third frame, powering into the end zone from six yards out and push the Moanalua advantage to 41-8. Bareng’s second touchdown catch of the night opened the 4th quarter and began running clock with mercy rules into effect after making it a six-possession lead for the visitors.
Shonn Keaunui placed the cherry on top of the dominant win, returning an interception 41 yards to pay dirt to give Moanalua over 50 points the second time this year. The junior safety totaled a pair of interceptions in the victory for Na Menehune.
Moanalua QB Issac Harney completed 21-of-33 pass attempts for 320 yards and four touchdowns in the victory, giving him 20 total TD passes on the year. Jayce Bareng ended the night with six catches for 120 yards and a couple of touchdowns while Ryder Chang hauled in eight receptions for 93 yards for Na Menehune.
Pearl City QB Ikaika Torres had an up-and-down evening with 12-of-28 passes completed for 105 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Running back Lennon Elder chipped in 48 yards across 12 carries for the Chargers.
Next on deck, Pearl City will travel to Aiea next week, still looking for the season’s first victory with a rivalry matchup with Na Ali’i looming. Moanalua returns to action October 12 back at home as Leilehua comes to town for a key OIA Division I matchup.
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