Massive second half from Mellor delivers Kalaheo to first-ever OIA crown

KALIHI – Leave it to the kid going into the Air Force to take a program to new heights.

Behind senior tailback Marquez Mellor’s seventh game of the season with 100 or more rushing yards, the Kalaheo varsity football team claimed the first league title in program history with a 27-13 comeback victory over Kaiser in the OIA Division II championship game at Farrington High School on Thursday night.

Mellor led the way for Kalaheo (10-0, 9-0 league) with 129 yards and two second-half touchdowns, completing the climb to the OIA mountaintop for the Mustangs and continuing the program’s first-ever unbeaten season.

“It’s nothing but a blessing, man,” the Air Force commit said after the win. “I’m so grateful that God has given this opportunity to us … This is nothing short of amazing and I’m so glad I could bring the OIA championship to Kalaheo, but we’re not done. We’re going to keep working.”

After dicing up the Kaiser defense for a career-high 302 yards when the two programs met in early September, Mellor was held in check throughout the first half on Thursday with just seven carries for 36 yards across the opening two quarters.

The Cougars took full advantage of the slow start by Mellor and the Mustangs, grabbing a 13-7 lead over the top seed in the OIA Division II bracket heading into halftime. Junior QB Koa Reis displayed his moxie for Kaiser, powering towards paydirt for the first score of the night in the first quarter before finding Tanner Pada for a 20-yard touchdown pass right before the break.

The six-point halftime deficit marked the first time all season that Kalaheo left the opening 24 minutes without a lead. The previous closest margin at the midway point for the Mustangs was a three-point lead against Castle in the D2 semifinals last weekend.

“I always expect that out of [Kaiser HC Tim Seaman’s teams]. They’re well-coached, he’s a great coach [and] he has a great staff, too,” Kalaheo head coach Jaymason Lee said of the opening half hook thrown by the Cougars. “I knew they were going to come out, they were going to play tough, disciplined football and so I told my boys to prepare for that … We just had to persevere and fight through that adversity.”

Kalaheo took its first lead of the night on the first drive of the second half, marching down the field behind a powerful rushing attack while draining more than six minutes off the third quarter clock. Mellor muscled his way into the endzone to cap off the drive, hammering in a four-yard touchdown run to put the Mustangs up, 14-13.

Kaiser and Kalaheo would trade punts and a pair of turnovers before Mellor gave some breathing room with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter, breaking off a 50-yard scoring scamper to put the top-seeded Mustangs up by eight.

Kalaheo RB Marquez Mellor rumbles down the field during the Mustangs’ 27-13 victory over Kaiser on Thursday night. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

The Cougars looked to have some solid momentum towards a potential game-tying score on the ensuing drive, marching out towards midfield before a holding penalty pushed the offense back and forced a punt with just over four minutes left to play.

Kalaheo would milk the clock on the following possession, forcing Kaiser to cook through all three timeouts before punting the ball back to the Cougars with 1:28 remaining in regulation.

Starting at their own two-yard line, Kaiser tried to fight through increased defensive pressure but instead saw Koa Reis crushed in the endzone for a strip sack that turned into a dagger defensive score for Kalaheo, extending the advantage to 27-13 for the Mustangs and all but wrap up the first OIA title in program history.

“We just had to play our football game,” Mellor said when asked about the halftime conversation for Kalaheo. “We came out and had too much of an ego, we weren’t playing our game. So, I just told the boys to stay calm and that we’ve got to play our game, our football and then it just happened. It’s what we do, that’s Kalaheo football.”

The Kalaheo defense also shut down Kaiser after halftime, not allowing a single point while forcing a pair of turnovers after the midway break. Senior linebacker Jeremiah Ojas had 10 total tackles (7 solo) while junior Caynin Makainai-Maiava had nine total tackles (6 solo) and the fumble recovery for a touchdown in the final two minutes for the Mustangs.

Kaiser junior quarterback Koa Reis wrapped up the night completing 20-of-35 passes for 211 yards through the air to go with 42 yards rushing in the loss. Reis accounted for both touchdowns for the Cougars, fighting into the endzone for the first score before dropping a dime to Tanner Pada to end the first half.

He also was charged with both turnovers by the Kaiser offense, tossing his fifth interception of the year while getting stripped in the endzone on the second-to-last offensive drive for the Cougars.

Both teams had already clinched spots in the 2026 Hawaii Army National Guard Football Division II championship tournament that starts next weekend. It’ll be Kalaheo’s first state tournament appearance since 2010 while Kaiser returns after a one-year absence.