Rico Newman's touchdown catch, Edieson Dumlao's 2-point conversion catch and Cheves Aberilla Ramento's TD catch in overtime got the appropriate cheers in Leilehua's 17-10 come-from-behind win against Kahuku in Friday's semifinal of the state football tournament.

But when the Mules gambled on fourth down at their own 43 and lost the ball on downs with under five minutes to play, trailing 10-2, that spoke volumes about faith in the Leilehua defense.

As it turned out, the Mules failed to convert on fourth down, giving Kahuku possession at the Mules' 43. But the Mules' defense rose big time, stopping the Red Raiders for a net loss of five yards after three downs, forcing a punt. The Mules' offense responded with the game-tying drive that sent the game into overtime.

"As always, the defense is going to step up for us," Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said. "We're going to hang our hat on them and at the same time, we're going to ride their backs. Sometimes, we just gotta take chances when we need to because we know they're going to hold 'em for us. We didn't get (the first down), but we had a feeling the defense could hold 'em and we'd get the ball back, get one more shot."

Before the fourth down situation presented itself, Tokuda talked with defensive coordinator Mark Kurisu. Kurisu told Tokuda the defense was prepared to defend a short field.

"We ask our players to work together," Kurisu said. "As coaches, we do the same."

Added Mules' outside linebacker Nate Hall: "We prepared for this all season. We were ready for any situation."

Hall was one of the many reasons for Leilehua's clutch defensive play in that game.

"He's an unsung hero," Tokuda said. "He's been playing well all year long. He'll get overshadowed by the play of our D-line, overshadowed by Kalua Ellis, Alii Tuitoelau (the other two linebackers). But he's been doing his job and the reason why the defense has been so solid. We have guys who can make plays and be consistent."

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Hall moved from defensive end to linebacker from last season. Although born here, he lived most of his life on the Mainland as the son of a military dependent at Schofield. He played defensive end and tight end his freshman and sophomore seasons at Evans High in Georgia before transferring to Leilehua at the end of his sophomore year.

Sort of a late bloomer, only recently colleges have been taking notice, so he has no Division I offers yet. But he has been accepted to the Air Force Academy. But getting into college will be the least of his problems. His first quarter grade point average was 4.3, raising his cumulative to 3.95. Advanced Placement courses are worth five points. He took AP psychology as a junior. He's taking AP courses in U.S. History, Calculus and English. He plans to major in English.

For now, his focus is on Punahou. Although the Mules are defending champions, they are considered underdogs in Friday's state title game. Of course, they were underdogs last year, too.

"We're used to being underdogs," Hall said. "We almost like it that way. Everybody here believes in us. The city of Wahiawa really support us."

CARRYING THE LOAD

Punahou slasher (as in running back/receiver/defensive back/punt returner) Dalton Hilliard amassed 254 all-purpose yards in helping the Buffanblu hold off Farrington, 35-28, in the other state semifinal Friday.

He had 37 yards rushing, 139 yards receiving, 21 yards in punt returns and 57 yards from an interception.

Another slasher (as in receiver/kick returner/defensive back), Robert Toma, was a close second with 246 all-purpose yards (124 receiving, 48 returning kicks and 74 intercepting a pass for a TD).

Hilliard gave kudos to the regular defensive backs for their consultations.

"Like I told my coach, I'd like to give it up to the starting DBs because they prepared me and Robby," Hilliard said. "We don't always know what we're doing, so we gotta ask them all the time. They go, 'C'mon, man, you gotta know that.' But sometimes we don't. They definitely prepared us well. They gave us some tips and pointers."