By Wes Nakama
Kahuku denied Kapolei the final one foot in a game-ending goal line stand Saturday night to preserve a pulsating 12-7 victory for its second straight OIA football championship.
A rain-soaked but spirited crowd of about 2,500 at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium watched the Red Raiders improve to 8-3 and advance to a Nov. 21 Open Division state semifinal game against OIA third-place finisher Campbell (7-3). Kapolei, which was seeking its first league crown, fell to 7-5 and will face ILH champion Kamehameha in the other semifinal, also on Nov. 21.
One foot is all that separated the Hurricanes from making school history, as they faced second-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line with 16 seconds remaining. With no timeouts, Kapolei risked having the clock expire by handing off to running back Chazz-Michael Kapahu, but Hurricanes coach Darren Hernandez said he believed that was the sensible call.
“It wasn’t even one yard, we were on the one-foot line, and we have a bigger line,” Hernandez said. “But (the Red Raiders) played with incredible tenacity, and you know … they’re Kahuku. They find a way to win. They drag you down into the mud and they make you play their game, and they did that tonight.”
Kapolei had struck first, taking a 7-0 lead four minutes into the second quarter after Noah Papu-Muaava’s 2-yard reception from Kapahu, who took the direct snap in the “wildcat” formation and threw the ball while jumping straight up in the air — Tim Tebow style.
The Red Raiders closed it to 7-3 on Jadyn Parker’s 35-yard field goal 43 seconds before halftime, then to 7-6 on another Parker field goal, this one from 40 yards out with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter.
Kahuku then took a 12-7 lead on Troy Mariteragi’s 28-yard scoring pass to Kea Lerner with 4:26 left in the game. The two-point conversion pass attempt failed.
The Hurricanes began their final drive on their own 15-yard line, and 15 plays later advanced to the 1, thanks to a 15-yard pass from Jacob Ballesteros to Kapahu. Red Raiders defensive back Teave Crawford closed in and made the hit and tackle on Kapahu just short of the goal line.
With the clock restarting after the chains moved, Ballesteros spiked the ball on first down, leaving 16 seconds on the clock. Kahuku then called timeout to set its defense.
“At that point defense is what kept us in the game tonight, and what better way to go out end the game as a defense, on basically the one-inch line,” Red Raiders interim head coach Nihoa Pule said. “And our kids showed up.”
After Kapahu took the handoff, he was met at the line of scrimmage by a wall of Kahuku defenders, apparently led by linebacker Malaki Soliai-Tui and defensive lineman Siale Reid. Pule said during the timeout, the Red Raiders sensed Kapahu would get the ball.
“I think so, because their back is that good,” Pule said of Kapahu, who leads all Open Division rushers with 926 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. “I would put the ball in that back’s hands as much as possible.”
The OIA championship is Kahuku’s 31st, by far the most of any school in the league. But this one was different, given offseason turmoil that saw longtime former coach Sterling Carvalho being let go, and Pule having to take over on an interim basis.
“Whatever was happening off the field, none of us paid attention, we left it to the coaches,” Lerner said. “They did a good job of taking care of it. We just played football, and be close.”
For his part, Pule gave credit to the players, program supporters and entire community.
“I think it’s a testament to our community, our parents and definitely our support staff,” Pule said. “As coaches, we have a lot of people behind the scenes who really do a lot for this program. And with these parents just trusting us that we’re going to stay the course. I know it looked rocky at the beginning … but our kids are able to stay the course because they come from a good, wholesome community that trusts the process.”
Photos: Alec Tuason
