Friday, November 6, 1998

Kahuku rumbles
into title matchup

It will play the winner of tonight's
game between Waianae and Farrington
for the OIA football crown

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Kahuku's world was being rocked in the first half last night at Aloha Stadium.

Three straight first-quarter turnovers committed by the nationally ranked Red Raiders and a disorganized defense had allowed Kailua to post an early 14-0 lead.

It was former Kahuku offensive coordinator Darren Johnson, now the Kailua coach, exploiting every weakness his old team exposed in the early going.

"I think we needed one like this going into the bigger games," said Red Raiders head coach Siuaki Livai, whose team came back to beat Kailua, 48-14, and advance to the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship game for the first time since 1995.

Kahuku, ranked No. 18 in USA Today's poll, improved to 10-0 overall while White Conference champion Kailua fell to 9-1.

"It was something to make us play catch-up ball," said Livai. "It was a little wake-up call."

The Red Raiders, who will play next Friday against the winner of tonight's other playoff semifinal between Farrington and two-time defending league champion Waianae, have won four OIA titles since 1989.

What especially pleased Livai was that Kahuku players who made key early mistakes were able to keep their heads in the game and redeem themselves at critical junctures.

Two cases in point were Leonard Peters and Kaipo Fiatoa, who both fumbled in the opening quarter. Peters dropped a punt reception in the rain and Kailua recovered at the Kahuku 3, but failed to score.

Fiatoa wasn't as lucky.

He was stripped of the ball on the Kahuku 10 late in the first quarter and Roger Majit-Gorion picked up the loose pigskin and scored to give the Surfriders a 6-0 lead.

Peters redeemed himself when he recovered a fumble by the Surfriders' Bill Winchester at Kailua's 2-yard line as Winchester attempted to break into the end zone.

Fiatoa made up for his blunder when he threw a 26-yard option pass to Orlando Wong for a touchdown that helped Kahuku pull even just before the half.

"My coaches just told me to keep my head up and erase it (the fumble) out of my mind," said Peters.

Fiatoa said he wanted badly to make up for his fumble. But when he had the option to thrown to Wong, he lost him in the crowded end zone.

"I saw him and then he disappeared but I just threw it up where I thought he would be," said Fiatoa.

Winchester gave Kailua a two-touchdown lead when he scored on a 35-yard run. But Kailua's momentum was staggered when Orlando Wong fielded the ensuing kick at his own 15 and went all the way to put Kahuku on the board.

"We were worried about their special teams all week," said Johnson.

Red Conference rushing champion Talamoni Talamoni didn't start but entered the game with less than 2 minutes left in the first quarter and wound up with156 yards on 13 carries. He scored on a 53-yard run around the left side of his line less than 2 minutes into the second half to give Kahuku its first lead of the game.

Kailua	7	7	0	0--14
Kahuku	0	14	21	13--48

Kail: Roger Majit-Gorion 13 return of fumble (Thomas Ho kick)

Kail: Billy Winchester 35 run (Ho Kick)

Kah: Orlando Wong 85 kick return (Joe Ashmore kick)

Kah: Thomas Thompson 26 pass from Kaipo Fiatoa (Ashmore kick)

Kah: Talamoni Talamoni 53 run (ashmore kick)

Kah: Hyrum Peters 34 return of fumble (kick failed)

Kah: Kala Latuselu 40 run (Wong pass from Wayne Fonoimoana)

Kah: Douglas Nawahine 15 run (Ashmore kick)

Kah: Fiatoa 1 run (kick failed)

Rushing--Kail: Chico Cantiberos 8-(-17), Rocky Alo 19-60, Keone Brown 12-30, Winchester 6-51. Kah: Fonoimoana 1-7, Talamoni 13-156, Andreas Manumaleuna 5-39, Latuselu 6-53, Nawahine 4-21. Fiatoa 4-35, Hekili Kahele 3-20.

Passing--Kail: Cantiberos 6-12-0 for 65 yards, Brown 0-1-0 for 0 yards. Kah: Fonoimoana 6-11-1 for 39 yards, Fiatoa 1-1-0 for 26 yards.

Receiving--Kail: Winchester 3-15, Jacob Kapono 2-50, Keahi Mau 1-0. Kah: Allen Foster 3-21, Thompson 1-26, Manumaleuna 2-11, Wong 1-7.