[ NFL ISLANDERS ]
Ashley Lelie and Jason Elam had hands (and a foot) in Denver's thrilling comeback against Miami yesterday. Elam, Lelie comeback
falls short vs. Miami
Star-Bulletin staff
Elam, the former Hawaii place-kicker, nailed a 55-yard field goal with 45 seconds to go for a 22-21 lead, but Olindo Mare's 53-yarder with 6 seconds left clinched the Dolphins' 24-22 victory.
Lelie, Denver's first-round draft pick and Hawaii's all-time leading receiver, made a late-game 30-yard catch to set up Elam's go-ahead boot.
Elam also kicked field goals of 52, 33, 23 and 40 yards and had an extra point, while Lelie also caught an 11-yard pass during a scoring drive earlier in the final quarter.
If Baltimore rookie Maake Kemoeatu enjoys a long NFL career, he can always look back on his rookie year when he sacked superstar Peyton Manning.
Kemoeatu, a starting defensive end for the Ravens, dropped Manning for a 4-yard loss during yesterday's game against Indianapolis.
A Kahuku alumnus, Kemoeatu also tackled another of the game's best players, the Colts' Edgerrin James after a 4-yard gain, but the Ravens lost 22-20.
Adrian Klemm (Hawaii), a backup offensive lineman for New England, was hit with an illegal use of hands penalty for a slap to the head he threw in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' loss to Green Bay. The penalty nullified a 20-yard Tom Brady pass to David Patten.
Pittsburgh's Kimo von Oelhoffen (Molokai) started at defensive end in the Steelers' victory over Cincinnati, but didn't make any tackles. Teammate Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (St. Louis School), a backup running back, is still out with injured ribs.
New Orleans' James Fenderson (Hawaii) played on special teams in the Saints' win over Washington.
Four offensive linemen with Hawaii ties started games yesterday: guards Kynan Forney (Hawaii) of Atlanta, Toniu Fonoti (Kahuku) of San Diego and Chris Naeole (Kahuku) of Jacksonville and center Dominic Raiola (St. Louis) of Detroit.
National Football League
