HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Kahuku a unanimous No. 1
National federation rules prohibit the use of instant replay, but it sure would've been handy on Friday night during the Division I final of the HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships.
When Punahou quarterback Brett Kan attempted to leap over a pile of defenders at the goal line in the second quarter, it turned into a classic scenario worthy of review.
Not only was Kan stopped somewhere near the goal line, the ball got loose, recovered by Kahuku. Officials convened, with no sign of a touchdown in sight. Somehow, out of that discussion, Punahou got a touchdown. A replay would possibly have indicated otherwise.
The TD and ensuing extra point gave Punahou a 14-6 lead. As it turned out, the play became less relevant because Kahuku took the lead and pulled out a thrilling 28-21 win.
Kahuku, which led the Star-Bulletin Top 10 for the past five polls, was a unanimous pick for No. 1 in today's final rankings.
The Red Raiders collected all 13 votes from the panel of coaches and media.
Radford, which reached the final of the Division II state tournament, landed in a tie for No. 9 with Castle.
Castle was the only team to defeat Kahuku this year.
