OIA WHITE
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Waipahu's Steven Berndt made a diving catch for a first down on this scoring drive.
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Cougars come back to tie
A come-from-behind tie was a lot like a win for the Kaiser Cougars.
Trailing 13-0, the Cougars fought like mad in the fourth quarter of last night's showdown to tie Waipahu 13-13 and clinch the Oahu Interscholastic Association White football regular-season championship.
Kaiser (6-2-1, 6-1-1), held in check most of the night by the Marauders' defense, scored its 13 points in the final 4:15.
The tying score came after Waipahu failed to convert on a fourth and 3 as the Cougars took over on their own 47 with 2:40 to go. Skyler Chan threw for two first downs, including Kalua Noa's 24-yard grab, and Isaac Saffery got to the outside for an 11-yard gain to the Waipahu 2. On the next play, Saffery went up the middle for a TD to make it 13-13 with 1:07 left to play. Kicker Kyle Niiro's attempt to win it, however, was blocked by Waipahu's Neil Paguyo.
The tie looked like a doubtful result in the early stages. Waipahu's defense dominated most of the game, holding Saffery in check and taking command of the turnover wars 4-0.
"It was unbelievable. The kids did it," said Cougars coach Pat Samsonas about the comeback. "Waipahu stacked the box, so we knew we had to do something to get it out of the middle. The kids dug down deep. We've been known to be a second-half team, and they did it again with old-school Kaiser second-half football."
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kaiser's Kalua Noa avoided a flying tackle attempt by Waipahu's Neil Paguyo during last night's OIA White game.
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Both the Cougars and Marauders (5-2-2, 5-1-2) enter the playoffs with a shot at the overall White title and one of two spots in the state tournament.
"We're ready for the playoffs," Samsonas said. "The next game (which would put his team in the states) is the one we're worried about."
Kaiser's comeback ruined what looked like Waipahu's homecoming run to the regular-season crown.
"Our defense was lights out and our offense did a good job driving, but sputtered (at the end)," Waipahu coach Sean Saturnio said. "They (the Cougars) did a wonderful job coming back. They made the plays at the end and we didn't. But our kids refused to take the loss and blocked that kick."
Saturnio stood by his decision to go for a fourth-down conversion instead of punting late in the game.
"We were confident we could get it," he said. "That was my call. The little things -- a bobbled snap (on third down) -- hurt us."
The Marauders looked like they would take control for good early in the second half as Lele Pefua recovered a Kaiser fumble, leading to Matt Soueira's second touchdown of the game -- a 34-yard run around left end to make it 13-0.
The Waipahu defense got its fourth turnover of the game -- a Gordon Cox interception -- on the Cougars' next possession to keep Kaiser wondering if it would ever be able to change its fortunes.
The Marauders' defensive line -- led by Aaron Paahana and Ma'u Samson -- held Saffery to 5 yards on seven carries in the first half. But Saffery, who came into the game with more than 1,000 yards rushing, finally got untracked and finished with 91 yards on 17 carries.
Kaiser finally got on the board to set up the exciting finish when Chan led the Cougars on a 67-yard scoring drive. Two fourth-down conversion runs -- one by Chan and one by Saffery -- led to Chan's 18-yard scoring strike to Noa to make it 13-7 with 4:15 left.
Nanakuli 14, Waialua 14
Keoki Kaeha ran for 112 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Hawks tied the Bulldogs.
Waialua's Donovan Matas scored on a 19-yard rush to tie the game at 14.