HIGH SCHOOL REPORT
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Pele Soliai, Richard Torres, center, and Shiloah Te'o were part of Kahuku's game-winning play, a double pass called by offensive coordinator Sterling Carvalho. CLICK FOR LARGE
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Kahuku's Sterling play
The Red Raiders were Bear killers in the final seconds to get to the title game
YOU could see the pain and grief etched on the faces of the Kahuku football team as they sat dejected on the sidelines.
The defending state champion had just been stopped on fourth down, and Baldwin was taking the field with less than 2 minutes to go in the semifinals of the state tournament last Friday on the verge of their first championship game. The Bears were content to just take a knee and run the clock out.
Winners of four of the past six championships, it appeared over for most of the Red Raiders faithful. But not for first-year head coach Reggie Torres.
"We didn't realize Baldwin was going to take a knee, and when I looked at the clock, I realized they might leave us with some time left," Torres said.
The Bears managed to run the clock to less than 15 seconds, but still were forced to punt. After Baldwin punter Dane Fernandez fumbled the punt snap, he alertly threw the ball out of the back of the end zone, giving Kahuku a safety instead of a possible touchdown. The Bears held a 20-16 lead with 10 seconds left, and still seemed to be in good shape.
LITTLE DID THEY KNOW, Torres and offensive coordinator Sterling Carvalho already had their last-second play called and ready to go.
"We knew we were going to have one play," Torres said. "When they were about to kick, I actually went to Sterling and said, make it a good one."
He took care of the rest.
It was a play the Red Raiders hadn't even practiced and was designed for a player that wasn't even eligible to play. But for a team that threw the ball for just 201 yards the entire regular season, easily the lowest among all OIA schools, it was the only chance the Red Raiders had left.
The play was a double pass. Quarterback Richard Torres took the snap and immediately threw the ball out to his receiver. Converted defensive back Shiloah Te'o caught the pass behind the line of scrimmage and waited a second before hurling the ball as far as he could downfield. Unsure what was happening, much of the Baldwin secondary bit on the swing pass, allowing Pele Soliai to sneak behind the defense. Te'o placed the ball perfectly into Soliai's waiting arms at the 5-yard line, and Soliai took a couple of defenders with him into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
SOMEHOW, some way, Kahuku had done it again.
"The whole time I was just thinking about the coaches saying good players have to make good plays," Soliai said. "We've always been taught to play till the end."
The play never could have come off if it weren't for the strong arm of Te'o, who had played quarterback before, but was used primarily on defense this year.
"As soon as Baldwin lined up to punt, my coaches told me right then that we were going to run that play," Te'o said. "I knew I had to get the ball into the end zone so I just threw it as far as I could."
It didn't reach the end zone, but it went far enough as Soliai managed to rumble the extra few yards for the score. Those dejected faces on the Kahuku sidelines immediately turned into smiles of joy, and even tears of astonishment. Through the chaos and celebration, Coach Torres gave all the credit to his offensive coordinator.
"A while ago, (Sterling) came to me and said, 'Reggie, do me a favor and put this play up. I want to do a double pass and use Shiloah,' " Torres said. "We tried it a couple of times, but I never thought we'd actually use it in a game. That was all him."
Not only would they end up using it, it's the reason they are preparing this week to go after their fifth state championship in the last seven years, against a team in Saint Louis they have beaten the last three times they have played for a state title.
THE GAME has all the makings of being as exciting as last year's championship game against Punahou. Kahuku trailed by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, and needed an interception in the end zone with less than 30 seconds left to hold off the Buffanblu.
"The situations between the two games are a little different," Torres said of last week's victory compared to last year's state title game. "We were on the reverse end this year. We were the ones that had to score."
But the importance of the two games might just be the same.
"Last year's game was just as big as this one," Te'o said. "But this was a little better feeling, because without this win, we wouldn't even have a chance to play for another state title."
Kahuku hasn't missed a beat under Torres in his first year as the replacement to Siuaki Livai, who was responsible for all four Kahuku state championships. Torres has been coaching at Kahuku for more than 20 years, and credits the ability to keep a lot of assistants around as the key to making the transition a smooth one.
"For me I've been with these kids for over 20-something years, so the transition is easy," Torres said. "The problem was just getting a unified staff, and fortunately I was able to retain a lot of the coaches. They made a difference."