Sidelines Kalani Simpson

Kahuku knocks down another wall

It was prehistoric. It was Mesozoic.

What a classic.

It was Woody-Bo on a 1970s Big Ten afternoon. It was option pitches, pulling guards. It was immovable object, irresistible force.

It was a puntfest, a pitchers' duel.

In the last seconds, two miracles -- a late touchdown, and an extra-point kick. Which miracle was bigger? Doesn't matter.

And a sack on the game's final play; 7-6.

Wake up the echoes. Shake down the thunder. Hail to the victors. Holy cow. Kahuku just did it again.

Another brutal, beautiful, prehistoric, Mesozoic classic of a Kahuku state championship game.

This was breaking through brick -- by banging your head against a wall until it finally comes down.

This was football. Good, old-fashioned football. This is what it looks like. By God, this is what it should be like. Football, thank goodness. The world's greatest game.

Three yards and a cloud of dust. All that was missing was the dust.

All that was missing was the mud. Or snow.

The chunk of sod stuck in a helmet's iron mask. A cold, gray sky.

Kahuku was riding a dinosaur -- the only question was who was coaching, Fred Flintstone or Alley Oop.

Reggie Torres' playbook should be carbon dated, to see just which glacier or tar pit he'd unearthed it from.

The forward pass? Forget it. That's for evolutionary revolutionaries. Like Knute Rockne. Or Cro Magnon man.

This one was won by center, tackles, guards. It was won by taking the dive man, the quarterback, the pitch.

This game was won by slamming quarterbacks, won by a running quarterback.

It was won by completing just two passes -- just two. The last with 23 seconds left, Richard Torres to Jordan Kapu, a post-corner in the end zone, two feet down. Two pass completions, just two. One that tied the game at 6.

And then Kaika Sasaoka came on to kick it. Good. He won it.

But then they all did, Torres and Lehi Aumua and Nai Fotu and Paipai Falemalu and Ross Salanoa and Benji Kemoeatu and Roman Pearl and Tyranasaurous and Triceratops. They all did. This entire Kahuku team. This is the way the Red Raiders win. This was what Reggie Torres wanted. This is Kahuku's perfect game.

It was brutal. It was beautiful. Kahuku just kept banging, its line just kept hitting, Neal Lokotui just kept crashing into that line.

After one counter power play, pulling tackle John Manu-Olevao was hugging Crusaders defenders, the ones he'd knocked over. This was football. This was what it was all about. Running. Blocking. Hitting. Clouds of dust.

And Saint Louis was Kahuku's equal, on this night. A backup quarterback, Tamatoa DeMello, was valiant in his first start. The Crusaders defense was stout. For more than 47 minutes, it was that brick wall.

But the Red Raiders just kept banging their heads.

This harkens back to that very first Prep Bowl, 1973, Waianae over Saint Louis, 7-0. Football was like this, then. Thank goodness, it is again.