No. 10 Kapolei needs OT to top Waipahu

The Hurricanes' Simione Vehikite plunged in from 2 yards in overtime as No. 10 Kapolei outlasted its opponent, 26-20, in a game that saw two Marauder players escorted off the field in separate ambulances.

In what Waipahu coach Sean Saturnio could only call "bizarre," quarterback Josh Lacar and center Bronson Henriques were knocked unconscious five plays apart as Waipahu drove into Kapolei's red zone for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown.

Lacar helped orchestrate an 81-yard, clock-killing drive in the fourth quarter before a brutal hit knocked him out of the game at the Waipahu 12-yard line with 3 minutes, 23 seconds left.

Lacar remained down on the field for about 20 minutes as a hush fell over the packed crowd at Kapolei's field as an ambulance arrived to take him to St. Francis Hospital. Moments after play resumed, the same happened to the center, Henriques. Saturnio thought one or both may have suffered a concussion.

"That was bizarre. We had great momentum, had them on their heels. Then ... that."

After offensive explosions from both sides in the first half, the teams seemed to have each other figured out for the rest of the game, and three combined missed field goals in regulation led to a scoreless second half.

Waipahu had a 21-yard kick to win it with less than a minute left, but it went wide.

Then, Kapolei rose to the occasion and snuffed the Marauders' potent running attack as the ball was positioned at their 20 to start overtime. Waipahu again missed a field goal, this time from 32, and Kapolei took over in prime position to win.

Quarterback Noah Pascua hit Lyle Santiago to move from the 20 to the 8 and Vehikite needed only two runs to stuff the ball in the end zone for the victory.

"That was a fantastic game," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "What a game (for our first meeting)."

Three offside penalties against Kapolei's defense on fourth down undermined an otherwise solid effort warding off the Marauders' ground game in the first half. Still, the Hurricanes went up 20-6 behind big plays from quarterback Noah Pascua. He scrambled in from 18 yards to get Kapolei on the board, then followed on the next drive with a 50-yard scoring bomb to speedy Kalani Brackenridge.

Matautia was the catalyst of Waipahu's comeback rally. The squat senior running back, at 5-foot-6, 200 pounds, rumbled the ensuing kickoff of Cyril Ontai's score for the Hurricanes to the Kapolei 31. Lacar punctuated the effort with a 1-yard scoring plunge to get the visitors back on track at 20-13.

Then Waipahu made a big play on special teams to swing the halftime momentum back in its favor. The Marauders recovered a Kapolei fumble on the kickoff following Lacar's TD to set up excellent field position once again.

Waipahu covered 25 yards in the final minute of the first half and Matautia broke through at the 1 with 13 seconds left to knot things up at 20.