Sunday, August 19, 2001
[ PREP FOOTBALL ]
Please pardon Todd LaFountaine and Jason Ching if they decide to sleep in this morning. Dynamic duo rallies Punahou
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThe Punahou football duo earned a bit of rest after helping rally the Buffanblu to a 24-14 victory over Waimea yesterday at Alexander Field on the Punahou campus.
LaFountaine, a senior quarterback, accounted for 226 of Punahou's 273 total yards and three touchdowns in the preseason contest. Ching, also a senior, played every down as a receiver and defensive back. The duo hooked up just once in the game, but it resulted in a 33-yard game-winning score.
"We got the matchup we wanted," Punahou coach Kale Ane said of the go-ahead touchdown. "(Ching) plays both ways for us and he's one of our go-to guys. We're able to get him in a position where he was able to use his speed and athletic ability."
With the win, the Buffanblu avenged a 21-13 loss to Waimea last year on Kauai.
"This is a big win for us," said LaFountaine. "We've been working hard the last two weeks ... and every practice was geared up for Waimea especially. We worked really hard for this game so it's nice to see that it paid off.
"They had to come down to Oahu this year and that was something we definitely looked forward to all year."
LaFountaine carried the ball 20 times for 91 yards and completed 9 of 14 passes, including his last seven in a row.
"He's going to have to do that all year," Ane said. "He expects that of himself, too. He's a tough kid and always steps up."Waimea, the defending Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion, took the early advantage when Kyle Yokoyama blocked a punt to set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Jordon Dizon.
The offenses struggled for most of the first half, as the teams combined for nine punts before halftime.
The Buffanblu got on the board with 52 seconds left in the half on a 3-yard run by LaFountaine and took the lead in the third quarter on a 25-yard field goal by Stan Dixon.
Waimea jumped back in front with a 95-yard fourth-quarter drive. A 46-yard run by Chesley Barba and a 27-yard pass from Adrian Agan to Rayson Cacal helped set up Dizon's second score, which gave the Menehunes a 14-10 lead with 6:15 remaining.
LaFountaine then drove the Buffanblu to the Menehunes' 33-yard line. He then hit Ching on a fade pattern down the left sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.
"All game we were trying to set up that play with other guys, and the right opportunity presented itself and we just took advantage of it," LaFountaine said. "Jason made a great catch for me and made me look good."
Dixon intercepted an Agan pass on the next series, and LaFountaine sealed the outcome two plays later with a 12-yard touchdown run.
"We never lost our confidence even though they took the lead," LaFountaine said. "We knew we had some things we could do and we went out and executed."
Waimea churned out 207 yards in rushing and was led by Barba's 78-yard performance, while Dizon ran for 75.
"I think our boys played well," said Waimea coach Jon Kobayashi. "We made a few mistakes here and there and it cost us the ballgame. But I think our guys kept fighting and played heads-up football most of the game. ... The best thing from this is we can only improve."
Waimea hosts Hilo in another preseason game Friday. Punahou faces Waiakea of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation on campus Saturday in preparation for its Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener against St. Louis on Sept. 8.
"We need to keep getting better," Ane said. "And this is another step up."
At Alexander Field
Waimea (0-1) 7 0 0 7 -- 14 Punahou (1-0) 0 7 3 14 -- 24 Waim--Jordon Dizon 1 run (Adrian Agan kick)
Pun--Todd LaFountaine 3 run (Wade Nakagawa kick)
Pun--Stan Fisher 25 field goal
Waim--Dizon 3 run (Agan kick)
Pun--Jason Ching 33 pass from LaFountaine (Nakagawa kick)
Pun--LaFountaine 12 run (Nakagawa kick)
RUSHING--Waimea: Dizon 11-75, Rayson Cacal 13-62, Chesley Barba 11-78, Agan 5-(-10), Ikaika Cabral 3-9, Oliver Moniz 1-(-9). Punahou: LaFountaine 20-91, Drew Monahan 8-43, Ching 1-0, Jason Sakata 2-2, Peter Lee 1-2.
PASSING--Waimea: Agan 3-7-1-70. Punahou: LaFountaine 9-14-0-135.
RECEIVING--Waimea: Barba 1-16, Timmy Chang Wo 1-27, Cacal 1-27. Punahou: Brian Sanders 1-19, Monahan 2-1, Mitchell Wong 1-18, David Marsh 2-29, Sakata 1-23, David Dowsett 1-12, Ching 1-33.
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