[ARENA FOOTBALL]
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Islander Josh White dragged San Diego's Aazaar Abdul-Rahim toward the goal line as he scored the Islanders' second TD for a 13-0 lead last night.
When Josh White lugged a defender the last eight yards into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown, the visiting San Diego Riptide knew the Hawaiian Islanders meant business. Islanders finally
end losing streakBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comThere were many other early-game signs that the Islanders intended to break a nine-game losing streak, and that's exactly what they did last night in a 53-34 victory over the Riptide.
The inspired, hard-smashing play of Isaac White, Sae Paogofie, Darrell Jones and Phil Austin and the heavy-duty pass rush of Junior Tagoai, Olen Rosehill and Derek Zoller sent the Riptide enough first-quarter signals to let them know they were in deep trouble.
Add Mike Tillis' six first-half catches for 77 yards into the mix, and the much-needed winning potion was tapped. Tillis' one-armed grab of a Darnell Arceneaux 18-yard touchdown bullet gave the Islanders a commanding 31-14 halftime bulge. The announced crowd of 2,013 at the Blaisdell Arena showed their pleasure, but not nearly as much as coach Chad Carlson, who clapped and hugged his way to the locker room.
Robert Kemfort factored into the first-half crusade, causing a Riptide fumble that was eventually recovered by Jones. Kemfort also snagged a nine-yard TD pass from Arceneaux on the first drive of the game.
Zoller's sack of San Diego quarterback Kane Claunch cut short an early Riptide drive. The Islanders' constant pressure on Claunch forced him out of the pocket, and as a result the Riptide (5-6) scored on just two of their first-half possessions.
"They outplayed us from the word go, from the first snap to the last snap," San Diego coach Cree Morris said. "They outhit us, outhustled, and the blame is all on me. I obviously didn't have my guys prepared."
The Islanders (2-9), noted for their second-half collapses, held it together this time.
"They played inspired football, to win," Carlson said. "They were focused coming in and they stayed focused for four quarters. This was a win for the organization, the guys playing and the fans. They were sick of losing, and finally said enough was enough."
The Riptide looked ready to mount a serious comeback right after the intermission, driving with ease and scoring on Jerry Garrett's fullback-option two-yard TD pass to Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, trimming the Islanders' lead to 31-21.
New kicker Kimo Naehu drilled a 35-yard field goal, giving the Islanders a 34-21 edge after three quarters. The former Waipahu High School kicker who played two years at Bethel College in Kansas also split the uprights with a 25-yarder in the first half. He said the chance to play pro ball was a "dream come true."
San Diego got as close as 34-28, but the Islanders scored twice in a row to go up by 18 points, 46-28, with eight minutes left in the game. Arceneaux followed a wall of blockers to his left for a 13-yard TD, and then, for the first time in a long time, the proverbial ball bounced the right way for the team from the 50th state. Naehu's kickoff bounced hard and far off the net and Rosehill recovered for the Islanders at the Riptide 16. On the next play, Arceneaux connected with Tillis for a 16-yard score.
With 55 seconds left, Arceneaux silenced recent critics of his scrambling style with a five-yard run around right end to make it 53-34, sealing the victory.
Carlson's antics continued. Even before the game ended, he was jumping up and down repeatedly, swinging his lei like a rope and calling for the crowd to make some noise.
Islanders owner Kimberly Wang was dancing with friends in her loge section, clearly relieved that the team ended the long losing streak.
"And we didn't win by a little. We won by a lot," Wang said.
Arceneaux completed 14 of 16 passes for 151 yards. He scored three rushing TDs and passed for two more. Tillis finished with 10 catches for 118 yards and two TDs.
Garrett scored three times and threw for one TD for the Riptide.
Islanders 53, Riptide 34
San Diego 7 7 7 13 -- 34 Hawaii 13 18 3 19 -- 53 First quarter
Islanders -- Robert Kemfort 8 pass from Darnell Arceneaux (Kimo Naehu kick)
Islanders -- Josh White 21 run (kick failed)
Riptide -- Mark Butler 23 pass from Kane Claunch (Ryan Geisler kick)Second quarter
Islanders -- Arceneaux 9 run (Arceneaux run)
Islanders -- FG Naehu 25
Riptide -- Jerry Garrett 29 pass from Claunch (Geisler kick)
Islanders -- Mike Tillis 18 pass from Arceneaux (Naehu kick)Third quarter
Riptide -- Aazaar Abdul-Rahim 2 pass from Garrett (Geisler kick)
Islanders -- FG Naehu 35
Fourth quarter
Riptide -- Garrett 14 pass from Claunch (Geisler kick)
Islanders -- Arceneaux 12 run (pass failed)
Islanders -- Tillis 16 pass from Arceneaux (kick failed)
Riptide -- Garrett 4 pass from Claunch (kick failed)
Islanders -- Arceneaux 5 run (Naehu kick)RUSHING -- San Diego: Kane Claunch 6-38, Jerry Garrett 1-3, Brian Berg 1-3. Total 8-44. Hawaii: Josh White 4-32, Darnell Arceneaux 6-33, 10-65.
PASSING -- San Diego: Claunch 17-34-0-247, Wesley Phillips 1-3-0-12, Garrett 1-1-0-2. Hawaii: Arceneaux 14-26-0-151.
RECEIVING -- San Diego: Garrett 8-127, Marty Graham 4-61, Mark Butler 2-33, Altie Parker 2-27, Aazaar Abdul-Rahim 2-6, Ryan Cuthbert 1-7.
Hawaii: Mike Tillis 10-118, Robert Kemfort 2-17, Darrell Jones 2-16.
A -- 2,013.
Hawaiian Islanders