Sidelines
A night out with the Hawaiian Islanders: A night with the Islanders
On the first play from scrimmage the Islanders incur a penalty. The fans hit the ground running: "Oh, what a bunch of crap!"
Quad City kicker Brian Hegnauer kicks off into the ceiling.
The first helmet comes off.
A member of the Waipahu High football team (they have come en masse, in uniform, and parked themselves next to the Islander Girls) shows great athletic ability, snagging a free T-shirt with a nice running catch.
The second helmet comes off.
Finally, Hawaii (Hawaiian?) scores. Kimo Naehu kicks what they officially call a 52-yard field goal over a crossbar 15 feet high, through uprights 9 feet apart. It's like making a 25-foot putt.
Biggest cheers of the night: A front-row fan brings back "popping" to raucous approval and free luau tickets. He brings to mind a young Rerun from "What's Happening?".
Kickoff gets stuck in the net above the end zone. Quad City's Ira Gooch can't get it, hop, hop, hop. Management goes with that Kris Kross classic "Jump."
With a rare Islanders first down, the soundbite is Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally." You know the one we mean.
I'll have what she's having.
Darnell Arceneaux scores for the Islanders, a daring, dancing, dashing run that ends with a pileup at the pylon.
Interception by a fan leaning over the wall.
Quad City scores. The Islanders score. (Hey, it's arenafootball2.) Quad City scores. This is like Hawaii-Miami (Ohio). But without the drama.
But that's coming.
Islander Darrell Jones steals an interception and there is a touchdown at the end of his 30-yard, broken-field ballet.
One of the Waipahu guys gets chosen to participate in the Touchdown Dance Contest between the third and fourth quarters. He uses this as an opportunity to chat up one of the cheerleaders. He's going to be a high school legend for this. Then he wins the dance contest. He is the real Rerun. We cheer. We go wild. Stop the game now, I have seen it all.
Then Nian Taylor scores for the Islanders. Then Niko Vitale does. Then it's tied. Then it's pandemonium. Jones recovers a fumble. Islander coaches do a leaping chest bump. A beach ball nearly hits me in the head.
And then Gooch deflates the building, catching a touchdown bomb.
The clock ticks, the Islanders march, coach Chad Carlson holds his head. Touchdown! James Brown plays. The announcer asks the crowd if it wants to go for 2.
An explosion. Taulia Lave heaves the ball into the cheap seats. Islanders win. The Dogs, the music tells us, are out.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com