KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Castle quarterback Jacob Ramos scored the game-tying touchdown with seconds left in regulation last night. The Knights beat McKinley 27-21 in three overtimes to advance to the state championship game Friday against St. Louis.
Castle wins thriller And for the Knights, the dream lives another day.
The Knights advance to the
Crusaders in final again
state final in triple overtime
By Marc Dixon
mdixon@starbulletin.comCastle's Kawika Sebay ended the Chevron State Football Championship's first overtime game with a 9-yard touchdown run to beat McKinley 27-21 last night at Aloha Stadium.
After quarterbacks Abel Werner and Jacob Ramos traded touchdowns in the second overtime, Sebay broke through in the third overtime to win the game and set up the state championship final with St. Louis. The Crusaders hammered Waimea 51-0 in the first game of the historic evening.
Castle plays St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Aloha Stadium. It is the first meeting between the two since the Crusaders beat Castle 48-0 in the 2000 state quarterfinals.
In the first overtime, after the Knights had intercepted McKinley's Warner, Sebay had fumbled away an apparent Castle victory.
"I made a mistake. Every guy makes mistakes but not as crucial as mine," said Sebay. "I was just waiting for the chance to make up for it. It was actually a dive just to keep the ball safe and I read the guys' blocks."
Said McKinley coach David Tanuvasa: "We had our opportunities. A whole bunch but we didn't take advantage."
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Despite a 51-0 drubbing by St. Louis, Waimea supporters showed their pride after last night's game. See "Crusaders in final again."
The two teams traded touchdowns after Sebay's mental error, before he atoned for his miscue to give Castle the win.
All the scoring took place after a scoreless first half, McKinley's Werner and Iama Lauvao, connected on a 34-yard touchdown on the first drive of the second half, ending the Castle Knights' 11-quarter scoreless streak. On the third play of the drive, slotback Lauvao caught the fly pattern on the left hashmark at the 20-yard line, side-stepped a man and beat Ernesto Lopez to the goal line. John Mai's kick gave the Tigers the lead at 7-0.
Castle squandered an opportunity in the third quarter when Suzui fumbled a return at the Tigers' 25-yard line. Suzui, who returned a punt 74 yards for a score last week against Baldwin, fumbled two punts last night, but was also part of the Knights' first score.
With 10:12 left in the fourth quarter, Suzui fielded an Iakopo Taumua punt, sprinted to his right, then handed the ball to Ikaika Ho on a reverse. Ho turned the corner and a wall of blockers secured the route on a 71-yard return. Jon Horner escorted Ho into the end zone and the game was tied at 7.
Werner would toss another touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers the advantage until Castle's desperation drive that ended regulation.
Following a 17-yard Taumua punt, Castle advanced 42 yards in six plays to send the game into overtime. The drive commenced with McKinley quarterback Ramos pushing his way in for a 1-yard score. On the drive, Ramos ran twice for 15 yards and completed three passes for 18 yards.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
McKinley's Joshua Bumanglag was taken down by Castle's Kaleo Cordero last night. The Knights won in three overtimes.
"Unbelievable, what a game. It was a game nobody deserved to lose." said Castle coach Nelson Maeda. "This won't hit us until it's all over."
Although Castle's defense had only surrendered double-digit points once in the postseason, McKinley was determined to break through the Knights' vaunted defense early. After their defense forced a Castle punt on the game's opening drive, Werner connected with Isaiah Iaea for 42 yards up the right sideline. However, the drive ended as Mai missed the first of two long field goals.
The Knights' offense managed only one first down in the half, and until the defense set up a prime scoring opportunity with 8:59 left in the half, it appeared the lone highlight for the Windward-side squad would be Sebay's 62-yard punt.
Following an Antone Watanabe 6-yard sack, the Knights' defense brought the jailbreak blitz. Watanabe broke through the offensive line, forcing Werner to hang the ball over the middle on an attempted screen. Travis Paaga snatched the floating pass out of the air and the Knight offense took over on the Tigers' 16-yard line. Unfortunately for Castle and its fans, on the very next play McKinley's Daniel Desoto returned the favor, picking off a Scott Argue pass in the end zone.
McKinley managed to move the ball to the Castle 30-yard line with 4 seconds left, however Mai's 47-yard field goal attempt fell short.
McKinley (9-5) 0 0 7 7 7-- 21 Castle (10-4) 0 0 0 14 13-- 27 McK -- Iama Lauvao 34 pass from Abel Werner (John Mai kick)
Cast -- Ikaika Ho 71 punt return (Ethan Gonsalves kick)
McK -- Isaiah Iaea 18 pass from Werner (Mai kick)
Cast -- Jacob Ramos 1 run (Gonsalves kick)
McK -- Werner 1 run (Mai kick)
Cast -- Ramos 17 run (Gonsalves kick)
Cast -- Sebay 9 run
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