[ HIGH SCHOOL ]
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kailua running back Kekoa Su'a lunged for an extra yard during the first quarter last night against Castle at Aloha Stadium.
Castle gets
big win over Kailua
Ethan Gonsalves is one of the most accurate kickers in the state, and last night he showed how dangerous he can be as a pass receiver, too.
Gonsalves hauled in Bryce Kalauokaaea's 47-yard touchdown bomb to break a 24-all tie and then booted a 45-yard field goal for a 10-point cushion as Castle defeated Windward Oahu rival Kailua 40-32 at Aloha Stadium.
It was a wild Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Conference game. The Knights took a 14-3 lead, only to fall behind 24-14 before scratching back with 26 unanswered points for the victory in front of 3,966 fans.
Castle improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference and sent the Surfriders (3-1, 2-1) to their first defeat.
Gonsalves started the Knights' comeback with a 24-yard field goal to make it 24-17 before Antone Watababe came up with a huge fumble recovery and a 21-yard touchdown return to tie it at 24.
After Gonsalves' go-ahead TD catch, teammate Jonathan Horner intercepted a pass by Surfriders quarterback Kelroy Kohatsu to set up Gonsalves' second field goal. Later, John Reis picked off another Kohatsu pass and returned it 40 yards for the 40-24 bulge.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kailua receiver Jeremy Wicker scored during the second quarter last night, as Kailua cut the deficit against Castle. The Knights went on to beat the Surfriders.
Kailua's Kekoa Su'a piled up hefty rushing yardage as expected, but it was the Castle defense and special teams that did the damage. The Surfriders failed in their bid for redemption after losing to the Knights 25-0 in last year's OIA championship game.
The Surfriders wiped out Castle's 14-3 lead with three unanswered second-quarter touchdowns. The first two second-quarter scores were via the pass as Kohatsu threw touchdown passes of 31 yards to Jeremy Wicker and 45 yards to Dylan Linkner for a 17-14 edge with 6:48 to go in the half.
The Surfriders wrested control of the game's momentum when Su'a bounced off a defender at the line of scrimmage, found a hole to the left, picked up a burst of speed and outraced everyone to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown and a 24-14 lead. A pack of five Castle defenders chased in vain about 10 yards in back of Su'a over the final 35 yards of the run.
The Surfriders never gave up, though, driving 67 yards to cut the cap to 40-32 with 2:06 left as Linkner rolled into the end zone on a 13-yard TD pass from Kohatsu.
On the game's opening kickoff, Castle's Matt Kanahele gave fans a glimpse of the wild action to come, returning it 65 yards for a touchdown. Guy Humalon's 12-yard TD catch of a Kalauokaaea pass gave the Knights a 14-3 lead after Mike Sakaba's 21-yard field goal for the Surfriders.
