[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
Kapolei caps
emotional week
with victory
It was "gut-check" time for Kapolei last night when the Hurricanes found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time all season. The Hurricanes got out of that predicament, however, and went on to beat Kaiser 14-7 in a key Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference game in Hawaii Kai.
"It was a real emotional week," said Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez, who learned earlier in the day that his team would not forfeit a game to Kalani after finding the school had inadvertently failed to list a player on its eligibility list that week. "We kind of got the wind knocked out of our sails with the controversy off of the field. We just have to regroup and come back. It was a great win for us tonight. We had a lot of adversity, but I'm proud of the way they played at the end and pulled it out."
As earlier in the day, good fortune shadowed the Hurricanes on this night as a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jon Medeiros to Bronson Pieper, which grazed the fingertips of Kaiser's Keoni Esteban, provided the winning margin with 7:21 remaining. The pair also hooked up for the 2-point conversion seconds later.
Kaiser (3-3, 3-2) drove to the Kapolei 36 in the game's final minute, but after spending its last time out, a pair of penalties ended any hopes of producing a go-ahead score.
The Cougars managed a 7-6 lead with 1:13 left to play in the third quarter when Blain Ling hit Matt Ching for a 67-yard touchdown on an option pass. Steele Legros provided the extra point.
Kapolei (5-0, 4-0) used a pair of Kerisiano Tuaniga field goals, the latter coming from 41 yards out, to take a 6-0 lead deep into the third quarter.
Kapolei took its 3-0 lead on its first possession after a Kaiser punt (which netted just 15 yards) gave the Hurricanes a first-and-10 at the Cougar 44-yard line. John Dela Rama broke up the middle for 29 yards on a delayed handoff to move the Hurricanes into the red zone, and four plays later Medeiros scrambled for an apparent 8-yard touchdown run. A holding penalty wiped out the play, forcing Kapolei to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Tuaniga.
Pratt, who entered the game averaging 228 passing yards per game, finished 14 of 37 for 93 yards. Medeiros was 7-for-21 for 94 yards and a touchdown. Shannon Wise had four sacks for Kaiser.
