Radford rallies to win
after blowing lead

Kyle Blair scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Burciaga with 1:16 to play, lifting Radford over Waipahu 24-23 last night at Mililani Stadium.

Blair caught the pass at the Waipahu 15-yard line and beat a defender to the sideline for the touchdown. Eric Venglar, who had his only catch of the game during the game-winning drive, nailed the extra-point kick for the final margin of victory.

Radford improved to 2-0 in Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference play (2-1 overall). Waipahu, which had rallied from a 10-0 deficit to take the lead, dropped to 1-1 in league play (1-2 overall).

"That's what football is all about, having fun," Radford coach Fred Salanoa said. "We're not perfect, but we can minimize mistakes. We never gave up."

Blair finished with five receptions for 111 yards. Burciaga completed seven of 20 attempts for 140 yards and one interception, but was relatively mistake-free.

Radford committed two turnovers, but Waipahu fumbled the ball away five times. In addition, Waipahu committed seven penalties for 74 yards in the first half. Those mistakes nullified 298 total yards in offense by the Marauders.

Austen Benito completed 11 of 22 attempts for 178 yards and ran for 82 more, but fumbled twice on fourth-and-short situations in Radford territory.

Waipahu, which arrived at the stadium during the singing of the national anthem, seemed off-key for the entire first quarter. At one point, the Marauders fumbled away three consecutive possessions. Radford cashed in for 10 points with a 35-yard field goal by Venglar and a 1-yard touchdown run by Alex Daniels.

The Rams led 10-0 with 10:44 left in the second quarter.

Waipahu finally responded with an 18-yard option keeper to the end zone by the nimble-footed Benito. After missing the PAT kick, Waipahu trailed 10-6 with 8:11 left in the first half.

The Marauders seized the lead on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Benito to Ben Ameperosa with 2:27 to go in the half.

Radford drove 69 yards in six plays, and Russell Wantowski's 9-yard touchdown run gave Radford a 17-13 lead with 50 seconds to play before intermission.

Radford punter Stephen Baughn stepped back and out of the end zone as the third quarter ended for a safety. That brought Waipahu within 17-15.

Waipahu went ahead after a 56-yard drive that consumed 5 minutes and 16 seconds. Benito scored on a play-action rollout from 14 yards out. Krypton Taito's PAT run gave Waipahu a 23-17 lead with 6:44 to play in the game.