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Damien and Pac-5 settle
for a 19-all tie
Brent Umehira missed a 40-yard field goal with time running out and Pac-Five settled for a 19-19 tie last night against Damien at Aloha Stadium.
The Wolfpack grabbed a 19-6 halftime lead and then watched it wither away as the Monarchs mounted a valiant comeback in the final 24 minutes of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II football game.
Sophomore QB Bryson Bernie drove Pac-Five (0-0-1, 3-1-1) 61 yards in the final 3:48 with short, quick passes to make the final field-goal attempt possible.
Bernie was disappointed with his team's output in the second half and its failure to hold the big lead.
"It was all in our brains," said Bernie, who finished 14-for-29 for 159 yards and two TDs. "It was a mental block on our part. We just weren't making our big plays and couldn't execute. I wasn't getting rid of the ball fast enough and our defense wasn't making tackles. When you do things like that, you can't expect it to go in your favor."
Running backs Va'a Faualo and Kealoha Pilares, along with Damien's rejuvenated defense, paved the way for the Monarchs' second-half rally. Prior to the Wolfpack's field-goal try, Damien (2-2-1, 0-1-1) forced Pac-Five to punt five times.
Pilares took a lead block from Tau Akalifa and sped around left end for a 7-yard TD to make it 19-13 with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Pilares then ripped off an 18-yard run to set the stage for Faualo's thrilling 61-yard touchdown run. Faualo broke what appeared to be three sure tackles in the middle of the Wolfpack defense and got loose to the right sideline and outran everybody for the 19-all tie with 8:30 to play.
Faualo, however, watched his line-drive extra-point attempt go under the crossbar.
"It was such an important game," said Faualo, who rushed for 125 yards on 12 carries. "This is a game we need to win to get into the playoffs. I wanted to get into that end zone so badly. I wasn't ready (for the extra point), I guess. I feel that I've let my teammates down. If I had made it, we would have won."
In the late game, Saint Louis beat Kamehameha 21-20.
Damien got into Pac-Five territory on its next possession, but punted it away and looked for one final defensive stop.
But Bernie and receivers Cody Walker and Umehira had other ideas. They kept the chains and clock moving, but couldn't get the three points they were looking for when Umehira's attempt to win the game fell short and to the left.
In the first half, everything clicked for the Wolfpack. Bernie stepped up confidently into the pocket and found Walker for TD receptions of 23 and 32 yards.
Each team had only one turnover in the contest. Bernie, however, was sacked three times -- by the Monarchs' Braden Storaasli, Robert McDermott and Howard Yun --Êand he was pressured relentlessly by Michael Sipili.
With a fumble recovery and long return deep into Pac-Five territory, David Tuiasosopo also had a big defensive game for Damien. But that first-half threat evaporated when quarterback George Martin was sacked on fourth down by Nick Miyamoto.
The Wolfpack's Jeremiah Onosai and Maika McWayne had tackles for loss, while teammate Russel Fisher was a hound in the face of Damien's offense all night.
