Discipline does the trick
for Waipahu
Waipahu sent shock waves through Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference football last night by storming back to upset Campbell 28-27 at the Marauders' packed Wally Yonamine Sports Complex.
The Marauders trailed 21-0 in the second quarter and started their comeback late in the first half.
"Black flag, never give up, that's our motto," emotional Waipahu coach Sean Saturnio said. "We always talk about trust and faith and passion and one of the root words in passion is suffering. Oh, Lord, how we suffered (through a disappointing season) last year. This win was not only a testament to this team, but it was a testament to the teams the past few years who helped us build to where we are this year. Our goal isn't to win championships, but to do the right thing."
Marauders option quarterback Austen Benito was the leader of getting that right thing done last night. He scored the tying touchdown with a 20-yard run and kicked the winning extra point with 57 seconds to go in the third quarter.
"The coaches called a quarterback draw and the line did their part making a hole," Benito said about the TD. "This win is great, so great. We did it with discipline. That's what the coaches wanted. That's because the most-disciplined team usually wins."
The Marauders (4-1, 4-2) moved into a tie with the Sabers (4-1, 4-2) for the OIA White lead.
Waipahu whittled away at Campbell's lead on the hard running of Krypton Taito. He scored on a 29-yard run late in the first half before Benito finished off a 58-yard drive with a 6-yard TD run to open the second half, making it a 21-14 game.
The Sabers appeared to take the momentum completely away on the ensuing kickoff when Isaac Laupola bolted to the left side for an 82-yard touchdown return.
But the next play turned out to be crucial, as Waipahu's Ryan Winfree snuck in to block Laupola's extra-point attempt. The miss wound up haunting the Sabers at the end.
"It was a good game and Waipahu earned this win," Campbell coach Tumoana Kenessey said. "They won the game at the line of scrimmage and we ran out of time. We'll go back and work on our tackling and fundamentals."
Benito's 36-yard TD pass to a streaking Stan Abasial over the middle pulled the Marauders to within six points, 27-21, with 8 minutes to play in the third quarter.
Jeff Baron's fumble recovery set up Waipahu's winning 61-yard TD drive, but the Marauders still had the whole fourth quarter to try to keep the Sabers down.
Campbell got as far as the Waipahu 33, but was pushed back and had to punt.
Benito, Taito and company put a dagger into the Sabers' chances on the Marauders' next possession. After taking more than 4 valuable minutes off the clock, Benito's coffin-corner punt pinned Campbell at its own 1 with 3:52 remaining.
The Sabers got out of the hole, but quarterback Shaye Asoau's fourth-down pass from the Sabers' 42 fell incomplete.
Asoau, the Campbell starter, missed much of the game due to a shoulder injury suffered in the first half, but Kenessey said his absence wasn't the reason his squad lost.
"Anytime you can beat a team like Campbell, which has tremendous size and talent, it's an accomplishment," Saturnio said. "We don't have size. We're a blue-collar, lunch-pail team that stays committed and devoted."
