Kahuku hangs on

It was, as Castle coach Nelson Maeda said, a night for groundhogs.

On a field frosted by slick, thick mud, No. 2-ranked Kahuku turned a key Castle turnover into a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 13-6 win last night.

The win at Castle's field lifted the Red Raiders to 5-0, clinching the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East title. Kahuku (5-2 overall) avoided an upset by pounding away at the smaller Knights, but three fumbles negated much of its momentum.

It was a giveaway by the home team, however, that proved crucial. A muff by Bronson Kekahuna on a Red Raiders punt was recovered by Kahuku's Aulola Tonga at the Knights' 1-yard line. Kaliki Unga ran off right tackle and scored on the next play, giving Kahuku a 13-6 lead with 9:10 remaining.

Castle faltered on its next series, but threatened in the final minutes. The Knights drove to the Kahuku 28-yard line with 2 minutes left, but on fourth and 4, Matthew Mata'u and Shiloah Te'o sacked quarterback Blake Rapozo to end Castle's last hurrah.

The victory was twofold for the Red Raiders, who endured controversy in recent weeks and had an air-it-out meeting on Wednesday between players and coaches. "I especially feel good after all the adversity we've been through," Te'o said. "This shows that we stayed together as a team. We're not splitting up like people say we are. I think all of this brought us together. Coach Reggie (Torres) compromised for us. We can do more of the individual things than before."

Unified, Kahuku limited Castle to just 163 total yards. A new-look 2-9 defense was designed to alter Castle's run-and-shoot offense, but sloppy footing hindered the Knights.

"We saw that right away, that two-man front, and they would bring 'backers," Castle coach Nelson Maeda said. "We tried to run, but the conditions worked to their advantage. They're a groundhog team and they're good at that."

Kahuku rushed for 189 yards on 45 attempts. Castle penalties -- 12 flags for 98 yards -- were a generous gift to the visitors.

On its opening series, Kahuku drove 52 yards in 10 plays, exclusively on the mud, and St. John Lessary III bolted up the middle for a 32-yard touchdown. Lessary's PAT attempt was wide, but Kahuku led 6-0 with 6:34 left in the first quarter.

Late in the quarter, Castle's Kevin Aipia returned a fumble by Junior Mataafa 22 yards to the Kahuku 18-yard line. The Knights drove to the 9-yard line, but as they lined up on fourth and 1, rainfall suddenly intensified. Kawehi Sablan ran off right tackle and picked up the first down, but fumbled at the 1, where Mata'u recovered for Kahuku.

However, on the next play, quarterback Jray Galeai fumbled on the handoff, and Castle lineman Alika Kekoanui recovered the pigskin in the end zone for a touchdown. Aipia, who is also the placekicker, missed the extra-point attempt, and the game remained tied at 6-all with 1:08 left in the opening quarter.

OIA RED EAST

McKinley 7, Farrington 7

Joshua Fernandez rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Govs, while Will Starks scored for the Tigers.

The Governors face Castle next week for second place in the division and a first-round playoff bye.

OIA WHITE

Waipahu 21, Nanakuli 13

The Marauders scored all 21 points in the second quarter. Troy Matautia ran for a touchdown and threw for another for Waipahu.

Bradley Tolentino had 108 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Golden Hawks.

ILH

Kamehameha 31, Damien 6

The Warriors led 17-0 at the end of the first half and maintained the lead after halftime.

Kaulupono Perez rushed for two touchdowns and quarterback Michael Hoke ran for another and threw for a score in the win.