Football fever grips local fans

Scores of raucous fans stormed the field at Aloha Stadium for the second time in as many games yesterday, following Hawaii's comeback win over Washington.

Police reported several injuries of fans, some of whom were hurt in the scramble to the field but their injuries were not reported as serious.

Police made two arrests, one for alleged abuse of a household member and another for the alleged assault of a police officer. Security escorted about 14 people out of the stadium during the game for unruly behavior.

Despite the trouble, police said it was a normal amount of fights and injuries for a UH game, especially for a sellout.

"It went well. It's hard to keep that many people off of the field," said Honolulu police Maj. Debora Tandal.

On the field, University of Hawaii graduate student Zach Thielen knelt on the artificial turf and bowed several times to Hawaii football players, screaming until his voice grew horse.

"I feel ecstatic," he yelled over the roar of the sold-out stadium. "That's the most amazing thing in UH history. This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

By beating the University of Washington Huskies, the Warriors ended their season as the only undefeated college football team in the nation, likely secured a spot in a coveted Bowl Championship Series bowl game, and kept alive the prospects of a Heisman Trophy for quarterback Colt Brennan.

"Only the best team of the century," said Steve Schmidt, another fan who jumped over the barrier and was capturing the memory in a photo with friends on field. "Colt (Brennan) is the man. He better get the Heisman."

Even Mayor Mufi Hannemann spent a few moments on the field, posing with excited football fans who dodged the security force's human barrier. Hannemann was able to catch the game from the third quarter after attending the Honolulu City Lights parade and tree lighting ceremony downtown.

"It's the best feeling I think the state of Hawaii has had in a long time," he said. He added that the team's come-from-behind win shows that when you want something, "you never, never give up."

Just before the clock ran out, fans chanted "BCS, BCS." Electricity ran through the stadium, as fans cheered, jumped and whistled.

"I was losing it," said Tim Johnson, walking barefoot on the field. "It's one of the greatest moments of my UH career."

Police, some in riot gear, surrounded the field. Fans pressed to the wall for a chance to storm the field.

A Hawaii fan with green hair was held back by police, but didn't resist. Aloha Stadium security caught others as they scrambled for the field. Dozens ran through security, however, joining the celebration.

Security was able to deter the majority of fans from rushing the field, but angry fans in the student section threw bottles of water, rolled balls of wet newspaper, full cups and other objects on field.

There were no reports of incidents in the section for Washington fans, officials said.

During the first half, a officer police detained a man in the concession area, pressing him flat onto the asphalt. The man was led away with blood on his face and his hands in plastic restraints. During the same

incident, police assisted a woman, taking her to receive first aid.

Andrew Rigterink, a North Shore resident, said he saw the man shove the woman before police intervened. Rigterink said the police appeared disorganized, hitting themselves with pepper spray, with one officer dropping the bottle. "It was hilarious," he said.

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Outage gives Mililani
fans a scare

Warrior fans in Mililani had a scare yesterday when power was cut off for about 2,000 area residents in the afternoon.

Problems with an underground cable caused the power outage, at about 12:15 p.m., said Barbara Heckathorn, spokeswoman for Hawaiian Electric Co.

Initial reports indicated the power failure would last through the night, but Heckathorn said more crews were brought in to repair the lines.

"We brought over additional crews because we know how important the game is," she said.

Power was restored just 15 minutes before the 6:30 p.m. kickoff.