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POSTED: Saturday, November 29, 2008

WAILUKU » Although their school is located right down the road from Aloha Stadium, the Radford Rams spent the first two weeks of the state football tournament doing some serious island-hopping.

Thanks largely to a sensational first-half performance by Shawn Putman-Curry, the Rams—following trips to Kauai and Maui—will make the shortest of bus rides for Friday's Division II championship game.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior put in a full night's work in the first half alone, making eight catches for 126 yards and accounting for all three of his team's first-half touchdowns—two on receptions and another on a run—for a 14-point lead.

Although Putman-Curry was not nearly as productive in the second half of last night's game at War Memorial Stadium, the Rams held on for a 33-27 semifinal victory over Lahainaluna, who scored a pair of late touchdowns to make things interesting.

The win improved Radford's record to 10-3 and earned the Rams a berth opposite defending champion and top-seeded 'Iolani in Friday's D-II title game. The Lunas closed out the season with a 7-3 mark.

Putman-Curry didn't waste any time making his mark. Radford opened the game with a nine-play, 80-yard drive with the senior playing a starring role.

On the first play from scrimmage, he was on the receiving end of a 39-yard pass from quarterback Mosiah Manuma. And he capped the drive with a 9-yard reverse.

Lahainaluna promptly coughed up the ball as Jake Manning forced a pass that was picked off by Manuma, who doubles as a safety. But the Rams gave the ball right back, as Manuma's pitch to Doug Brown went awry and Lahainaluna's Miko Tesoro returned it 30 yards for the tying touchdown.

Radford increased its lead to 14-7 early in the second period, when Putman-Curry again got behind the Lunas' secondary for a 31-yard scoring pass from Manuma.

Manuma's 14-yard scoring run was nullified by a holding call late in the second period, but he got the score back just a few plays later as Putman-Curry made a spectacular diving catch in the right corner of the end zone on an 18-yard pass.

The Lunas closed to within a touchdown on the opening series of the second half as Manning turned a quarterback draw into a 57-yard scoring run.

But the Rams responded with a scoring drive of their own thanks to a gimmick play that produced a first down on a fourth and 12 from Lahainaluna's 27.

Pouesi Togiailu, who doubles as a 240-pound linebacker, lined up at the tailback position. After grabbing a pitch from Manuma and rolling to his right, Togiailu tossed a cross-field pass to his quarterback, who had drifted out to the left flat, for a first down.

Togiailu eventually forced his way over from the 2 for a touchdown and a 27-14 lead with 3:53 left in the third period.

The Rams added another score on a 1-yard sneak by Manuma early in the fourth quarter to take a seemingly safe 33-14 lead.

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Radford	7	14	6	6	—	33
Lahainaluna	7	0	7	13	—	27

Rad—Shawn Putman-Curry 9 pass from Mosiah Manuma (Cody Spraker kick)
Lah—Miko Tesoro 30 fumble return (Ivan Delaney kick)
Rad—Putman-Curry 31 pass from Manuma (Spraker kick)
Rad—Putman-Curry 18 pass from Manuma (Spraker kick)
Lah—Jake Manning 57 run (Delaney kick)
Rad—Pouesi Togiailua 2 run (kick blocked)
Rad—Manuma 1 run (kick failed)
Lah—Ty Carter 31 pass from Manning (run failed)
Lah—Imihana Ampong (Delaney kick)