By

POSTED: Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Screwing up a play call has never felt so good in the career of Robby Toma.

               

     

 

 

High school football         State championships, Friday, at Aloha Stadium. Radio: KUMU 1500-AM         Division II championship: 'Iolani vs. Radford, 4:30 p.m.         Division I championship:         Punahou vs. Leilehua, 7:30 p.m.

The Punahou senior played the role of savior for the Buffanblu last Friday night, returning an interception 74 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of a 35-28 victory over Farrington. The win put his team on the brink of its first state football title.

The pick sealed the Buffanblu's second trip to the state championship game, but wasn't his biggest play of the night.

Just seconds earlier, Punahou tried to put the game away by going for a fourth and 1 in Farrington territory up 29-22 with under a minute remaining.

Manti Te'o fumbled a pitch from quarterback Cayman Shutter, and Govs linebacker Justin Vele picked it up with nobody standing between him and the end zone.

Toma, lined up on the other side of the field as a receiver, never heard what play the Buffanblu were running. Instead of running down field looking for a block, Toma broke inside and wound up running straight toward the fumble, allowing him to track down Vele from behind and save what would have been a game-tying touchdown.

“;Real fortunate for us that I didn't hear the call,”; Toma said. “;It worked out perfect. My momentum running in actually took me toward the play so I could catch him.”;

For all the numbers that Toma has put up this season, and they are big (78 catches, 1,241 yards, 17 touchdowns), his tackle and ensuing interception in the semifinals could be the plays that define his senior season.

A member of one of the most talented senior classes ever at Punahou, Toma doesn't mind what he's remembered for - as long as it includes bringing a state football championship to Punahou for the first time.

  THE SUN has yet to light the water crashing into Laie Point as Toma and Te'o begin their 90-minute drive to school. The two have grown up together, living just three houses apart, and always talked about one day being state champions. They watched as Kahuku, where nearly all of their friends growing up now go to school, battled Saint Louis over and over in state championship games.

“;We always dreamed about it,”; Toma said.

Te'o catches every last minute of sleep he can as Toma drives his friend and his mom into town. Neither kid has a license, but since Toma has his permit, he lets his mom nod off in the passenger seat as he sets out to begin a day that won't end until he's back home some 15 hours later.

“;School, football practice and 3 hours a day on the road,”; Toma said. “;Somehow I get my homework done too, but I don't know how.”;

At times it becomes monotonous, but not this day. There weren't any Monday blues to be had this week.

“;I'm already getting butterflies,”; Toma said.

This is the Monday he's always dreamed about. The whispers he can hear as he arrives on campus. The buzz from other students, teachers, even the janitors have an extra pep in their step.

State championship awards aren't rare at Punahou. It has so many that there's not enough room inside Hemmeter Fieldhouse to house them all. It's become so commonplace that the school doesn't feel the need to showcase any of them.

But football is a different story. As far back as the HHSAA record book goes, there isn't a year Punahou's name is first on the list.

That's why the buzz is so loud, even four days out. Punahou is the school that has accomplished everything. It even has an alumnus about to become President of the United States.

But no state football championship. It came close in 2005, losing to Kahuku in the final seconds. Toma didn't make the team until the following year, but knew how it affected Miah Ostrowski, the guy who played in front of him his sophomore season, whom he calls his role model.

“;He taught me everything I know,”; Toma said. “;We're still boys and we talk all the time.”;

He heard it the most from his friends in Laie. His teammates playing PAL basketball and Pop Warner football.

The same guys playing on this year's Red Raiders team.

“;I really wanted to end my career where it started, playing them,”; Toma said.

  THE GAME was supposed to begin at 7 p.m. His teammates were in the locker room, chomping at the bit to take the field against Farrington.

But not Toma, who was outside the tunnel, watching half of his dream scenario unfold in front of him. Kahuku led 10-2 in the final minutes against Leilehua when Mules quarterback Andrew Manley went to work. First the touchdown pass to pull to 2, then the 2-point conversion. Then the game-winning pass in overtime that was caught just a few feet in front of him.

“;He's the best fourth-quarter quarterback I have ever seen in high school,”; Toma said of Manley. “;He makes unbelievable throws when the pressure is on.”;

After Kahuku failed to score in overtime, Toma waited around a few extra seconds. He saw his childhood friends walk off the field in disbelief.

“;It was tough to see the looks on their faces,”; Toma said. “;It made me want to play harder.”;

  IN TWO DAYS, the hype will be over. Preparations will be completed and all that's left will be the execution.

So much has happened in such a short time. In seven days, he went from a single scholarship offer from Army to accepting a full ride to play football at UCLA.

He overcame an injured knee to become a two-way sensation, adding a game-winning interception to his resume of highlight-reel touchdown catches.

In a few weeks, he'll be jumping off Laie Point with teammate Dalton Hilliard and Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel. In a year or two, he'll be standing on the field inside the Rose Bowl, staring across the sidelines at arch-rival Southern California. After that, who knows where football will take him.

But in 48 hours, he'll have a chance to establish a legacy. One that he, Hilliard, Te'o and many underclassmen on the team talked about at the beginning of the season.

“;We actually had a night where there was about 20 (teammates) that came over to Laie and had a dinner at Manti's house and all the boys slept at our house,”; Toma said. “;Ever since then our team has been real close. I think that we could be (why we're at) this point.”;

It's just like they talked about since Toma moved to Laie in elementary school. It's the reason he and Manti wake up every morning, pile into a car, and make the long drive into town.

It's the reason after all the classes, and practice, and driving and homework, that they wake up the next morning and do it again, with as little sleep as they get.

For years, they've heard how great it was when Kahuku won the state title. Now it's their turn to experience a championship firsthand.

“;It's what we've always wanted,”; Toma said. “;Hopefully me and Manti bring it home for the boys.”;