Roosevelt earns first playoff berth in 10 years

After a scoreless first quarter, Roosevelt found the right gear and rolled to a 47-7 victory over Waialua at Tosh Nakasone Field on Friday night.

The Rough Riders (4-3, 4-3 Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II) did it with a grind-it-up option attack and a defense that scored four touchdowns and added a safety in the regular-season finale for both teams.

“The defense played good, man,” Roosevelt coach Kui Kahooilihala said about his team, which will face Waipahu in the OIA D-II semifinals next weekend. “It’s been 10 years (since the Rough Riders have been in the postseason). The kids are excited. For us it’s about the process. Everybody taking care of their responsibilities. Waipahu is a great team, a tough team with a tough defense. We’re going to have to come focused and ready to go.”

Those Marauders (8-0, 7-0) from Waipahu are the top seed in the OIA D-II playoffs. They beat visiting Roosevelt 35-8 on Aug. 25.

Jared Elwin and Tasi Sofakini were the movers and shakers on the defensive side of the ball for the Rough Riders on Friday. Elwin returned two interceptions for touchdowns of 64 and 45 yards. He also scored on a 7-yard run on offense. Sofakini, meanwhile, returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and also blocked a punt that rolled out of the end zone for a safety.

“Oh man, we came a long way,” Elwin said. “We trust our work ethic and as we move on we gotta keep on going and use this as momentum. And we’ve gotta prepare. It’s all about preparation.”

After neither team budged in the first quarter, the Rough Riders broke through with touchdown drives of 60 and 50 yards, capped with runs of 7 yards by Elwin and 2 by Isaiah Rosa to make it 12-0.

After that, it was bing-bing-bing — those two interception returns by Elwin and one by Sofakini for touchdowns within 1:35 of each other that finished off a 33-point second quarter.

All told, Waialua freshman Justyce Lacar threw five interceptions, four of which were returned for TDs. The Rough Riders’ other pick-6 came in the third quarter by way of Caine Fitiausi-Fung, who ran it 98 yards all the way home and just beat Lacar to the end zone.

“He got a bit rattled,” Bulldogs coach Lincoln Barit said. “We told him, ‘Hey you gotta shake this off. It’s all about growing up. Catch your composure again.’ He’s a good player.”

Hunter Apau, another freshman for Waialua (0-8, 0-7), made nine catches for 98 yards.

“Throughout his career, he’s going to be dominant,” Bulldogs two-way lineman Matthan Hatchie said about Apau.

Hatchie, who checked in at tight end in the fourth quarter, scored Waialua’s only touchdown, an 18-yard pass from sophomore Kyler Dicion. Previously, he had scored on defense, but never on offense.

“It was all that anger (about not winning a game this season),” said Hatchie, who did not go down despite being hit at the goal line and who has an offer from the University of Hawaii.