Waipahu tips Aiea on last play

In stunning fashion, Waipahu got back into the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West football playoff race.

Junior quarterback Kai Mercado-Aiona orchestrated the game-winning 70-yard drive in the final 2:07 and had the deciding 7-yard touchdown with no time remaining in the Marauders’ 20-19 comeback over Aiea on Saturday night.

In a must-win matchup of teams winless in league play, Waipahu (2-3, 1-2 Red West) earned a fighting chance to qualify for one of five West playoff berths with three games to play.

With 4.3 seconds left and the Waipahu faithful ready to erupt, Mercado-Aiona rolled to his right and decided to take it to the pylon himself. It took all of his 5-foot-7 frame extended horizontally to get the ball across the goal line.

"Just believing in my line," Mercado-Aiona said of the final play. "Saw blocks, saw open holes so I took it. … I knew our team could get through (the final drive). We had our plays down."

That final drive included a 33-yard lob to Tama Iosefa in triple coverage and a 7-yard swing pass to Sword De Asis to set up the winning score.

Aiea had to respect Mercado-Aiona’s legs — he ran for 99 yards on 17 carries in Waipahu’s misdirection offense — but Na Alii had their chances to snuff out the drive. They had a couple of dropped interception opportunities, and committed a drive-extending roughing-the-passer penalty on Mercado-Aiona on what would have been a fourth-down incompletion early in the drive.

"Waipahu’s pretty tough," Aiea coach Wendell Say said. "It was tough. Things could have gone either way. In the end, Waipahu seems to have wanted it more."

Aiea (2-4, 0-4 Red) had to walk off the extremely frustrating loss — commendably, its players still shook hands with Waipahu — and faces a bleak outlook for one of the West’s five playoff berths among seven teams. It must win out against Leilehua and Mililani to have any chance.

Aiea appeared in prime position to shake a three-game losing streak, going up 19-14 on Shaenan Hernandez-Fonoti’s 63-yard catch-and-run from Elijah Tausaga with 5:09 left in the third quarter.

Tausaga was the latest Aiea player to get the nod at quarterback, as Say wanted to let Mana Kaahanui play exclusively at his natural position, linebacker. Kaahanui had a big tackle for loss to make Waipahu turn it over on downs with 4:43 to play.

Aiea kicker Jae Won Huh had two first-half field goals, including a 47-yarder with room to spare with time expiring in the second quarter, cutting Waipahu’s lead to

14-13 at the break.

But Huh missed a 37-yarder in the fourth quarter.