Crafty and skilled, the ‘Iolani Raiders used a last-minute ploy to get the ball back for one last chance to upset Kamehameha.

But the Raiders did the one thing nobody at Kunuiakea Stadium expected: they outwitted themselves. Seventh-ranked Kamehameha escaped with a 42-34 win over the visiting Raiders.

Kamehameha (4-2 overall) improved to 2-1 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, but only after a wild final minute and 18 seconds.

Tanner Nishioka’s 6-yard touchdown run around right end, with a nifty cutback, brought the Raiders within 35-34. ‘Iolani, which won an early-season game at Waipahu with a late two-point conversion, opted to go for the win. Reece Foy’s pass over the middle was intercepted by Javen Sablay, seemingly preserving Kamehameha’s victory.

“They made plays when they needed to. (Sablay) made a great read and he made a great play,” ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. “It was a game-winning play.” 

Sablay was gassed by then. 

“Coach said to play our hearts out. I felt good, but I was tired,” he said. 

After Cheyne Holt recovered the ensuing on-side kick, all Kamehameha had to do was run out the clock. But ‘Iolani called a time out — its last of the game — with 1:08 left and went to its last resort.

The defense parted like Moses at the Red Sea, and allowed Kamehameha running back Kalani Wengler to sprint untouched for a 42-yard touchdown. The Warriors led 42-34 with 59 seconds left, but ‘Iolani got its wish. 

A personal foul against Kamehameha following the touchdown play pushed the kickoff back, and after Nishioka’s 32-yard return, the Raiders had the ball at the Warriors’ 38-yard line with 52 seconds to go. Two plays later, Foy scrambled for a first down, but curved back against traffic and was stopped short. 

With 20 seconds on the clock, the Raiders lined up on fourth-and-1, but Foy thought he had picked up the first down, which would’ve stopped the clock. Time expired, and the senior was astonished, then disappointed.