KEALAKEKUA, Hawaii » The contingent that followed the Nanakuli football team to Hawaii Island gathered just outside the end zone to snap photos of the team after a historic victory.
It was certainly a moment worth capturing for the Golden Hawks.
Nanakuli carried its postseason magic over to the Big Island and advanced to the semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II State Football Championship with a 25-23 comeback win over host Konawaena on Saturday.
Nanakuli trailed 23-7 at halftime in its first state tournament appearance, but battled back behind quarterback Chazz Troutman, who ran for a touchdown with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter, then completed a 2-point conversion pass to Brandon Felisi to tie the score.
The Golden Hawks then took the lead when Konawaena was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a decisive safety with 2:32 remaining.
The Golden Hawks (7-4), who earned the program’s first state tournament berth with a similarly stirring rally against Kaiser last month, will next face second-seeded Lahainaluna at 4 p.m. Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
"This is not the first time. We’ve been down more than this and we came back," Troutman said. "The coaches made good adjustments and we executed."
Troutman ran for two touchdowns and running back Khade Paris churned out 114 yards, 23 coming on a touchdown to cap Nanakuli’s opening drive of the third quarter that shifted the momentum.
"For the program it means a lot," Nanakuli coach Skip Lopes said. "We came up here and they represented the school and themselves."
Radford, which survived at Kauai on Saturday, faces top-seeded ‘Iolani at 7 p.m. Saturday in the other Division II semifinal.
Konawaena (9-5) closed its season at Julian R. Yates Field with only its second on-field loss of the season and its first at home. The Wildcats forfeited three games earlier this season due to an ineligible player.
The Wildcats played most of the game without standout running back John Kamoku, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first half.
"We lost our starting tailback very early and that limited our game plan from that point on and really hurt us," Konawaena head coach Cliff Walters said. "We’re a big-play team, but you have to be able to run the ball. But we played a great team and we wish them luck."
Konawaena’s big-play potential powered the 10th-ranked Wildcats to the halftime lead.
Konawaena quarterback Kahoali’i Karratti completed five passes of 30 yards or longer in the first half and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Domonic Morris to give the Wildcats a 13-7 lead in the second quarter. A 59-yard connection between the duo with 16 seconds left in the half set up a field goal that pushed the Konawaena lead to 23-7.
But that was the last score Nanakuli surrendered and Karratti, who threw for 237 of his 276 yards in the first half, completed just two passes in the second half.
"We played more bump and run," Lopes said. "In the first half I told my cornerbacks to stay off the receivers and … (Konawaena) just threw the ball to the spot and they were making the catch. My defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach said we have to press to throw them off their rhythm."
After Nanakuli tied the score, the decisive score came with Konawaena facing third and 16 from its 17. Karratti scrambled backward into the end zone and threw the ball away under pressure from Royce Ochimas. The officials called intentional grounding and the safety.
Nanakuli then recovered an onside kick and ran the clock down to 2 seconds before giving the ball back to Konawaena. The Wildcats completed a short pass and attempted several laterals and got over midfield before being stopped to end the game.
At Julian R. Yates Field
| Nanakuli (7-4) |
0 |
7 |
8 |
10 |
— |
25 |
| Konawaena (9-5) |
6 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
— |
23 |
Kona–Kahoalii Karratti 1 run (run failed)
Nana–Chazz Troutman 18 run (Joseph Shelton kick)
Kona–Domonic Morris 23 pass from Karratti (John Replogle kick)
Kona–Bubba Ellis-Noa 1 run (Replogle kick)
Kona–FG Replogle 32
Nana–Khade Paris 23 run (Lansen Liki pass from Troutman)
Nana–Troutman 11 run (Brandon Felisi pass from Troutman)
Nana–Safety, intentional grounding in the end zone
RUSHING–Nanakuli: Paris 17-114, Felisi 11-26, Troutman 17-31, Nyenoa Ulangca-Kauweloa 6-37, Nathan Kipi 2-10. Konawaena: John Kamoku 6-16, Karratti 8-1, Ellis-Noa 4-7, Dishon Cho 2-9.
PASSING–Nanakuli: Troutman 7-15-2-67, Shelton 0-1-0-0. Konawaena: Karratti 9-25-0-276.
RECEIVING–Nanakuli: Shelton 1-3, Lansen Liki 1-9, Ulancga-Kauweloa 3-46, Felisi 1-4, Eric Au Hoon Kaawa 1-6. Konawaena: Kenan Gaspar 4-121, Morris 3-112, Cho 2-43.
Radford 22, Kauai 21
Cody Lui-Yuen punched in a touchdown from a yard out with about five minutes left, then hit Mana Kakiva for the 2-point conversion to lead the Rams over the Red Raiders in the first round of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II State Football Championships at Vidinha Stadium on Kauai.
Radford moves on to play top seed ‘Iolani at Aloha Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of the 2008 Division II title game won by the Raiders.
The Rams were in their first close game since they beat Cresent Valley (Ore.) 21-17 in the preseason, and they responded to the pressure. Lui-Yuen threw for 180 yards, but none was more important than the two he covered in getting the ball to Kakiva on the conversion.
Radford kicker Cayman Conley was perfect on his two extra-point tries earlier in the game, but Radford didn’t want to go to overtime.
The Rams’ defense held Kauai out of scoring range after taking the lead with five minutes left, sealing it when Conley picked off a pass. Radford ran out the clock from there.
Kauai beat Radford on the ground, outrushing the Rams 179-65 behind Reggie McFadden’s 83 yards on 19 carries. Radford had only a slight edge in the air, 192-163, but Red Raiders quarterback Trey Aguano was picked off three times.
Kauai went up 21-14 in the fourth quarter when McFadden scored from 8 yards out before Radford’s winning drive. The teams were tied 14-14 at the half.
At Vidinha Stadium
| Radford (11-1) |
14 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
— |
22 |
| Kauai (8-2) |
7 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
— |
21 |
Rad–Logan Soakai 20 interception return (Cayman Conley kick)
Kauai–Dreyke Smith-Butac recovered punt block in end zone (Grant Basquez kick)
Rad–Jameson Pagisan 9 pass from Cody Lui-Yuen (Conley kick)
Kauai–Reggie McFadden 8 run (Basquez kick)
Rad–Lui-Yuen 1 run (Mana Kakiva pass from Lui-Yuen)
RUSHING–Radford: Chris Jackson 8-35, Jordan Murao 9-23, Lui-Yuen 14-12, Chance Cacatian 2-(-5). Kauai: McFadden 19-83, Trey Aguano 10-48, Smith-Butac 3-27, Chanse Ramirez 4-14, Keenan Kaluahine-Arroyo 3-5, Waika Alapai 2-2.
PASSING–Radford: Lui-Yuen 20-34-2-180. Conley 1-1-0-12. Kauai: Aguano 14-31-3-163.
RECEIVING–Radford: Pagisan 9-92, Murao 2-25, Randy Ramos 2-19, Andrew Killen 2-16, Keanu Keaweehu-Ancog 2-14, Jackson 1-13, Dre’ell Blackwell 3-13. Kauai: Chanse Ramirez 3-51, Smith-Butac 4-42, James Bukoski 2-36, Kalawaia Judd 2-21, Kelson Andrade 1-8, McFadden 2-5.
