After a one-year hiccup, the Kahuku Red Raiders are back in the OIA title game.
Kesi Ah-Hoy scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds remaining to survive a frantic Farrington rally as the Red Raiders pulled out a 21-14 heat-pumping victory on Thursday night at Aloha Stadium.
Quarterback Tuli Wily-Matagi made the most of his five completions, throwing for 205 yards and two big touchdowns as the Red Raiders clinched a berth in the state tournament.
More important, Kahuku (8-1) will return to the OIA title game for the sixth time in the last seven years when it faces Mililani next Friday.
The Red Raiders have won four of them with their only loss coming in a forfeit to Mililani in 2010. Kahuku beat the Trojans 50-13 two years later.
Kahuku finished fourth in the OIA last year after losing its final two games.
"We played our butts off for a change on both sides of the ball," Kahuku coach Lee Leslie said. "I’m proud of these kids. They have gone through a lot and learned a lot of stuff this year."
Kahuku led 14-3 when the Governors rallied for 11 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 14 on Kekoa Sasaoka’s 20-yard field goal with 1:41 remaining.
Senior Alohi Gilman, who scored on an 11-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to give the Red Raiders the ball at the Farrington 44.
Gilman was the playmaker Kahuku needed, running 13 yards on a lateral and then hauling in a 29-yard reception to the Farrington 4 with 14 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, the Kahuku offensive line opened up a huge hole for Ah-Hoy, who jaunted into the end zone for the winning score.
Wily-Matagi struggled with his efficiency but made the most of the passes he threw. The big strike came in the third quarter when facing a third down from his own 5, Wily-Matagi hit a streaking Keala Santiago down the sideline for a 95-yard touchdown that put the Red Raiders ahead 14-3.
"We wanted to go long, and we got ’em to bite on the hitch and go," Santiago said.
Farrington cut into the lead with 7:51 left in the game on an 11-yard touchdown run by Challen Faamatau to cap an eight-play drive. The Govs went for two and got it on a Montana Liana pass to DJ Chaffin to make it 14-11.
Kahuku took over and went three-and-out after a holding call took away a first down. Wily-Matagi then threw three straight incomplete passes and the Govs got the ball back at the Kahuku 43.
Farrington ran the ball the final nine times on an 11-play drive and had first-and-goal at the 4, but was stopped three times in a row.
Sasaoka, who missed a 50-yard field goal earlier, was good from 20 to tie the game at 14-14.
Ranan Mamiya carried the ball 19 times for 72 yards and Faamatau added 50 yards on 16 carries.
Wily-Matagi was 5-for-17 passing. Ah-Hoy finished with 38 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The first half ended with Kahuku stalling on the Farrington 4-yard line. A 52-yard pass from Wily-Matagi to Chance Maghanoy put the ball on the Governors’ 3 with less than a minute remaining.
Kahuku had to call its final timeout after Freedom Alualu stopped Pena Fitisemanu for no gain on first down.
Wily-Matagi then tried to roll out to his right but was tackled inbounds by Farrington linebacker Bryce Tatupu-Leopoldo.
With no timeouts, the clock ran down to two seconds left when Wily-Matagi finally spiked the ball to stop it. Instead of settling for a short field goal, Kahuku went for it. Wily-Matagi’s pass to the back of the end zone was swatted away by Andrew Aneki to keep the game at 7-3.
The curious play continued to start the second half as Kahuku tried an onside kick but instead gave Farrington the ball at midfield.
Kahuku second’s possession ended after an intentional grounding call made it fourth-and-35 from its own 35.
Hirkley Latu lined up to punt and rolled out left, deciding to run the ball for 2 yards before stepping out of bounds, giving up field position yet again.
Farrington drove the ball to the 2-yard line and went for it on fourth-and-goal. Liana rolled out and tried to run but was stuffed by Gilman to turn the ball over.
At Aloha Stadium
| FARRINGTON (7-2) |
3 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
— |
14 |
| KAHUKU (8-1) |
0 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
— |
21 |
Far—FG Kekoa Sasaoka 27
Kah—Alohi Gilman 11 pass from Tuli Wily-Matagi (Gabriel Pinheiro-Alves kick)
Kah—Keala Santiago 95 pass from Wily-Matagi (Pinheiro-Alves kick)
Far—Challen Faamatau 11 run (DJ Chaffin pass from Montana Liana)
Far—FG Sasaoka 20
Kah—Kesi Ah-Hoy 4 run (Pinheiro-Alves kick)
RUSHING—Farrington: Ranan Mamiya 19-72, Faamatau 16-50, Bugsy Tui 3-9, Liana 6-(minus 15). Kahuku: Ah-Hoy 12-38, Salanoa-Alo Wily 4-20, Santiago 4-27, Pena Fitisemanu 3-10, Gilman 2-20, Hirkley Latu 1-2, Wily-Matagi 6-(minus 12).
PASSING—Farrington: Liana 11-18-0-102. Kahuku: Wily-Matagi 5-170-205, Ah-Hoy 1-1-0-31.
RECEIVING—Farrington: Mamiya 4-22, Keola Kealoha 2-36, Chaffin 3-27, Tui 1-9, Kingston Moses-Sanchez 1-8. Kahuku: Santiago 1-95, Chance Maghanoy 1-52, Likio Vea 2-49, Gilman 2-40.
