Nothing fazed Roosevelt on Friday night.

An early deficit and a packed senior night crowd that watched the Rough Riders’ playoff hopes begin to fade away after one quarter was not disappointed.

Roosevelt stuck with its gameplan of running the ball exclusively and wearing out Kalani in a 30-10 victory that gave it pole position for the fourth and final OIA Division II playoff berth.

“We just asked ourselves how much we wanted it, to be in the playoffs,” Roosevelt quarterback Shastyn Kekahuna said. “Now we have to beat Waialua (in 13 days). We gotta finish.”

Kekahuna had a hand in three Roosevelt touchdowns and even a couple of 2-point conversions to get the Rough Riders to 3-3 in OIA D-II play, while the Falcons dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-4. The contest served as a play-in game of sorts, with Roosevelt coming out on top.

Kalani quarterback Seth Tina-Soberano made his return from a rib injury that sidelined him in a 49-0 loss to Waipahu last weekend. The senior didn’t show any rust or fear, diving into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown on the Falcons’ opening drive. They added to their lead when kicker Wayne Mcclellan booted a 34-yard field goal right down the middle with 3:57 left in the first quarter.

Roosevelt didn’t gain a first down until its final possession of the first half. But after Jared Elwin picked off Tina-Soberano with 7:02 left in the second quarter, the Rough Riders grinded the Kalani defense down with a stable of rushers, finishing the drive with a 2-yard Kekahuna touchdown with 50 seconds remaining in the half.

“We had two weeks to prepare for these guys. Kalani is a good team, it’s just the preparation and the process for us.” Roosevelt coach Kui Kahooilihala said. “Just staying with our process and what we do because Seth is good, he’s awesome. These kids worked hard this week.”

The Rough Riders went three-and-out again in their first possession of the second half, but faked a punt as Myka Kukahiwa scampered for a 25-yard gain. He finished off the drive with a 32-yard rush that gave Roosevelt the lead for good with 7:09 left in the third quarter.

After Tina-Soberano fumbled on his own 38-yard line, the Rough Riders took advantage immediately with a play-action pass from Kekahuna to Tasi Sofakini for a touchdown. The Rough Riders defense stifled Kalani after the first quarter, keeping them scoreless the rest of the way.

With the ball on their own 22 with exactly 10 minutes left, the Rough Riders used a bevy of rushers to run the clock down to 1:42 and Kekahuna capped off the drive with a 6-yard score.

“Our defensive coaches did a hell of a job,” Kahooilihala said. “They prepared real well and our offensive coordinator and coaches on that side, we said what we were gonna do: run the ball and try to control the clock the whole way through.”