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A school has won back-to-back OIA football titles in different divisions for the first time.
Third-seeded Waipahu, which won the OIA D-II tournament last season, claimed its 12th league crown overall and first non-D-II title since 1971 with a 32-3 win over Castle in the D-I championship game on Friday night at Aloha Stadium.
Junior running back Alfred Failauga rushed for 177 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns for the Marauders (8-4), who earned the league’s lone berth in the four-team Division I state tournament starting Nov. 9.
“It’s so sweet,” Waipahu coach Bryson Carvalho said. “When I came here four years ago, that was the goal. I wanted to make sure every time you said ‘Waipahu’ a championship was near it.”
The loss ended a stunning turnaround for Castle (5-7), which started 0-4 before winning four straight games. It then knocked off undefeated No. 1 seed Moanalua in last week’s semifinals to reach its first OIA title game since 2002.
“Waipahu played real good. They executed everything and we didn’t,” Castle coach John Hao said. “We made adjustments after our fourth game and my kids realized what they needed to do. Tonight was just the best team wins.”
Waipahu hasn’t allowed a touchdown on defense in the past 12 quarters. Senior Zeondre Benjamin had two interceptions in the red zone and Tarynce Antolin got the other. Linebacker Manuele Pulusila scored on a 30-yard fumble return after Kealii Barrett forced a fumble in the second quarter.
Failauga, who missed the Marauders’ 35-7 win over Castle in the regular season, averaged nearly 10 yards per carry and finished with 364 rushing yards in two playoff wins.
He also surpassed 3,500 career rushing yards on his 58-yard touchdown run in the third quarter quarter that gave Waipahu a 25-3 lead. He’s only the eighth running back on Oahu to achieve that feat.
Teammate Branson Jay Reyes added two touchdown receptions, including a 69-yarder on Waipahu’s fourth offensive play from scrimmage.
“(This team) is disciplined, and when you’re disciplined, amazing things can happen,” Carvalho said.
Castle started the game with senior Senituli Punivai at quarterback and ran the ball on 18 of its first 20 plays from scrimmage.
Pulusila’s fumble return that put Waipahu up 12-0 in the second quarter forced Castle to change its game plan on offense, bringing in sophomore Mana Kahoopii at quarterback.
Kahoopii had a pass tipped twice by the offense and then intercepted by Antolin on a diving catch. The Knights quickly got the ball back when Kainalu Keliikuli-Grace recovered a snap fumbled by Marques.
Facing a first-and-25, Kahoopii hit a couple of big throws, finding Jonah Figueroa for 20 yards and Elijah Catrett for 7 more for a first down.
The Knights settled for a 22-yard field goal by Cheyden Costa with seven seconds remaining in the half to trail 12-3 at the break.
Kahoopii entered the game having attempted 18 passes in two games this season and finished 8-for-23 for 84 yards.
Castle finished with 134 total yards.
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GAME SUMMARY
No. 10 Waipahu 32, Castle 3
At Aloha Stadium
>> Castle (5-7) 0 3 0 0 — 3
>> Waipahu (8-4) 6 6 13 7 — 32
Waipahu — Branson Jay Reyes 69 pass from Cody Marques (kick blocked)
Waipahu — Manuele Pulusila 30 fumble return (run failed)
Castle — FG Cheyden Costa 22
Waipahu — Alfred Failauga 27 run (Brycen Amorozo kick)
Waipahu — Failauga 58 run (kick failed)
Waipahu — Reyes 15 pass from Marques (Amorozo kick)
RUSHING — Castle: Senituli Punivai 18-41, Bruce Pakele 8-26, Jonah Figueroa 1-0, Keanu Tilton 2-(minus 2), Mana Kahoopii 3-(minus 15). Waipahu: Failauga 18-177, Jayven Reyes 7-40, B. Reyes 2-13, Marques 4-0, team 2-(minus 2).
PASSING — Castle: Kahoopii 8-23–3-84, Punivai 0-2-0-0. Waipahu: Marques 9-17–0-146.
RECEIVING — Castle: Austyn Acosta 5-53, Jonah Figueroa 2-24, Elijah Catrett 1-7. Waipahu: B. Reyes 3-100, Matthew Fiesta 2-13, Failauga 1-16, Devin Espiritu 1-15, Jeff Badua 1-6, Saxon Tote 1-(minus 4).
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