KEAAU >> In order to reach the Division II state final, unseeded Kaimuki needed to go island-hopping.
Part 1 of the journey is complete after the Bulldogs escaped the Big Island with a 28-27 victory over host Kamehameha-Hawaii on Saturday night to reach the semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships.
Junior Naomas Asuega-Fualaau scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter for the fourth lead change of the game, and the Bulldogs escaped when the Warriors missed the extra point after a 26-yard pass from Kaimi Like to Izayah Chartrand-Penera with 48 seconds remaining.
Kaimuki (9-3) will face KIF champion Kapaa on Saturday at Vidinha Stadium after knocking off the BIIF-champion Warriors (6-3).
The final will be at Aloha Stadium on Nov. 24 against either OIA champion Roosevelt or MIL winner Lahainaluna.
“It all came down to the desire and the will not to give up and keep fighting,” Kaimuki coach David Tautofi said. “We did enough to win and we also did enough to keep it close.”
The Bulldogs lost five fumbles with rain beating down on the Kamehameha-Hawaii campus for the entire day and evening.
Kaimuki senior Jonah Stephens intercepted a pass with 2:12 remaining and the Bulldogs up seven points, but they couldn’t put the game away.
Asuega-Fualaau ran out of bounds trying to drain the clock and a personal foul penalty ended up forcing Kaimuki to punt with more than a minute remaining.
The Bulldogs muffed the punt snap and Kamehameha-Hawaii took over at the Bulldogs 26. Two plays later, Like found Chartrand-Penera, who had 125 yards on six catches, for the TD to cut it to one.
The extra point was wide right and the Warriors had a chance to recover a perfectly executed onside kick, but instead, 6-foot-4, 345-pound Sama Paama ended up with it to end it.
“I felt relieved that we got the win,” an exhausted Asuega-Fualaau said after rushing for 159 yards on 22 carries.
Kaimuki rushed for 268 yards and completed only two passes.
“(The rain) really affected a lot of our plan passing-wise,” Tautofi said. “It’s a blessing to have another package where we could rely on those guys to run the ball.”
Elijah Lemalu rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown and Stephens added 63 yards on 10 carries and a 1-yard touchdown run that capped a 14-play scoring drive to open the second half.
Kaimuki took seven minutes off the clock with its first possession and scored after faking a punt in its own territory on fourth down.
The Bulldogs needed just three plays on their next drive, with Asuega-Fualaau running for 29 yards, Stephens going for 22 and then Lemalu cashing in with a 17-yard TD.
The fake punt seemed to ignite the Bulldogs’ rushing attack after they fell behind 14-7 at the break.
“I knew that they weren’t rushing too much,” Tautofi said. “They were playing soft on the punt and we were in the right position and it was the right moment to do it. It made a big difference.”
The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs twice in the first quarter but scored on special teams when Lemalu blocked a punt and Blade Pfeiffer-Kekoa scooped and scored it from 25 yards.
Pfeiffer-Kekoa also caught a 2-point conversion to put Kaimuki up by seven in the fourth quarter and had two sacks and a tackle on fourth-and-2 late in the game to force a turnover on downs.
“It’s just very exciting. We’re trying to bring (a title) back to Oahu,” Pfeiffer-Kekoa said. “Most of the other communities already have a state championship and I think Kaimuki needs it most.”
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GAME SUMMARY
Kaimuki 28, Kamehameha-Hawaii 27
At Kamehameha-Hawaii
>> Kaimuki (9-3) 7 0 13 8 — 28
>> KS-Hawaii (6-3) 0 14 0 13 — 27
Kaimuki — Blade Pfeiffer-Kekoa 25 blocked punt return (Chrisna Chann kick)
KS-Hawaii — Kilohana Hassenritter 3 run (Christopher Knell kick)
KS-Hawaii — Izayah Chartrand-Penera 23 pass from Kaimi Like (Knell kick)
Kaimuki — Jonah Stephens 1 run (Chann kick)
Kaimuki — Elijah Lemalu 17 run (run failed)
KS-Hawaii — Wilde Germano 4 run (Knell kick)
Kaimuki — Naomas Asuega-Fualaau 23 run (Pfeiffer-Kekoa pass from Lemalu)
KS-Hawaii — Chartrand-Penera 26 pass from Like (kick failed)
RUSHING — Kaimuki: Asuega-Fualaau 22-159, Lemalu 11-97, Stephens 10-63, Pfeiffer-Kekoa 1-17, Jonah Fa’asoa 2-(minus 10), Harry Lloyd 1-(minus 11), team 5-(minus 47). KS-Hawaii: Kilohana Hassenritter 6-31, Bryce Furuli 5-9, Apu Alfiche 4-7, Germano 2-4, Like 11-(minus 36).
PASSING — Kaimuki: Fa’asoa 2-7–0-43. KS-Hawaii: Like 14-35–1-204, Hassenritter 1-1-0-27.
RECEIVING — Kaimuki: Asuega-Fualaau 1-39, Lemalu 1-4. KS-Hawaii: Chartrand-Penera 6-125, Hassenritter 4-70, Isaiah Anahu 2-20, Kolten Kaaihue 1-14, Furuli 1-3, Kytan Capacillo-Cacabelos 1-(minus 1).
