KEAAU – Kamehameha coach Dan Lyons wanted to go for two.
He was talked out of it and would regret it.
Kaimuki beat Kamehameha 28-27 on Saturday night in an HHSAA Division II first-round football thriller, surviving when the Warriors missed an extra point to tie the game with 48 seconds remaining at Paiea Stadium.
Izayah Chartrand-Penera hauled in a 26-yard touchdown reception from Kaimi Like, their second scoring connection of the night, to bring the Warriors within a point after they gained new life by falling on a botched punt snap by the mistake-prone Bulldogs.
Lyons, who coached from the press box, could be heard on his headset saying he wanted to go for two. After talking to an assistant, the Warriors missed the point after.
“The next time I want to go two, let’s go for two,” Lyons said.
OIA runner-up Kaimuki (9-3) somehow corralled an onsides kick that took several bounces, and ran out the clock and will head to second-seeded Kapaa next Saturday on Kauai for the semifinals.
The BIIF champion and undersized Warriors (6-3) narrowly missed on their first state win since 2014,
So, score one for size over speed, though it definitely wouldn’t be accurate to describe Kaimuki’s three-headed running attack as slow, nor Kamehameha as anything but gritty.
The Bulldogs got to their bulldozing ways in the second half, with Naomas Asuega-Fualaau scoring the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Elijah Lemalu’s two-point pass to Blade Pfeiffer-Kekoa ended up looming large.
Like passed for 204 yards, but going up against the Bulldogs’ superior beef, Kamehameha wasn’t able to sustain a running game beyond touchdowns by Kilohana Haasenritter and Wilde Germano, the latter giving Kamehameha back the lead early in the fourth quarter after it recovered a fumble
Chartrand-Penera had a big night, catching 6 passes for 125.
The Warriors managed to cut Kaimuki down to size for a half.
The final two quarters were a different story.
Running behind a jumbo line and out of jumbo packages, Jonah Stephens and Lemalu also ran for touchdowns, and Kaimuki gained 265 yards on the ground after being held to 53 at the half. Asuega-Fualaau finished with 158 rushing yards.
Washington commit Evangelist Paama is listed at 6 feet 4, inches and 355 pounds. Paama goes both ways on the lines, and he certainly isn’t alone in the big-boy department for Kaimuki. Siosaia Nisa is a 300-pounder, Harry Wells weighs 282 pounds, Puatasi Komiti comes in at 265 and Daniel Moefu-Tautofi is a modest 250.
All things considered, Kamehameha held up well.
The Warriors cashed in on two of Kaimuki’s four fumbles with touchdowns.
Kaimuki scored its first touchdown on a blocked punt, and a run by Pfeiffer-Kekoa on a fake punt sustained the opening series of the second half, setting up Stephens’ score to tie the game.
Like appeared uncomfortable for much of the bight, finishing 14 of 35 with an interception. He got going for a stretch in the second quarter, hitting Haasenritter for a 41-yard pass play to set up Haasenritter’s 3-yard score to tie the game in the second quarter.
After each team punted on its next series, Spencer Macanas recovered a fumble and Like capitalized on the next play, finding Chartrand-Penera on a 23-yard scoring play.
Lemalu made the first big play of the game, blocking a Kamehameha punt, which Blade Pfeiffer-Kekoa scooped and scored for a 7-0 lead.
Kaimuki 7 0 13 8 – 28
Kamehameha 0 14 0 13 – 27