Pac-Five holds off late Damien charge, 22-17


Pac-Five RB Alakai Kealoha rushed for a game-high 105 yards and all 22 Wolfpack points. Brien Ing | SL
HALAWA - Alakai Kealoha scored on runs of 7, 13 and 10 yards and Pac-Five beat Damien, 22-17, in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu game at Aloha Stadium Friday night.

Kealoha, a junior running back, finished with game-highs of 17 carries for 105 yards. He had 89 rushing yards by halftime.

Pac-Five scored on its opening possession, driving 64 yards on 11 plays - all but one pass - capped by Kealoha's first score. He received the toss left from quarterback Jack Foster, cut inside of a defender and broke the plain of the goal line as he spun into the end zone. The two-point conversion was no good and the Wolf Pack led 6-0 with seven minutes and 16 seconds left in the first.

Damien turned it over two plays into its first drive when quarterback Syles Choy was picked off by Austin Ursua, who returned it 20 yards to the Monarchs 25-yard line. A late-hit penalty against Damien moved the ball to the 13 and Kealoha scampered in for his second score one play later. He also ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-0 midway through the first.

The Monarchs got on the board with a 32-yard field goal by Lyle Alloy-Glover late in the first.

Pac-Five extended its lead on a 10-yard Kealoha TD run later in the second. The score was set-up by a 32-yard interception return by Drew Viena.

Damien made it a five-point game when it scored twice in less than two minutes late in the fourth quarter. Choy's 27-yard TD pass to Bryson Dalmacio with 4:16 to play made it 22-10 and after a blocked Pac-Five punt, Choy snuck it from one yard out with 2:28 left on the clock. Both extra-point attempts were good by Alloy-Glover, but Pac-Five ran out the clock and held on for the win.

It was the season finale for the Wolf Pack, who finished with a 5-5 overall record and 2-5 in the ILH. The Monarchs fell to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in the ILH and visit 'Iolani Friday in its last game.

Pac-Five held a 22-3 lead at halftime.


Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].