OIA Football
Waialua rallies by Pearl City, 27-23


  



Mon, Aug 24, 2015 @ Pearl City [ 6:00 pm ]


Final 1 2 3 4 T
Waialua (5-5-0) 0 0 7 2027
Pearl City (3-5-0) 0 6 6 1123
Isaiah Asinsin 280 yd 3 TD
Royce Tashiro 200 yd 2 TD
Mila Lele 47 yd 1 TD
Dante Mcgee 161 yd 1 TD
Brandon Aceret 76 yd 2 TD

PEARL CITY - Royce Tashiro's 25-yard TD pass to Brandon Aceret with one minute, four seconds left rallied Waialua by Pearl City, 27-23, Monday night at Bino Neves Stadium in a resumption of Saturday's game that was suspended by lightning.

The Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II game resumed with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter with Pearl City's ball, second-and-15 from its 25, with Waialua leading 14-12. It was the first high school football game was played on a Monday night on Oahu since 2005, when the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I finished in a three-way tie and needed to play two play-off games within a week. The first game was played Monday and championship five days later.

The Bulldogs (3-0 overall, 2-0 OIA) are off to their best start since 1993, when they went 3-0 in two preseason game and a regular-season opener, but finished 5-5. Waialua also snapped a seven-game losing streak to Pearl City.  Waialua had not beat Pearl City (14-7) since, Oct. 14, 2006, at Waialua.

"This game meant a lot for us," Tashiro said. "Our battles with Pearl City from years before, to come out big this year is great. It's really emotional."

Following the go-ahead score for the Bulldogs, the Chargers took over from their 35-yard line with 57 seconds left. But on third-and 30 from the Chargers' 15, Keaka Cleveland made his second interception of the quarter to preserve the game for the Bulldogs, who took over with 26 seconds left at the Pearl City 5, where they downed the ball milk the final seconds.

"The (defensive) line is what made us the game," Waialua coach Lincoln Barit said. "(Defensive lineman Bernard) Nunez had a blocked punt, a blocked PAT and had a couple sacks. He's an 

Before the Bulldogs' winning drive, Pearl City had taken a 23-20 lead on Zameer Khan's 30-yard field goal with 4:36 left. But the Chargers tried an onside kick that Waialua recovered from its 48 to start its go-ahead scoring drive.

"We had heads up that (Waialua) had only one guys against our four guys, so we took a chance at it," Pearl City coach Robin Kami said. "It cost us, gave them good field position, put our defense in a bad position."

"If they got it, it would've worked out for them," Barit said of the onside kick. "Robin's a good coach. He has a good coaching staff and they have a good team. They're going to bounce back."

Maybe a few hundred fans, including the Pearl City band, showed up, but were treated to an entertaining 10 minutes. The game was tied at 20 with 8:42 left and the leads change twice in the final 4:36.

The Chargers resumed play where they left off Saturday facing second-and-15 from their 25.  Two plays later, Cleveland intercepted Isaiah Asinsin pass and took the ball to the Chargers' 16.  Two plays later, running back Mila Lele went off left tackle for a five-yard TD run, but Waialua's PAT was blocked, as the Bulldogs increased their lead to 20-12 at 9:53.

Unfazed by the costly turnover, the Chargers wasted little time getting back on Asinsin's 65-yard TD pass to Dante Mcgee with 8:42 in the game.  Asinsin's pass to Patrick Nunez for the 2-point conversion tied the game at 20.

Pearl City attempted an onside kick, but Waialua recovered at its 48. But on third-and-7 from the Pearl City 49, Waialua's Patrick Sancez sacked Asinsin for a nine-yard loss back to the Chargers' 40 to force a punt. There was a bad snap and the punter chased the loose ball around and managed a punt that went for minus-20 yards to the Chargers' 20.

Despite the great field position, the Chargers found themselves with a fourth-and-15 from Waialua's 25, only to have Asinsin scramble for an 18-yard gain for first down at the Waialua 7. Pearl City recovered its own fumble on second down, but lost six yards. On third down, Asinsin had an apparent complete pass in the end zone to Israel Kaleo, but it was ruled he made the catch out of bounds and the Chargers settled for Khan's 30-yard field goal to snap the 20-all game with 4:36 left.

Pearl City's failed onside kick try gave Waialua possession at its 48, but it appeared the Chargers' defense eventually made Waialua face fourth-and-12 from its 46. Tashiro dropped back to pass, but ram up the middle for a 14-yard gain and a first down to keep the Bulldogs' drive alive at Pearl City's 40.  Later, a personal foul roughing the passer penalty - the only penalty in high school that results in an automatic first down - gave the Bulldogs the ball at the 14. After Lele gained four yards to the 10, Waialua was called for a deadball personal foul and had the ball pushed back to the 25. Aceret was all alone at about the 10-yard line near the right hash when he caught Tashiro's pass and ran into the end zone for the go-ahead score.

Because of the unusual circumstances - the game starting with 10:39 to play - the players and coaches had to take on a fourth-quarter mentality even though the event felt like the start of a game because the teams took their traditional warmups before the resumption of the game.

"Like we told the kids, we have to be ready," Kami said. "Ten minutes, we're starting from the 25-yard line; it's second-and-15 and be ready to go. There's no feeling out the team (as in) the first and second quarter."

"It was a little bit out of our system," Waialua QB Tashiro said. "We had to come out. Pearl City's a tough team. We just had to compete."

For Waialua, it's a quick turnaround. It plays at Roosevelt on Friday. Pearl City, though, draws a bye.



Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].




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