CJ Caraang | SL

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Sat, Oct 1, 2016 @ Kailua [ 6:30 pm ]

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Castle

24

Kailua

21

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Castle (4-5-0)	0	7	14	3	24
Kailua (3-5-0)	0	0	0	21	21

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Mark Lagazo 92 yd 1 TD

Jeremy McGoldrick 80 yd

Mark Lagazo 113 yd 2 TD

Israel Pakele 180 yd 2 TD

Tanner Wright 47 yd

Cade Smith 25 yd

KAILUA—Blaize Rickard's interception in the end zone helped Castle seal the victory over Kailua, 24-21 in a Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Division regular season finale at Alex Kane Stadium on Saturday night.

"Nothing like a Castle/Kailua game. Exciting to the very end and very emotional and the swing of emotions. We need to learn how to finish the game. We didn't finish the game how we would've liked to," said Castle coach Nelson Maeda.

The win gives the Knights (4-4 overall, 3-4 league) the Red Division's fifth seed for the OIA Division I playoffs and will travel to the Blue's fourth seed Moanalua on Friday, Oct. 7. The Surfriders (3-4 overall, 3-4 league) fall to the sixth seed and go to play at fifth-ranked Waianae (6-2 overall, 5-2 league), the Blue's third seed on the same night.

Trailing 24-14 with 1:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, Kailua's Chauncy Gonsalves-Bell had a big 45-yard kickoff return to the Castle 40. Eight plays later, Mark Lagazo rushed for a 5-yard TD and Brysen Pedrina's PAT made it, 24-21 with 33 seconds left.

Tanner Wright recovered the onsides kick at the Castle 48 and Lagazo found Wright for a 14-yard gain with 18 seconds remaining. Lagazo took the snap, bought time and heaved it into the end zone intended for Hapaki Kupahu-Phillips, but Rickard caught his second interception of the game. The Knights were penalized for excessive celebration, but took a knee with 6 seconds left to preserve the win.

"My heart was beating on that and I had to do it for the team," said Rickard.

"It showed the character and the heart. They kept trying to plug away and never stopped believing. In the end, it came down to one pass in the end zone, little short of being in Hapaki's hands, but that's football," said Kailua coach Joe Wong.

Kailua rallied to score 20-unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Mililani last week and it was on the Maeda's mind. However, tonight the rally magic for the Surfriders fell a little short.

"21-0 means nothing to them. We reminded the team that they (Kailua) are a come back team," said Maeda.

"You hope and wish it doesn't come down to the end. The turnovers and mistakes in the beginning hurt us. You cannot give a team 21 points. It shows the resilience of them. As a coach, you wish it doesn't have to happen in the fourth quarter instead of gradually through the game," said Wong.

The Knights scored all their touchdowns on the ground. Israel Pakele rushed for a game-high 180 yards and two scores. Jeremy McGoldrick rushed for 77 yards and a TD. Castle averaged 7.0 yards per carry for the game.

"I think they were expecting us to throw, Israel had a great game. The blocking was superb and he had a wonderful game and well-deserved," said Maeda.

"They do a lot with McGoldrick instead of having him at receiver. They came out and kept us off balanced and did a good job," said Wong.

Castle's defense forced five Surfrider turnovers and the offense capitalized on three of them. Lagazo rushed for a 15-yard gain, but he fumbled and Kawelo Kalauokalani recovered it for the Knights. 10 plays later, Pakele rushed for a 30-yard TD.

Lagazo was intercepted by Rickard at the Kailua 22 and three plays later, Pakele added his second rushing TD from 14 yards out to make it, 14-0 with 6:11 remaining in the third.

Four plays into the Surfriders drive, Lagazo was picked off by Chasen Palaylay-Shuford. Pakele broke loose for a 35-yard gain and two plays later, McGoldrick scored on a 10-yard run to give the Knights a 21-0 lead.

"The defense did a wonderful job, they bent but didn't break. They did a nice stop at the end," said Maeda.

"We moved it up and down the field, but the turnovers is what killed us. You have to eliminate those and with five turnovers, you cannot win like that," said Wong.

Lagazo rushed for 113 yards and scored on a 4-yard run with 10:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. McGoldrick coughed up the football on the kickoff return and Dakota Kadooka recovered it, shifting the momentum back to the Surfriders. Three plays later, Lagazo threw a 15-yard TD to Christian Mejia as Kailua trailed, 21-14 with 9:02 left.

Cheyden Costa, who had two field goals blocked by Mejia and missed an 38-yard attempt earlier, booted a 34-yard field goal after Kailua turned it over on downs to give the Knights a 10-point cushion.

Kailua leads the series, 35-29, but the Knights beat the Surfriders for the first time since 2010.