OIA Football
Rough Riders run by Chargers to OIA title game


Spencer Honda | ScoringLive
October 21, 2018, 12:35am

  


Sat, Oct 20, 2018 @ Roosevelt [ 5:30 pm ]

Pearl City

7

Roosevelt

23

Final 1 2 3 4 T
Pearl City (7-4-0) 0 0 7 07
Roosevelt (12-2-0) 0 3 6 1423
Sky Ogata 147 yd 2 TD
Tex Kang 13 yd

MAKIKI — It was a much different start to Saturday evening's contest than it was two weeks ago when the Rough Riders and Chargers met in central Oahu, but the result was still the same as Roosevelt ran for 332 yards and had two takeaways on defense to advance past Pearl City, 23-7, to claim a spot in next week's Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II Championship Game at Aloha Stadium.

Roosevelt will take on Kaimuki (8-0), who also clinched one of the OIA's two spots in next month's First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II State Football Championships. The last time Roosevelt made it to the state tournament was in 2007.

When the two teams met Oct. 5, the Rough Riders exploded for 42 points in the first half on 195 yards and two scores from the legs of quarterback Sky Ogata.

With Saturday's score at a slim 3-0 Roosevelt lead at halftime, the junior QB took the second offensive snap of the third quarter and scrambled to rip off an 80-yard torcher to the end zone. But Pearl City's RJ Kami blocked the PAT kick attempt to keep the score at 9-0.

"We know what he could do for us. We just try to make him more responsible for the offense and command this offense and run a little more too," Roosevelt coach Kui Kahooilihala said of his quarterback, who finished Saturday's game with 147 rushing yards and two scores.

In the previous meeting, Pearl City was without some key players for the first quarter which prompted wide receiver Micah Quillopo-Jamile to start the game under center with Christian Tielu and Makana Canyon splitting snaps afterward.

Canyon started Saturday's matchup at quarterback with the offense often running a wildcat power formation while switching between Quillopo-Jamile and Herbet Hallers in the backfield on the direct snap.

"We wanted to pass a bit more but with the wind factor, for the (start of the) second half, we didn't have the wind so we figured just the run the ball all the way up until the fourth quarter," Pearl City coach Robin Kami said.

The Chargers opened up the third quarter on 10 straight runs across two possessions to set-up Quillopo-Jamile's play action pass to a wide open Justin Pfau over the top for a 21-yard touchdown. Kyle Hyun hit the PAT kick to make it just a two-point game that led into the final quarter.

On the second play of the fourth period, Canyon threw a screen pass to the left to Pookela Moses-Espanto who was stood up and had the ball ripped out by Tamaki Iijima with Marcus Hee falling on it for the recovery at the Pearl 32 yard line.

Two plays later, Ogata kept the ball on a read-option run to the left for a 26-yard score. On the PAT, holder Brandon Teixiera rolled right and tossed the ball to Iijima for two points to make it 17-7.

Isaac Kaleikau's interception in the fourth quarter was one of two takeaways from the Rough Riders defense, both of which led to scores. Sheree Tam | Special to SL    Purchase image

On the next possession, Canyon completed three passes to move the ball to midfield before lobbing an interception to Roosevelt's Isaac Kaleikau.

The Chargers defense held and on fourth and four on their own 41 yard line, the Rough Riders lined up to punt but the ball was snapped short to Myka Kukahiwa who took it 59 yards for a touchdown.

"We don't want to do that, but we practice it and if the situation on the field calls for it, then we'll do it."Kahooilihala said. "It was one of those times we had to do it. Coach (Arnold Morgado) called it and I told him, ‘Go ahead, let's give it a go.'"

Pearl City then drove the length of the field but was stopped thrice from the 1 yard line to turn the ball over on downs for Roosevelt to run out the block.

"Overall, I'm happy with what we did," Kami said. "We wanted to be in the top four and we made it. I figured something could happen but Roosevelt played better tonight and they came away with the victory."

The Chargers finish the season at 5-3 in the OIA, 6-5 overall.

Roosevelt improved to 7-1 (9-2 overall) on the season and will look to avenge its lone loss of the regular season when they take on Kaimuki Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.


Reach Spencer Honda at [email protected].




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