Logan Lauti (5) hesitates going up for a shoulder bump from Aisaac Unga (51) after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter for Damien's final lead of the game. Spencer Honda | SL

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LIHUE, Kauai — The Monarchs found themselves in another dogfight, and like they had previously done many times this season, they ended the game with their name on the winning side of the scoreboard.

After turning the ball over five times, including twice in the red zone, Damien (10-3) was able to overcome its miscues to prevail over Kauai (5-4), 13-10, Saturday afternoon in a First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I State Championship semifinal matchup at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue, Kauai.

It was the third consecutive game and sixth time this season for the Monarchs that a single possession was the difference in the final score.

"Mental toughness sometimes plays a big role in that," Damien coach Eddie Klaneski said. "Even though we made mistake after mistake, we just kept grinding on them. Today we were a little bit more lucky."

While the Monarchs gave the ball away five times, they also had two takeaways to start the second half — one of which led to a scoring drive to take the lead.

"Every single week we talk about something called, ‘the breaks,'" Damien QB Marcus Faufata-Pedrina said. "Our coach preaches to us just to be good people in the community in whatever we do, and the Man up above will just grant us with the things we deserve."

The Monarchs' miscues began on the opening kickoff when Aperamo Sulu fielded a squibbed kick but fumbled after running into the back of teammate Josiah Medal. Kauai senior Noah Tangalin came up with the recovery.

However, the Red Raiders were unable to move the ball in a positive direction, prompting Logan Noice to boot an arching 45-yard field goal just past the crossbar for the first score of the game.

On the first play of the ensuing possession, Sulu got the carry for six yards but went down to an apparent leg injury and was taken off the field by an ambulance.

When play resumed, Marcus Faufata-Pedrina orchestrated a 12-play, 64-yard scoring drive capped off by calling his own number on fourth down for a 14-yard TD off the left side.

Midway through the second quarter, Marcus Faufata-Pedrina took a shot downfield, but Kauai's Hoku Parbo came up with the interception at midfield.

Up to that point, the Red Raiders hadn't been able string together much offense, but quarterback Christian Manera and running back Jaykob Nakaahiki-Young combined for 45 of the 49 yards gained on their way to a 2-yard scoring dive to go up, 10-6.

Damien attempted an onside kick to start the third quarter, but the wind knocked it down to prevent the ball from traveling beyond 10 yards to give the Red Raiders possession already in Monarchs territory. Four plays later, Manera coughed up the ball for a fumble recovered by Matthew Faufata-Pedrina.

Brother Marcus Faufata-Pedrina took the offense down the field in four plays with a 31-yard touchdown pass down the right side to Logan Lauti for what would end up being the final score of 13-10.