Pearl City QB Kaimi Paredes tries to escape the grasp of a Kalani defender. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Kalani's Gavin Kim and Lorenzo Reeves celebrate a score in the first half. Brien Ing | SL

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Kalani WR Gavin Kim scored through the air and on the ground against Pearl City. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Pearl City's Shawn Lopez carries a Kalani defender for extra yardage. Brien Ing | SL

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HAWAII KAI - Despite 24 penalties and three player ejections, Pearl City still had enough in the tank with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to spoil Kalani's homecoming, 35-29, Saturday night at Kaiser stadium.

The Chargers remain unbeaten at 4-0 (4-1 overall) in the Oahu Interscholastic Association White to keep pace with Kaimuki (5-0) and Waipahu (4-0). But linemen Elmo Sinclair and Paul Perry, as well as wide receiver Daicorri Briscoe, will be suspended for next week's game against Waialua (0-5) because of the ejections.

"It's huge, it's huge, it's huge for us," Pearl City coach Kai Kamaka said of losing the three players. "It's big key element to our offense."

Sinclair and Perry were ejected after personal fouls, while Briscoe's came on an unsportsmanlike conduct when he lifted the ball in the air with about five yards to go en route to his 27-yard TD run off a reverse in the fourth quarter. Although only one unsportsmanlike conduct was called on that particular play, Kamaka was told by the referee that it was Briscoe's second, which is an automatic ejection. Kamaka said he did not know when Briscoe was issued the first unsportsmanlike penalty.

The Chargers amassed 24 penalties for 222 yards. Ten were for personal fouls and three were for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"I told my kids to keep level-headed and keep playing," Kamaka said. "That's all."

Briscoe's TD run came with 4:49 left in the game, increasing the Chargers' lead to 35-22. The Falcons needed 2:17 to pull to within one score after Enrique Gruver scored on a one-yard run with 2:27 left in the game. Lorenzo Reeves' PAT pulled Kalani to 35-29.

Kalani failed on its onside kickoff, but Pearl City could only milk 1:10 off the clock before having to punt from its 13. After penalty on the return, Kalani had the ball at its 17 and moved up to Pearl City 45 with two seconds left. But on second-and-5, LB Troy Barbosa Scanlan intercepted QB Shane Ra's pass and was en route to the end zone, only to be tackled from behind by a hustling Kai Amaral at the 3, as the game ended.

"That's one thing we always talk about," Kalani coach Greg Taguchi said. "I'm proud of that we don't give up. These kids just don't give up and that's something we're very proud of as coaches."

The Falcons were without QB David Rasmussen, third in the state among Division II passers, who had tightness in his shoulder from last week's game, Taguchi said. Ra, one of the White's better linebackers, replaced Rasmussen as he did earlier this season. But with Ra behind center, that meant he wasn't playing defense.

"Anytime you miss people, whether their starters or subs, you miss people, it will hurt us," Taguchi said. "But it was nice to see everybody else step up and picked up their game...We had to play a junior and two sophomores at linebacker."