Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Radford players pose for a group picture after defeating Kaimuki to claim its first OIA Division II championship since 2012. CJ Caraang | SL

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Fri, Oct 30, 2015 @ Aloha Stadium [ 5:00 pm ]

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Kaimuki

6

Radford

28

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Kaimuki (7-5-0)	0	6	0	0	6
Radford (13-0-0)	7	0	7	14	28

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Quintin Iriarte 64 yd

Keanu Pratt 129 yd 1 TD

Ace Faumui 89 yd 1 TD

Billy Masima 72 yd

Blaise Manabe 37 yd

Andries Toussaint 62 yd

HALAWA — A swarming defense and the playmaking abilities of Blaise Manabe and Ace Faumui helped Radford claim its first league title since 2012 Friday night.

The Rams held Kaimuki to 170 yards of total offense and had seven sacks in their 28-6 Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II championship win at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. 

Radford (11-0) also capped an undefeated season in league play and claimed its eight overall OIA title and the school's third in Division II. 

"I'm so glad for these young men," said Radford coach Fred Salanoa, whose team is ranked No. 1 in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division II Football Power Rankings. "I'm appreciative of them and they deserve it." 

The Rams also held the sixth-ranked Bulldogs (7-4) to 1-for-10 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down attempts. The strong defensive effort helped Radford overcome 17 penalties for 163 yards.

"The defense has kept us in games all year," said receiver Blaise Manabe. "The saying is true: ‘defense wins championships,' and we proved it right here." 

Manabe had a solid all-around game and finished with 155 all-purpose yards. The 5-foot-9 senior also threw a 7-yard touchdown pass and had a 2-yard rushing score in the win.

"In big games like this, we're kind of expecting the unexpected, but we didn't really see that coming," said Kaimuki first-year coach David Tautofi. "Blaise is a playmaker. He's one of those special kids on the team that can change the game." 

Two-way player Ace Faumui bookend the Rams' scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run and a 45-yard interception return. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries and added five tackles in the victory.

For the Bulldogs it was all about missed opportunities. Kaimuki had a chance to score the first points of the game on its opening possession, but turned it over on downs at the Radford 20-yard line. The Bulldogs also couldn't take advantage of two Radford fumbles, one of which resulted in a touchback.

On the other hand, Radford was ready to pounce on Kaimuki's first mistake.

Faumui's touchdown run came after the Rams recovered a muffed punt at their own 36-yard line. Six plays later Faumui followed the lead blocking of fullback David Faletoi to put Radford on the board. Roman Gennero's PAT gave Kaimuki a 7-0 lead with 2:34 to play in the first quarter. 

"I knew it from the beginning that the team that makes the least amount of mistakes would come out on top," said Tautofi. "We weren't that team tonight."

Kaimuki got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter thanks to two big pass plays by quarterback Keanu Pratt. The senior quarterback completed a 53-yard pass to Andries Toussaint down the left sideline to convert a third-and-10 situation at the Bulldogs' 14-yard line. After a 4-yard rush by Billy Masima, Pratt avoided a sack attempt rolling to his right and fired a 29-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Jahssaiah Maiava.

Radford was called for encroachment on the PAT which prompted Kaimuki to go for two. The 2-point try failed after Pratt was stopped short on a scramble, leaving the score at 7-6 in favor of the Rams.

It was all Radford the rest of the way. 

The Rams started their first possession of the second half at the Kaimuki 35-yard line after the Bulldogs went three-and-out to start the third quarter. Radford got into the red zone with ease but needed a gadget to score capped the drive. Faumui took a direct snap and ran left before pitching it back to Manabe who was running a reverse. Manabe rolled right and was able to deliver a smooth pass to quarterback Quintin Iriarte to push extend Radford's lead, 14-6. 

"We kind of started slow in the first half and we needed something to keep us going so our coach threw that in," explained Iriarte. "It got the momentum going on our side of the field and we just kept rolling after that." 

Manabe also took some snaps at quarterback and kept it six times for 63 yards and a rushing touchdown. His 2-yard keeper gave the Rams a 21-6 lead with 8:15 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Rams also did a solid job on containing Kaimuki running back Billy Masima after the break. The beefy junior running back had nine carries for 60 yards at halftime, but finished with 18 carries for 72 yards.

Deyshon Slade led the defensive charge with a game-high eight tackles, five for loss, and one sack. 

Both teams have already qualified for the First Hawaiian Bank Division II state tournament, which begins next Friday.