Waipahu senior receiver Isaac Yamashita hauls in a first half touchdown over Pearl City's Melanio Oandasan in the OIA Division II championship game. Steve Erler | SL

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Isaac Yamashita lines up on the right side of the offensive formation in the Marauders' season opener against Nanakuli. CJ Caraang | SL

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Isaac Yamashita catches his first touchdown pass of the season in a 35-14 win over Kaimuki on Sept. 30. Michael Lasquero | SL

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The Marauders celebrate after Isaac Yamashita's first half touchdown in the OIA Division II championship game. Spencer Honda | SL

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Isaac Yamashita didn't know if he would ever play another down of high school football.

Yamashita, a 2016 All-Hawaii Division II First Team receiver, was expected to be the Waipahu Marauders' top returning receiving threat for a high-powered offense this season.

With a blend of size and speed, the 6-foot, 207-pound wideout averaged 21.9 yards per catch to help the Marauders reach the 2016 Oahu Interscholastic Association D2 title game and state tourney.

That same ability was on display in Waipahu's 2017 season opener against Nanakuli when he caught a 45-yard bomb from senior quarterback Braden Amorozo down the right sideline.

Isaac Yamashita catches his first touchdown pass of the season in a 35-14 win over Kaimuki on Sept. 30.

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_17103147__17100123_FB-9.30.17-WAIPvsKAIM-3686.jpg - Michael Lasquero | SL

Waipahu breezed to a 9-0 record and never was challenged as it won all of its games by three scores or more before making its second straight appearance in the league title game.

While the Marauders was able to dominate without Yamashita’s services, his return to the field was most appreciated last Thursday night.

Yamashita had his best performance of the season — six receptions for 104 yards and two scores — to help Waipahu rally past Pearl City in the OIA D2 title game for a 23-22 win.

The Chargers led 15-0 after the first quarter and 22-16 in the final period of play, but Yamashita was able to showcase the same brilliance that he did a season ago to lead the Marauders to their 11th league crown, the team's first since 2011.

“God bless Isaac because he had such a tough year,” said Waipahu coach Bryson Carvalho. “There were a lot of times where he got into a very dark place. It’s hard for a kid that young to go from having the best year of his high school career to getting that shoulder injury and missing almost every game, so coming back like that is just incredible for him.”

It was the first time that the Marauders faced extreme adversity during the season. They’ve faced deficits throughout the year, but not one where they trailed for over three quarters of play.

Instead of getting down on themselves, Yamashita and the rest of the team leaders encouraged the team to be resilient.

“We just had to believe and give our 100 percent on every play,” Yamashita said. “We just told them to play our game and don’t think about the negative, but the positives.”

Yamashita also made sure to live up to the talk.

The senior receiver scored the Marauders’ first touchdown of the game on a 23-yard fade pass from Braden Amorozo with 2:41 left to play in the first half. Yamashita used his size to make the scoring grab over 5-foot-6 Pearl City defensive back Melanio Oandasan. The TD cut into Pearl City’s lead, 15-6, and gave the Marauders some much-needed momentum heading into the break.

The Marauders celebrate after Isaac Yamashita's first half touchdown in the OIA Division II championship game.

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_17103105__17102709_IMG_0115.jpg - Spencer Honda | SL

Yamashita came through once again on Waipahu’s first drive of the second half, hauling in a 8-yard jump ball from Amorozo to make it a 15-13 game within the first two minutes of the third quarter.

“He’s just an amazing receiver,” Carvalho said of Yamashita. “It’s just amazing the courage that he shows. He knows that he has to get surgery after the year. (His shoulder) pops out all the time but he stays in there and he fights.”

Pearl City adjusted and put 6-foot-1 cornerback Justin Pfau on Yamashita the rest of the way, but the senior receiver still found a way to come up big in the clutch.

After Manuele Pulusila recovered a Pearl City fumble, Amorozo found Yamashita deep down the right sideline for a 33-yard gain to take the Marauders to the Pearl City 8-yard line. Two plays later, Alfred Failauga ran in a 3-yard TD to tie the game at 22-all with 3:22 left in regulation. Amorozo’s freshman brother Brycen was good on the PAT and Waipahu was able to hold on to win its first OIA title in six years.

“Isaac was a huge mismatch with that corner and we were just able to execute,” said the elder Amorozo. “He was lined up with that bigger corner towards the end of the game, (but) we was able to hook up and get into that rhythm and was able to punch it in and win.”

Yamashita and the Marauders (10-0) move on to represent the OIA in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II Football state tourney. They will travel to take on Konawaena in the opening round in a 7 p.m. contest Friday night.