WAIPAHU - Justin Pagan rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 94 yards another TD last night as Kalaheo held off Waipahu, 43-28, to earn its first O'ahu Interscholastic Association White Conference championship game and state tournament appearances.

The Mustangs improved to 6-3 overall and will face Kaimuki (9-1) for the White title at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Aloha Stadium. Both teams have secured Division II state tournament berths.

"It feels so good, it's like nothing else," said Kalaheo senior Jesse Carney, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior who rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns last night. "Our O-line was just great, our D-line and linebackers played great."

The Mustangs lost to Waipahu, 31-20, just four weeks ago, but took control of last night's game early. Carney carried five times for 43 yards on their first drive, which was capped by Pagan's 7-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper. Pagan scored on a 1-yard sneak two minutes into the second quarter and Danille Ferguson's extra point made it 14-0.

The Marauders (6-3) cut their deficit in half after Victor Moananu's 9-yard TD run with 5:41 remaining in the half, but Kalaheo answered with an 11-play drive culminating in Pagan's 27-yard scoring pass to Nainoa Frank and took a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

Carney's 13-yard touchdown run capped a nine-play drive to open the second half, and Sage Richardson intercepted a pass two plays after the ensuing kickoff and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to help put the Mustangs up, 36-7.

Carney later scored on a 33-yard scamper as Kalaheo took a 43-7 lead, starting a running clock with 9:37 left in the game.

Waipahu struck back quickly, however, with Drake Yoshioka's 65-yard pass to Brysen Kaseli setting up a 1-yard TD run by Devin Kaneshiro. Sailele Tulufale then recovered the ensuing onside kick and Moananu capped a nine-play drive with a 1-yard TD plunge. The PAT attempt was wide left, but Wesley Nagaseu later recovered a fumble and ran it in from 12 yards out, with quarterback Mark Bumanglag's two-point conversion run closing it to 43-28 with 46 seconds remaining.

The ensuing onside kick attempt went out of bounds, however, and the Mustangs finally were able to run out the clock.

"We needed to get on track earlier, that was the slowest start we've had all season," Marauders coach Sean Saturnio said. "But playoff football is all about making the most out of your opportunities ... they did, and we didn't."

Moananu, the state's co-leader in rushing, finished with 161 yards on 33 carries.

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