Campbell QB Justin Tago-Su'e carries the ball against Waipahu. Sherwin Acidera | SL

Purchase image 1 of 4

Campbell RB Tristan Pebria gets airborne against Waipahu. Sherwin Acidera | SL

Purchase image 2 of 4

Waipahu WR James Nunuha tries to get past Campbell DB Makaio Hopean-Lampitoc. Sherwin Acidera | SL

Purchase image 3 of 4

Campbell DE Amate Savusa returned two fumbles for touchdowns and had a key sack of Waipahu quarterback Kaimi Paredes to preserve the win. Sherwin Acidera | SL

Purchase image 4 of 4

Fri, Aug 31, 2012 @ Waipahu [ 7:00 pm ]

---

Campbell

39

Waipahu

34

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Campbell (6-4-0)	0	20	19	0	39
Waipahu (2-7-0)	7	14	6	7	34

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Kaimi Paredes 166 yd 1 TD

Justin Tago-Su'e 251 yd 4 TD

Kaimi Paredes 57 yd

Justin Tago-Su'e 79 yd

Dylan Pakau 90 yd 1 TD

Amosa Amosa Jr. 95 yd 1 TD

WAIPAHU-In a game with enough tension a cane knife could cut, Campbell withstood a last-ditch drive by Waipahu in a 39-34 O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West victory Friday night.

Defensive end Amate Savusa returned two fumbles for touchdowns and sacked Waipahu quarterback Kaimi Paredes on a fourth-and-10 at the Sabers' 18 with 13 seconds left to halt a furious Marauders' comeback try before a spirited crowd of 3,000 at the Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex.

"It was just unbelievable," Savusa said of the sack. "I saw the hole and I just gave it my all because it was fourth down, last play."

The Sabers, ranked eighth in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Power Rankings, improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Red West, while the defending OIA White champion Marauders dropped to 1-3 and 1-1.

It was a crucial win in a division that's expected to be tight. Two wins pretty much assures a playoff berth in the Red West, where the top six teams from the seven-team divisions from the East and West advance to the tournament.

The two scoring turnovers for Campbell were the difference and overshadowed an amazing performance by the Marauders' Dylan Pakau, who had 55-yard TD reception, returned a punt 32 yards for a TD and fired a 65-yard TD pass to Mataio Fualema.

"We opened up the playbook tonight," Waipahu coach Eric Keola said. "We took whatever we had in our weaponry. We tried, tried and tried to score agains them. Give Campbell credit; they hung in there. We just came up short tonight."

Pakau was the intended target for that last play. But Savusa made sure Paredes wasn't going to connect with him.

"We were looking for Dylan," Keola said. "He's a playmaker. Even though they had double coverage on him, still we gotta throw it at him. That would be our main guy to make the play."

Also, Sabers' QB Justin Tago-Su'e passed for 251 yards and four TDs on 17-of-28 passing.

"It was good energy from both teams," Tago-Su'e said. "When it comes down, our offense really clicks. Hopefully, we pick up from this and keep that momentum we have going."

The Waipahu crowd was deafening loud all game long.

"We had a hard time calling the plays because the line couldn't really hear me," Tago-Su'e said. "The crowd was really good."

Leads changed five times. Savusa's second fumble return, a 36-yarder, provided Campbell's widest margin at 33-21. On the third-and-14 play at midfield, lineman Tia Toese grasped Paredes and Jeff Tuuga stripped the ball and Savusa raced with the ball to the end zone with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

Savusa's first fumble return of 42 yards came on a rather freak play. The shotgun snap went through QB Kai Mercardo-Aiona's hands and the ball bounced off his helmet, leaving the ball in the open for Savusa.

Waipahu struck first on its second series of the game when it got second life when Campbell was called for encroachment on fourth-and-2 at the Waipahu 40 in punt formation. On first down, Paredes hit a wide open Pakau on the right sideline for a 55-yard TD pass. Jayson Gonzalves' PAT gave Waipahu a 7-0 lead.

The Sabers turned over the ball twice in two of their next three series. But their defense maintained order and watched a 36-yard field goal try by Gonzalves sail wide left on one series.

Campbell tied the game at 7 with 7:51 left in the half when Tago-Su'e hit Jayson Bantolina on a 37-yard TD pass. It would take the lead,14-7, on the first of Savusa's fumble returns. But Waipahu tied it with 1:50 left in the half on Pakau's 32-yard punt return for a TD.

The Sabers struck back on their next series, scoring on a 34-yard TD connection from Tago-Su'e to Quinton Chandler; the PAT was unsuccessful, but Campbell held a 20-14 lead with 35 seconds left in the half. The ensuing kickoff bounced out of bounds and the Marauders took over at their 35 and scored on first down. Paredes threw lateral pass to Pakau, who was lined up near the right sideline. He then hit Fualema for a 65-yard TD pass with 24 seconds left in the half. Gonzalves' PAT gave Waipahu a 21-20 lead at the half.

Campbell opened the second half by scoring on its first series when Tago-Su'e hit Amosa Amosa Jr. on a 38-yard TD pass with 7:11 left in the third quarter. The series included an a apparent 35-yard TD run by Tago-Su'e that was nullified by a holding penalty. A 2-point pass play failed, but Waipahu led, 26-21. Savusa's second fumble return at 5:20 made it 33-21.

Waipahu pulled to 33-27 when Matapua Tulafale scored on a six-yard run to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive with 1:54 left in the third quarter. But the Sabers answered on their next series when Brannon Bantolina scored on a one-yard shovel pass from Tago-Su'e with 34 seconds left in the third.

The Marauders strung together a 12-play, 5:04 drive when Isaiah Alama scored on an eight-yard run with 3:50 left in the game to pull to 39-34.

Campbell's next series ended with a punt that went for a touchback. The Marauders, who used two timeouts during Campbell's offensive series to slow the clock, took over with 1:22 left. Thanks to  45-yard run by Paredes on third-and-7 at the Waipahu 37, the Marauders reached the Sabers' 18. But after thee incomplete passes, Savusa sacked Paredes to preserve the Sabers' lead.

"We really did a good job in preserving our victory," Campbell Amosa Amosa said.

The Sabers were without LB Donovan Poniatowski (concussion) and backup QB Isaac Hurd (hip). The loss of Hurd meant Tago-Su'e had to carry the load by himself.

"I told him I'm comfortable having you in there," Amosa said of Tago-Su'e. "It's about making smart choices. He's a fast guy; get out of bounds if you have to. He did that tonight, so I'm really proud of what he did tonight."

At the end of the game, the teams met at midfield for the presentation of the Cane Knife trophy. The two schools from the former sugar cane communities have played for the perpetual trophy since the 1960s.

The game was streamed on: WAIPAHU-In a game with enough tension a cane knife could cut, Campbell withstood a last-ditch drive by Waipahu in a 39-34 O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West victory Friday night.

Defensive end Amate Savusa returned two fumbles for touchdowns and sacked Waipahu quarterback Kaimi Paredes on a fourth-and-10 at the Sabers' 18 with 13 seconds left to halt a furious Marauders' comeback try before a spirited crowd of 3,000 at the Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex.

"It was just unbelievable," Savusa said of the sack. "I saw the hole and I just gave it my all because it was fourth down, last play."

The Sabers, ranked eighth in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Power Rankings, improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Red West, while the defending OIA White champion Marauders dropped to 1-3 and 1-1.

It was a crucial win in a division that's expected to be tight. Two wins pretty much assures a playoff berth in the Red West, where the top six teams from the seven-team divisions from the East and West advance to the tournament.

The two scoring turnovers for Campbell were the difference and overshadowed an amazing performance by the Marauders' Dylan Pakau, who had 55-yard TD reception, returned a punt 32 yards for a TD and fired a 65-yard TD pass to Mataio Fualema.

"We opened up the playbook tonight," Waipahu coach Eric Keola said. "We took whatever we had in our weaponry. We tried, tried and tried to score agains them. Give Campbell credit; they hung in there. We just came up short tonight."

Pakau was the intended target for that last play. But Savusa made sure Paredes wasn't going to connect with him.

"We were looking for Dylan," Keola said. "He's a playmaker. Even though they had double coverage on him, still we gotta throw it at him. That would be our main guy to make the play."

Also, Sabers' QB Justin Tago-Su'e passed for 251 yards and four TDs on 17-of-28 passing.

"It was good energy from both teams," Tago-Su'e said. "When it comes down, our offense really clicks. Hopefully, we pick up from this and keep that momentum we have going."

The Waipahu crowd was deafening loud all game long.

"We had a hard time calling the plays because the line couldn't really hear me," Tago-Su'e said. "The crowd was really good."

Leads changed five times. Savusa's second fumble return, a 36-yarder, provided Campbell's widest margin at 33-21. On the third-and-14 play at midfield, lineman Tia Toese grasped Paredes and Jeff Tuuga stripped the ball and Savusa raced with the ball to the end zone with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

Savusa's first fumble return of 42 yards came on a rather freak play. The shotgun snap went through QB Kai Mercardo-Aiona's hands and the ball bounced off his helmet, leaving the ball in the open for Savusa.

Waipahu struck first on its second series of the game when it got second life when Campbell was called for encroachment on fourth-and-2 at the Waipahu 40 in punt formation. On first down, Paredes hit a wide open Pakau on the right sideline for a 55-yard TD pass. Jayson Gonzalves' PAT gave Waipahu a 7-0 lead.

The Sabers turned over the ball twice in two of their next three series. But their defense maintained order and watched a 36-yard field goal try by Gonzalves sail wide left on one series.

Campbell tied the game at 7 with 7:51 left in the half when Tago-Su'e hit Jayson Bantolina on a 37-yard TD pass. It would take the lead,14-7, on the first of Savusa's fumble returns. But Waipahu tied it with 1:50 left in the half on Pakau's 32-yard punt return for a TD.

The Sabers struck back on their next series, scoring on a 34-yard TD connection from Tago-Su'e to Quinton Chandler; the PAT was unsuccessful, but Campbell held a 20-14 lead with 35 seconds left in the half. The ensuing kickoff bounced out of bounds and the Marauders took over at their 35 and scored on first down. Paredes threw lateral pass to Pakau, who was lined up near the right sideline. He then hit Fualema for a 65-yard TD pass with 24 seconds left in the half. Gonzalves' PAT gave Waipahu a 21-20 lead at the half.

Campbell opened the second half by scoring on its first series when Tago-Su'e hit Amosa Amosa Jr. on a 38-yard TD pass with 7:11 left in the third quarter. The series included an a apparent 35-yard TD run by Tago-Su'e that was nullified by a holding penalty. A 2-point pass play failed, but Waipahu led, 26-21. Savusa's second fumble return at 5:20 made it 33-21.

Waipahu pulled to 33-27 when Matapua Tulafale scored on a six-yard run to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive with 1:54 left in the third quarter. But the Sabers answered on their next series when Brannon Bantolina scored on a one-yard shovel pass from Tago-Su'e with 34 seconds left in the third.

The Marauders strung together a 12-play, 5:04 drive when Isaiah Alama scored on an eight-yard run with 3:50 left in the game to pull to 39-34.

Campbell's next series ended with a punt that went for a touchback. The Marauders, who used two timeouts during Campbell's offensive series to slow the clock, took over with 1:22 left. Thanks to  45-yard run by Paredes on third-and-7 at the Waipahu 37, the Marauders reached the Sabers' 18. But after thee incomplete passes, Savusa sacked Paredes to preserve the Sabers' lead.

"We really did a good job in preserving our victory," Campbell Amosa Amosa said.

The Sabers were without LB Donovan Poniatowski (concussion) and backup QB Isaac Hurd (hip). The loss of Hurd meant Tago-Su'e had to carry the load by himself.

"I told him I'm comfortable having you in there," Amosa said of Tago-Su'e. "It's about making smart choices. He's a fast guy; get out of bounds if you have to. He did that tonight, so I'm really proud of what he did tonight."

At the end of the game, the teams met at midfield for the presentation of the Cane Knife trophy. The two schools from the former sugar cane communities have played for the perpetual trophy since the 1960s.

The game was streamed on: http://www.highschoolcube.com/event/waipahu-marauder-football..