GAME NIGHT 10/21: Damien/St. Francis

This is the game St. Francis wanted last season.

The Saints (5-2) will play for their first ILH football championship against the defending league champs, the Monarchs (5-2), tonight at Aloha Stadium.

The Saints lost their first 16 ILH games since forming a football program at the start of the 2013 season. Since beating Pac-Five 12-9 last year for their first league victory, St. Francis is 5-1 in league play with the only loss coming to Damien earlier this season.

Damien won that game 21-16 but St. Francis came back to beat the Monarchs, 15-12, four weeks ago.

The rematch tonight begin at 5 p.m. with everything on the line. One team is a champion and advances to the state tournament. The other is done for the season.

Damien 20, St. Francis 12

Damien clinches its second consecutive ILH D-II title and a berth in the state tournament. St. Francis finishes 5-3 under second-year coach Kip Akana. Most wins in a season since starting the varsity football program in 2013 for the Saints.

At Aloha Stadium
St. Francis (5-3) 0 12 0 0 — 12
Damien (6-2) 0 7 7 6 — 20
StF—Foki Kailea 9 run (kick blocked)
StF—Samson Kaleikau recovers fumble in end zone (run failed)
DMS—James Livingston-Lopez 27 pass from Marcus Faufata-Pedrina (Kaimana Cameron kick)
DMS—Livingston-Lopez 18 pass from Faufata-Pedrina (Cameron kick)
DMS—Shaun Apiki 13 pass from Faufata-Pedrina (kick failed)

RUSHING—St. Francis: Kailea 16-82, Matthew Dacuycuy 7-32, Tyson Shimabukuro 4-19, Destin Pakele 3-14, Wembley Mailei 3-9, Pono Luis-Mateo 2-8, Chris Vanisi 2-6, Kain Lyman 1-3, Tevita Otuvaka 1-2, Jake Smotherman 3-1, Micah Kalei 1-(minus 4). Damien: Justice White 16-42, Deacon Kapea 10-36, Faufata-Pedrina 13-13.
PASSING—St. Francis: Smotherman 3-10–0-24, Bubba Akana 0-2-0-0. Damien: Faufata-Pedrina 3-7-1-58.
RECEIVING—St. Francis: Scott McLeod 2-15, Luis-Mateo 1-9. Damien: Livingston-Lopez 2-45, Apiki 1-13.

FOURTH QUARTER

Monarchs take over on the Saints 49 with 2:26 remaining. White loses 2 and Saints use their first timeout. Kapea picks up 1 and another timeout. Third-and-11. White stopped for a loss of 2 but St. Francis called for a personal foul. Face-mask penalty and that should do it. Saints use final timeout with 51 seconds, but it’s third-and-8. That will do it.

Two incompletions and it’s third-and-10. Fourth-and-5 after a 5-yard pass to Scott McLeod. Deep ball is overthrown and Damien takes over.

Damien takes over on the St. Francis 48 with 4:13 to go. White fumbles. Samson Kaleikau recovers for the Saints at the 44. Holy smokes. Saints have life with 3:18 remaining.

St. Francis starts on its 7 with 7:35 remaining. Season on the line with no starting QB, no starting RB. Kailea breaks off an 18-yard run to the 25 for the best play by the Saints’ offense in the second half. Halili hurt on the play for Damien. This has been a war out here. Kailea with 6 more across the 30. Kailea to the 34 but fumbles. Damien has a shot to recover it, but I think St. Francis got it back on the ground. Damien almost with another huge play on defense. Damien coach Eddie Klaneski has to be held back by a player as he goes after the officials during a timeout. Smotherman takes a shot deep but it’s broken up to force third-and-9. Saints try a reverse to Micah Kalei but Tapat stops it for a loss of 4. Saints punt with 4:15 remaining and it’s shanked.

Faufata-Pedrina picks up 11 and White gets 10 to the 13. White shaken up on the play. Fade to the end zone and Faufata-Pedrina hits Shaun Apiki for the 13-yard TD. Extra point is no good and it’s still a one-possession game.

Wembley Mailei in at QB and he keeps for 4 yards. He keeps again to set up third-and-1. DB Kaulana Funakoshi comes flying in and stops Mailei for no gain. Saints line up to punt. Kailea keeps it and tries to get to the outside. He gets close to the marker but Matt Faufata-Pedrina comes racing in and stops him just short. Monarchs take over on the Saints’ 34.

Monarchs will start second-and-5 at the Saints’ 24-yard line. TFL No. 4 for Supilani Mailei to set up third-and-6. Faufata-Pedrina runs for 3 to the 22. Damien tries a fake field goal but is called for something. We couldn’t hear it. The ball hasn’t moved, but the fake pass to the Damien 5 is wiped out. Not sure what the call is, but I guess we’re just repeating the down. Damien will line up to go for it in a regular formation. Faufata-Pedrina is stopped for a loss of 3 and St. Francis takes over on its 25.

THIRD QUARTER

Monarchs start on their 31. White runs twice for no gain to set up third-and-10. DB JJ Paaluhi-Caulk breaks up the pass on third down to force a punt. Low snap and Faufata-Pedrina takes off with it! He gets 15 yards and a first down at the 46. Third-and-1 at the 45 and White rips off a 16-yard run on the pitch.

Damien’s run defense doesn’t give up anything again and another three-and-out for St. Francis.

A good return and a late hit gives Damien excellent field position all the way to the St. Francis 17-yard line. Third TFL for Supilani Mailei sets up third-and-6. Faufata-Pedrina keeps and fights his way near the sticks but Damien is called for illegal procedure. Faufata-Pedrina with a perfect fade to Livingston-Lopez for the 18-yard TD. Damien has its first lead of the night, 14-12, 5:25. Both completed passed for Damien tonight are for touchdowns.

Saints start on their 22. LB Braeden Halili with the TFL on third down and the Saints go backward, losing 3 yards, before punting.

Damien runs a reverse on the kickoff and gets it out to midfield to start the second half. LB Shawn Ellis with the TFL on third down to force a three-and-out.

HALFTIME BOX
At Aloha Stadium
St. Francis (5-2) 0 12
Damien (5-2) 0 7
StF—Foki Kailea 9 run (kick blocked)
StF—Samson Kaleikau recovers fumble in end zone (run failed)
DMS—James Livingston-Lopez 27 pass from Marcus Faufata-Pedrina (Kaimana Cameron kick)

RUSHING—St. Francis: Kailea 9-56, Matthew Dacuycuy 7-32, Tyson Shimabukuro 4-19, Destin Pakele 3-14, Pono Luis-Mateo 1-7, Chris Vanisi 2-6, Tevita Otuvaka 1-2, Jake Smotherman 2-0. Damien: Deacon Kapea 5-17, Justice White 4-9, Faufata-Pedrina 6-(minus 18).
PASSING—St. Francis: Smotherman 2-4-0-19, Bubba Akana 0-2-0-0. Damien: Faufata-Pedrina 1-4–1-27.
RECEIVING—St. Francis: Scott McLeod 1-10, Luis-Mateo 1-9. Damien: Livingston-Lopez 1-27.

SECOND QUARTER

Another TFL for Supilani Mailei who is a force on that DL. After a timeout, Samson Kaleikau comes up with an INT on third down and a ball that was tipped in the air and bounced off multiple players. Saints ball on the Damien 46 after a penalty with 56 seconds remaining. Smotherman, the backup, hits Scott McLeod for 10 and Pono Luis-Mateo for 9 then runs for 3 to the 24. Saints use final timeout. Down to 25 seconds remaining. Incomplete pass. False start. Defensive PI moves the ball to the 15 with 11 seconds remaining. Ball thrown up to the corner is CAUGHT by McLeod for a TD. NO! St. Francis is called for a hold. Three seconds left. I think there’s also an unsportsmanlike penalty called on St. Francis as the ball is moved all the way back to the 49. Hail Mary time! HALFTIME.

Saints starts at the Damien 44 after a nice kick return. Smotherman still in at QB. Dacuycuy with 3 tough yards up the middle for a first down. Big fourth-and-2 coming up at the 24 with less than 2:30 remaining. DB Dylan Tapat comes on the blitz and dives to get just enough of Kailea’s shoe to trip him up for the stop. Monarchs take over.

Damien needs a good drive here starting at the 35. Nice third-down run by Kapea nets 6 yards and a first down. Faufata-Pedrina runs for 8 yards and then add 15 for a face-mask penalty to put it at the St. Francis 27 as the Saints call timeout. Damien now in the positive with 9 total yards. After the timeout, Damien draws up a fake-run and Faufata-Pedrina rolls out and hits James Livingston-Lopez for a 27-yard TD. 12-7, 5:00.

DL Supilani Mailei sacks Faufata-Pedrina on third down and Damien will have to punt from its end zone after a three-and-out, but St. Francis is called for roughing the kicker and it’s an automatic first down for Damien at the 24, but the Monarchs are called for a face-mask penalty. They take the first down and then march off the face mask so it’s at the 12. First down. Faufata-Pedrina pitches it back to nobody and Samson Kaleikau recovers the fumble in the end zone for a St. Francis TD. Run is no good. 12-0. 6:54.

Shimabukuro has been carted to the tunnel between quarters and will not return. Akana questionable to return. Pono Luis-Mateo is the sixth different rusher for the Saints as he goes for 7 yards. Now Dacuycuy straight up the gut for 9. Miscommunication on the handoff results in a 3-yard loss by Smotherman. Pomai Kim with the TFL. Third-and-4. Pakele picks up 6 as the Saints’ OL is dominating. Foki Kailea caps off the drive with a 9-yard TD run. St. Francis with 113 rushing yards on 22 carries so far in the game. Saints line up to go for 2 but are whistled for a 5-yard penalty. Extra point is blocked.

FIRST QUARTER

New QB as Jake Smotherman is in for Akana. Kailea rips off a 25-yard run into Damien territory. LB Destin Pakele gets his first carry for 5 yards. Saints end the quarter with 6-3, 250-pound RB Chris Vanisi getting his first carry for 4 yards to the 30.

Trick play as Damien pitches back to Matt Faufata-Pedrina, who throws deep. Defensive PI is called and that is unanimously agreed upon in the press box as being a terrible call. Monarchs on the Saints’ 36. Third-and-4 and RB Deacon Kapea is stopped by DL Chris Vanisi for a 2-yard gain to set up fourth-and-2. Damien passes and Faufata-Pedrina has an open receiver but he simply drops it. Turnover on downs.

Saints with great field position at the Monarchs 39 after a 17-yard punt return. Third-and-5 at the 34. Shimabukuro jump cuts inside to the 30 to set up fourth-and-1. Shimabukuro picks up 2 yards but then is hit by LB Braxton Wilcox, who forces a fumble. DL Pomai Kim recovers and returns to the Damien 49. Both Shimabukuro and QB Bubba Akana are hurt on the play. Akana can’t put any pressure on his left leg as he is helped off the field.

Damien quickly in third-and-2 after two runs and the Monarchs try a play-action pass, but DL Takaamoatoa Lautaha is right there and sacks QB Marcus Faufata-Pedrina for a loss of 10. Damien three-and-out.

Makana Poole with a 24-yard return and St. Francis starts on its 38. RB Tyson Shimabukuro‘s first carry goes for 10 yards and a first down. First big decision comes on fourth-and-2 from the Damien 43. Saints go for it and hand it to the fullback, Matt Dacuycuy, who picks up 3 and a first down. Foki Kailea in the game and picks up five yards on two carries for a third-and-5. Another fourth-and-2 on the 32. This time St. Francis tries play-action but Damien DB Kaulana Funakoshi breaks up the pass. Damien ball.

St. Francis will receive to start the game.

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TEAM CAPTAINS
St. Francis: Supilani Mailei, Destin Pakele, Penisimani Haunga, Pono Luis-Mateo
Damien: Rush Asing, Caleb Burnett, Soane Tuihalafatai

HISTORY: Damien leads the all-time series 4-2 but St. Francis has won two of the last three meetings.