LIVE BLOG: 2017 Polynesian Bowl

Aloha Stadium hosts the inaugural Polynesian Bowl tonight. Photo by Christian Shimabuku/Star-Advertiser.
Aloha Stadium hosts the inaugural Polynesian Bowl tonight. Photo by Christian Shimabuku/Star-Advertiser.

A fun week for some of the top high school football players in the Class of 2017 ends with the inaugural Polynesian Bowl all-star game tonight at Aloha Stadium.

You can see rosters of both teams here.

Kickoff is scheduled for just after 6 p.m. Live updates will follow below.


Team Stanley 9, Team Mariota 7

At Aloha Stadium
Team Stanley 0 6 0 3 — 9
Team Mariota 0 0 0 7 — 7
Stan—Conor Wedington 7 run (kick failed)
Mar—Mark Webb 25 pass from Alakai Yuen (Evan Minami kick)
Stan—FG Jeff Chan 20

RUSHING—Stanley: Wedington 14-47, Dylan McCaffrey 2-15, Kesi Ah-Hoy 3-2, Armando Herrera 1-2, Chuck Filiaga 1-(minus 2), Taz Tauaese 2-(minus 6), team 2-(minus 6), Alex Faniel 3-(minus 14). Mariota: Yuen 2-9, Sione Heimuli-Lund 3-8, Kurt Taylor 5-3, Challen Faamatau 5-3, Connor Neville 2-(minus 7), team 1-(minus 19).
PASSING—Stanley: McCaffrey 2-9-0-10, Faniel 1-5-2-9, Herrera 1-4-1-(minus 2). Mariota: Yuen 10-26-2–125, Neville 3-9-1-24.
RECEIVING—Stanley: Wedington 1-9, Terrell Bynum 2-6, Ethan Takeyama 1-2. Mariota: Webb 4-45, Jaymin Sarono 3-29, Nico Collins 2-23, Hunter Bryant 2-13, Ronson Young 1-30, Ryan Ramones 1-9.

FOURTH QUARTER

Yuen hits Nico Collins for 10 yards and Mark Webb for 11 yards. Team Stanley is called for an illegal rush to move the ball to the Stanley 44 with 16 ticks to go. Epenesa is called for a roughing-the-passer penalty and the ball is at the 29 with 11 seconds to go. Yuen’s pass goes out of the back of the end zone. Three seconds remaining. Last play. They attempt a 46-yard field goal and Evan Minami‘s kick comes up short. FINAL.

A couple of unsportsmanlike penalties by Team Mariota allows Team Stanley to drive inside the 5. A high snap is bobbled for a second by Kesi Ah-Hoy, who is in at QB and he corrals and jumps over the pile to the 2. June Jone calls a timeout for Team Mariota as it’s third-and-goal from the 2. McCaffrey drops the snap and falls on top of it. Fourth down from the 4. Field goal coming. Punahou’s Jeff Chan to attempt a 21-yard field goal. After a timeout, Chan drills the FG to put Team Stanley back in front.

Saint Louis’ Isaac Slade-Matautia picks Oregon over Nebraska.

Leilehua’s Charles Moku Watson commits to a Pac-12 school.

Yuen hits Mark Webb with a throw back across the middle for a 25-yard TD. ‘Iolani’s Evan Minami hits the extra point and Team Mariota has the lead for the first time.

A good punt return by Kahuku’s Stokes Nihipali-Botelho was called back because of a penalty. Yuen has a man open deep and uncorks a good throw that just died in the wind. It is brutal out there. Yuen with another throw into the wind and he hits Saint Louis’ Ronson Young for 30 yards to the Stanley 40.

THIRD QUARTER

Running back Connor Wedington went high to make the catch in the third quarter for Team Stanley. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.
Running back Connor Wedington went high to make the catch in the third quarter for Team Stanley. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.

Yuen hits Mark Webb for a first down and Mariota puts together a decent drive. Epenesa with two monster hits on the sideline chasing down from his DE spot. The kid is an unbelievable talent. Third-and-1 at the 22 and Yuen forces one that is picked off by Christian Elliss.

Monster hit and tackle for loss for Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, who is really starting to stand out in this game. Now Vimahi knocks a pass back. Screen pass is picked off by who else but Kapolei’s Leonard Lee.

Campbell’s Kishaun Ki completely smokes the left guard for a tackle for loss. Kahuku’s Kesi Ah-Hoy nearly comes up with a pick.

Mater Dei (Calif.) DT Austin Faoliu commits to Oregon.

Mariota goes three-and-out.

Punahou LB Seyddrick Lakalaka with a tackle for loss to set up third-and-16. A dropped pass and an incomplete pass results in a turnover on downs.

Yuen starts the second half at QB for Mariota and hits Moanalua’s Ryan Ramones for 9 yards. His next pass is thrown right at safety Chaz Ah You who brings it back to the 16-yard line.

Tagovailoa-Amosa, Vimahi and Pauole all gang up to stop Wedington for a loss on the first play. Three-and-out.

**********

5,227 tickets issued for the game.

Kahuku’s Aliki Vimahi leads all players with four tackles in the first half. AJ Epenesa has two sacks and a forced fumble for Team Stanley.

HALFTIME STATS
At Aloha Staidum
Team Stanley 0 6
Team Mariota 0 0
Stan—Conor Wedington 7 run (kick failed)


RUSHING—Stanley: Wedington 8-45, Dylan McCaffrey 1-3, Armando Herrera 1-2, team 2-(minus 6). Mariota: Kurt Taylor 3-7, Sione Heimuli-Lund 2-6, Challen Faamatau 4-5, Connor Neville 2-(minus 7).
PASSING—Stanley: Alex Faniel 1-3-1-9, McCaffrey 2-2-0-10. Mariota: Yuen 2-6-0-28, Neville 3-9-1-24.
RECEIVING—Stanley: Wedington 1-9, Terrell Bynum 1-8, Ethan Takeyama 1-2. Mariota: Jaymin Sarono 3-29, Nico Collins 1-17, Hunter Bryant 1-6.

SECOND QUARTER

Team Stanley's Conor Wedington fell into the end zone to complete a 7-yard touchdown run for the only score of the first half in the Polynesian Bowl. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.
Team Stanley’s Conor Wedington fell into the end zone to complete a 7-yard touchdown run for the only score of the first half in the Polynesian Bowl. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.

Yuen in at QB for Team Mariota. Yuen hits Sarono for 11 yards on third-and-10 to move the chains. Add on 15 yards for a face-mask penalty. Same route to the other side of the field and Yuen hits Sarono again for a first down. Moanalua-to-Kapolei connection is allowing Team Mariota to finally move the ball on offense. Faamatau picks up 7 to the 26. Timeout with 27 seconds left. First-and-10 at the 22 after a 5-yard run by Taylor. Review marks Taylor down short of the marker so it’s third-and-1 instead. Two incomplete passes and it’s a turnover on downs.

OLB Levani Damuni commits to Stanford. Meanwhile, Lee’s interception is taken away as a review ruled that Team Mariota made an illegal blitz on the play. Wedington busts off a run of 19 yards to the 7. Connor Wedington with a 7-yard TD run on a nice cutback move on the next play. Touchdown Team Stanley. 6-0, 2:45, Q2.

We get our seventh turnover of the game as McCaffrey throws late over the middle and Kapolei safety Leonard Lee makes a great break on the ball and dives to pick it off. OLB Juliano Faliniko, a USC commit, pressure McCaffrey into the poor throw.

Punahou’s Ethan Takeyama takes a quick pass and gets positive yards after breaking a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

AJ Epenesa showing why he’s the top-ranked player in this game as he comes flying off the edge and gets the strip sack to get Team Stanley back the ball.

Westview DT Brandon Pili (6-4, 310) commits to USC. Neville in at QB for Mariota.

Kamehameha’a Nakoa Pauole with a tackle for loss on Wedington to force third-and-10. QB Dylan McCaffrey in for the first time and is flushed up the middle and tackled for a three-and-out by Tuifua and Tagovailoa-Amosa.

Kahuku's Codie Sauvao picks off a pass in the second quarter of the Polynesian Bowl. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.
Kahuku’s Codie Sauvao picks off a pass in the second quarter of the Polynesian Bowl. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.

Neville with the first deep ball of the game and it hangs up and is picked off by Kahuku’s Codie Sauvao, who returns it 20 yards to the 27.

Handoff is fumbled and Tuifua, who just committed to BYU, makes the recovery for Team Mariota.

Moanalua’s Alakai Yuen in at QB for Team Mariota. Third-and-7 and DE Alden Tofa makes the tackle on the halfback draw.

Armando Herrera in at QB for Team Stanley and Team Mariota gets it right back as Brandon McKinney, a 6-foot-1 safety who has committed to Washington, picks off the pass. Three turnovers in three plays.

Bad snap and Epenesa scoops it up for Team Stanley, which gets the ball right back.

Screen pass on third-and-long and DE Lorenzo Fauatea, shows some agility for the 6-4, 265-pound big guy and goes to the ground to pick off the pass.

FIRST QUARTER

Third-and-11 and Wedington makes a great catch on a ball behind him but he had to go the turf and is 2 yards short to set up fourth-and-2. Faniel still in at QB. Wedington gets to the left edge and uses his speed to turn upfield and pick up 11 to the 26 for a first down. LB Sampson Niu, an Oregon commit, comes flying in to sack Faniel to end the first quarter.

Mariota takes over on its 12. DE Langi Tuifua announces his commitment to BYU. Farrington’s Challen Faamatau gets 5 yards on his first two carries of the game to set up third-and-5. DB Nephi Sewell sniffs out the screen pass to Kapolei’s Jaymin Sarono to force a fourth down.

Alex Faniel to start at QB for Team Stanley. Connor Wedington at RB and he picks up 2 yards. Kahuku’s Aliki Vimahi picks up a sack to force third-and-long. Faniel tries to scramble on third down but is hit first Sioeli Naupoto and his Kahuku teammate, Vimahi, finishes it off.

Team Mariota will get the ball first. RB Kurt Taylor, a Michigan commit, with a 19-yard return to the 31. Connor Neville, a Washington State commit from Beaverton, Ore., gets the start at QB. Neville’s first completion goes to tight end Hunter Bryant, a Washington commit, for 6 yards to set up third-and-4. Taylor gets the carry and he’s stopped right at the marker but they give it a first down. DE AJ Epenesa forces a quick throw as he nearly gets a sack. Third-and-9 and Epenesa blows up the OL and gets a sack. Epenesa with a huge start to the game. He’s from Edwardsville, Ill, and committed to Iowa despite getting a lot of pressure from Alabama to commit to the Crimson Tide.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Stanley: Kesi Ah-Hoy, Mike Saffell
Mariota: Vili Fisiiahi, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa

Kapolei's Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa put a hit on quarterback Alex Faniel in the first quarter of the Polynesian Bowl. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.
Kapolei’s Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa put a hit on quarterback Alex Faniel in the first quarter of the Polynesian Bowl. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.

**********

Six players will make their commitments live during the game broadcast to the mainland on ESPN3. The game will be broadcast in the islands tomorrow night on KGMB at 7.


Saint Louis linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia will make his commitment, choosing from a list of nine schools with Oregon, Nebraska, Washington State and Colorado among the favorites. Leilehua defensive back Charles Moku Watson will decide between Oregon State and Brigham Young.

>> Some news from Scout.com as Kahuku LB Kesi Ah-Hoy has opened up his recruitment and will choose between Hawaii and Oregon State after visiting the Beavers last week.

COMMENTS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Star-Advertiser's TERMS OF SERVICE. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. To report comments that you believe do not follow our guidelines, email hawaiiprepworld@staradvertiser.com.

*

RECENT TWEETS

RECENT TWEETS