Five games on Oahu Friday night are highlighted by the showdown up North between the top two ranked teams in the OIA.
No. 8 Kapolei travels to take on host Castle in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Live updates to follow below:
No. 8 Kapolei 40, Castle 21, FINAL
FOURTH QUARTER
FINAL.
Castle held to -11 yards on the ground tonight, barring some late pickups here final minute
Kapolei has put this thing to bed. Some lazy Castle tackling on a short Tagovailoa pass to Jaymin Sarono allows Sarono to get to the sideline and bolt easily for 38 yards and the score. XP good, 40-21 Kapolei, 2:35 left. That is three more TD receptions tonight for Sarono, who now has nine this season.
Castle tries a screen from the 1-yard line and Adam Berg makes the tackle in the end zone for the safety. That gives the Hurricanes a 12-point lead and the ball with 4:25 remaining.
Castle tries the same end-around play they scored on to begin the game, but it’s disastrous this time. McGoldrick is tagged down at the 1 for minus-26 yards after it initially looked like a safety.
Kapolei with a receiver down hurt near where the DB came up with the pick. It was Wyatt Perez, who gets up and hobbles off under his own power. Knights now to attempt the first of two comeback drives.
This thing’s not over yet. Castle’s defensive MVP, Palaylay-Shuford, comes up with a tipped-ball pick of Tagovailoa at the 5 and returns it out to the 27. 5:50 to play, Knights down by 10.
Tagovailua forced to … scramble? He gains 5 yards on his first rush of the night. Saying he’s been comfortable in the pocket is a vast understatement. But Kapolei punts it this time. Nevermind, Castle gets tagged with a COSTLY illegal participation (12 men, I think). and Kapolei gets fresh downs at their own 48.
Castle is forced to punt it away after netting a single first down … Kapolei takes over at its own 28 with 7:57 to play
Fourth quarter begins and Kapolei rolls offensively with a 74-yard scoring drive. Leighton Rosa caps it off with a 3-yard run up the gut and Kapolei back up 31-21 with 10:29 to play in the game.
THIRD QUARTER
Kapolei commits double fouls on the extra-point attempt and Castle kicks off from the Kapolei 35. Knights try the onside but Hurricanes recovers it at their 26
We got us a GAME in Kaneohe. Crazy play has Tagovailoa complete a pass to Wyatt Perez. When Perez goes into Castle territory, he’s gang tackled and stripped. The ball one-hops into the hands of Chasen Palaylay-Shuford, who scoops the fumble at full speed and sprints nearly untouched 55 yards for the Knights score. XP good, 24-21 Kapolei, 0:58 3Q
A costly dead-ball personal foul derails a Knights drive into Hurricane territory, and Nelson Maeda‘s squad must punt again. 3:59 left 3Q, Hurricanes taking over at the 20.
Kapolei punts it back three-and-out. 6:59 left 3Q …. nope … fake punt! Castle sniffs it out and takes over near midfield.
Castle goes three-and-out with Uyemura-Lee at the controls this time. He absorbs a 10-yard sack on third down. Including a Knights PF penalty on the punt, Kapolei takes over on Castle’s 48.
Kapolei starts its opening 3Q drive from its 40. Tagovailoa dissects the Knights’ D with lightning strikes to come out for the second half, as Kapolei goes 60 yards in eight plays capped with a 10-yd TD pass to Sarono for the second time tonight. 24-14 Hurricanes, 9:51 3Q
SECOND QUARTER
Jaylen Uyemura-Lee in at QB for the Knights. Makana Smith shifts to Utility. Smith promptly lines up at receiver and tears off a 54-yard gain on a short pass from Uyemura-Lee. Knights knocking, final minute in the half. Castle gets the last word going into halftime. Smith makes a difficult catch out of bounds at the 1. Castle’s McGoldrick then gets tackled for a loss back to the 6, but Uyemura-Lee finds him at the front near-side pylon after a Knights timeout. XP is good, 17-14 Kapolei at the break. The TD came with no time on the clock.
Tagovailoa finds his rhythm on an 80-yard drive, completing 7 of 7 passes and capping it off with a 10-yard TD strike to Jaymin Sarono. XP is good, 17-7 Kapolei, 1:27 2Q. Tagovailoa up to 172 yards, 14-for-20 passing
Castle marched into Kapolei territory but a huge tackle for loss by the Hurricanes linebacker Keanu Kelly on Makana Smith forces the Knights to punt. 4:17 left 2Q
Kapolei’s 285-pound running back Antoneo Brown rumbles in for the 2-yard score after gains of 21 and 11 yards during a 64-yard drive. Brown then brushes Castle’s D aside for the 2-point conversion. Kapolei claims the lead, 10-7, 7:12 left 2Q
Castle goes three-and-out. Kapolei back at the controls, 9:09 2Q
Tagovailoa goes incomplete on his fourth straight pass after connecting on his first five, and Kapolei has to punt for the first time tonight.
FIRST QUARTER
Kapolei lineman Dylan Naehu brings down Makana Smith in the end zone for a safety sack. 7-2 Knights kicking off, 1:12 left 1Q
Taulia Tagovailoa has the Hurricanes on the move with a 3-for-3 start. Tagovailoa goes incomplete for the first time after completing his first five attempts. Fourth and goal from the 2 after another incompletion in the end zone … Tagovailoa looks to the far back pylon. Incomplete over an open man! Castle takes over on downs.
Kapolei kicks the opening kickoff out of bounds. Castle begins its drive at the 35. Makana Smith at the controls for the Knights on their opening drive. He converts a 3rd and 10 with a 15-yard scramble. A roughing the passer penalty on Kapolei keeps the drive going. Knights now well into Hurricane territory. Touchdown Knights! Jeremy McGoldrick takes a reverse handoff from Israel Pakele and takes it around the back side for a 30-yard score. McGoldrick eludes two defenders in the final 5 yards near the pylon. Extra point by Cheyden Costa is good. 7-0 Castle, 8:05 left 1Q
JV FINAL: Kapolei 34, Castle 10
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Series history: Kapolei has won the last three meetings and lead the series 3-1 with Castle’s lone win coming in 2004. Taulia Tagovailoa torched the Knights for 534 yards passing — 313 of them to Ty-Noah Williams — in a 41-0 win last year in the OIA playoffs. Castle has not scored on the Hurricanes since that win in 2004, losing 41-0, 34-0 and 30-0. Kapolei has never had a rusher exceed 78 yards against a Nelson Maeda-coached squad. On the other hand, Maeda has never had a rusher gain more than 43 yards against the Hurricanes and never had a receiver gain more than Kyle Urasaki‘s 75 in 2012.
watch the game on X-Cast, early on, looks like Kapolei took Castle lightly, miscues, dropped passes, penalties. On paper, should have been a 60 – 0 game, Castle overmatched. That Kapolei QB is good. Castle’s tackling is horrendous, no offense too. The right team won.