GAME NIGHT 9/13: Waipahu/’Iolani

‘Iolani 48, Waipahu 14

Waipahu kickoff is a nice one again, touchback. And a Waipahu player says something to a referee, and the yellow flag flies. Unsportsmanlike conduct. Why would any player say something that bad to a referee on a touchback? Incredible.

Waipahu tacks on a TD before the close. Three more carries for Failauga, who picks up 17, 17 and then a 2-yard TD. That’s 298 yards on 41 carries. None of it came easy. IOLANI 48, WAIPAHU 14, Q4, 1:04.

Sammy Faumuina has entered the game at QB for ‘Iolani, along with a number of other reserves.

Waipahu opens the fourth quarter shotgun trips formation. I think that’s the first time all game they’re in the gun. Holding penalty stifles the drive. Punt, fair catch, ‘Iolani ball at its 38.

A personal foul on Waipahu on the ‘Iolani kickoff, which was a touchback, pushes the Marauders back to their 10. Failauga keeps chugging and gains eight yards as the third quarter closes. He now has 262 yards on 38 carries, but the Raider defense has bent without breaking almost every time tonight.

Chong keeps left and gains 23 yards. Two plays later, he finds Manuel on a go route on the right side for a 56-yard TD. That’s four TD tosses for Chong, who looks masterful tonight. The game will be in running-clock territory after Waipahu’s next snap from center. IOLANI 48, WAIPAHU 7, Q3, :29.

Marques having tons of problems handling the snap again. He has two more fumbles on this drive, but has recovered both. Waipahu moves the ball to midfield as Marques finds Tulavale for a 15-yard gain, but after a Failauga run, personal foul called on the Marauders when a lineman shoves an ‘Iolani player after the whistle. Another Marques fumble and Waipahu punts. ‘Iolani ball at its 20, 1:26. I’m starting to wonder if Marques is just so used to the shotgun, it’s not comfortable for him under center this often.

If not for the missed PAT by ‘Iolani early in the game, this would be a mercy-rule running-clock situation. ‘Iolani stalls at the Waipahu 47, punt, touchback.

Failauga gained 13 yards on his first carry of the second half, but since it has been tough sledding — five yards on five carries. He’s swarmed on every down. He’s at 36 carries for 246 yards when a botched snap leads to an ‘Iolani fumble recovery — by Molina. He’s having a great game. Raiders ball at their 15, 6:49 left third quarter.

The single-game rushing mark is 379 yards by Kalaheo’s Jesse Carney against Kalani in 2010.

HALFTIME BOXSCORE
At Aloha Stadium
‘Iolani 27 14 — 41
Waipahu 0 7 — 7
IOL—Cole Ichikawa 25 pass from Jonah Chong (kick failed)
IOL—Brody Logan Bantolina 10 run (Wailoa Manuel kick)
IOL—Brock Hedani 1 run (Manuel kick)
IOL—Bantolin 11 run (Manuel kick)
WAI—Alfred Failauga 8 run (Amorozo kick)
IOL—Manuel 65 pass from Jonah Chong (Manuel kick)
IOL—Ichikawa 8 pass from Chong (Manuel kick

RUSHING—‘Iolani:
#14 Bantolina 4-23,
#11 Chong 1-4,
#1 Brock Hedani 5-57,

Waipahu:
#25 Failauga 30-228,
#7 Cody Marques 2-(-9),

PASSING—‘Iolani:
#11 Chong 4-9-0-136,

Waipahu:
#7 Marques 3-5-0-10,

RECEIVING—‘Iolani:
#6 Manuel 1-65,
#2 Ichikawa 3-69,
#19 Ryan Sunada

Waipahu:
#33 Aston Contado 1-5,
#9 Fuafiva Tulafale 1-5,

Failauga with 228 yards on 30 carries, one TD and two fumbles. Molina, who blocked the punt earlier, sacks Marques and Waipahu will let the clock run out. What a zany first half.

This is the longest drive, time-wise, of the game for Waipahu. I don’t know how Failauga has this kind of endurance and strength. ‘Iolani has two, three defenders in the backfield and he still shakes them off. But penalties are the bugaboo again. Two holding calls are hurting this drive. After 12 carries in a row by Waipahu, they go play-action, but it’s another penalty. They’re just stubbing their toes into concrete. That’s 11 penalties for 73 yards. Injury time out with 19 seconds left in the half, Waipahu on the ‘Iolani 41. Now it’s a Waipahu time out.

Penalty on the kickoff return pins the Marauders at their 8-yard line. It’s Failauga for 7, then 18 yards. That’s 22 carries for 177 yards so far. But a holding call pushes them back on the next snap. I haven’t seen anything quite like this since Kahuku went to the elephant sledgehammer exclusively during the 2015 title season. Failauga again and again. A 15-yard run puts him at 200 yards on 25 attempts, but one of his linemen goes down with an injury with 4:43 left in the first half. Marques loses the snap and recovers for no gain. Technically, that’s only the second carry by a Maruader aside from Failauga. Both of those are credited to Marques, who was sacked in the first quarter.

The Marauders are intent on ground and pound, but on the second play of its five possession, Failauga loses the ball, taken away by Meki Pei, who returns the ball to the Waipahu 8-yard line. Chong laterals the ball forward to Ichikawa, the motion man, and he races to the end zone for an 8-yard TD. On paper, that’s Chong’s third TD pass of the game. Waipahu is completely bamboozled on the edges, no containment and no numbers by the numbers (on the sidelines). IOLANI 41, WAIPAHU 7, Q2, 7:12.

After a touchback on the Waipahu kickoff and a personal foul, ‘Iolani needs just two plays to score. Again. This time, Chong finds Manuel on a slant route and he turns on the after-burners for a 65-yard catch-and-run TD. WOW. That could sap the momentum Waipahu just picked up. Manuel also does the PAT kicks and drills it through. IOLANI 34, WAIPAHU 7, Q2, 8:09.

Waipahu’s fourth series is very much like the first. This time, though, Failauga punches it over the goal line with a nice cutback for an 8-yard TD. It was mostly power formations, no WRs, Power-I smashmouth football. He now has 19 carries for 149 yards, showing no signs of fatigue. He rested last week with a minor knee injury and is carrying the load for the Marauders tonight. IOLANI 27, WAIPAHU 7, Q2, 9:02.

This is borderline insane because Waipahu RB Alfred Failauga has 85 yards on 13 carries at the end of one quarter, which is on pace for 340 yards. Yet, his team trails 27-0 entering the fourth quarter. All kinds of mistakes, turnovers deep in Waipahu territory, and the Raiders have savaged each opportunity.

This is getting crazy. Kickoff is another touchback. On first down at its 20, Waipahu QB Cody Marques tries to sidearm a pass and it’s batted into the air by a blitzing DB, Jedidiah Wataru, and DL Lima Harbottle hustles for the interception. Raiders ball at the Waipahu 11. WOHH. On the next play, it’s Bantolina around left end for an 11-yard TD. That’s four ‘Iolani touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes, 58 seconds. IOLANI 27, WAIPAHU 0, Q1, 3:10.

Failauga has 68 yards on eight carries already, yet Waipahu trails by two scores. Second play of Waipahu’s third offensive series, screen pass to Solofa Setu, who fights off tacklers, gets spun around and loses the ball. It’s a wild scrum and the ball heads into the end zone, where Isaac Ignacio recovers for an ‘Iolani TD. IOLANI 20, WAIPAHU 0, Q1, 3:22

Waipahu riddled with penalties, first on the kickoff, then after a pass play that would’ve netted its first first down. Then on fourth down, ‘Iolani’s Shayden Molina blocks the punt, Raiders ball at the Waipahu 10. Next play, RB Brody Logan Bantolina sweeps around left end for a 10-yard TD. This time the PAT is good. IOLANI 13, WAIPAHU 0, Q1, 4:24.

Raiders get back-to-back 11-yard runs by Brock Hedani, setting up a 38-yard pass from Chong to Cole Ichikawa. On the seventh play of the drive, Chong finds Ichikawa in the left corner of the end zone for a 25-yard TD. PAT kick caroms off the right upright, no good. IOLANI 6, WAIPAHU 0, Q1, 6:08.

Waipahu straight to smashmouth football, handing the ball to Alfred Failauga seven times in a row. The record-breaking RB fumbles after a 15-yard gain to the ‘Iolani 10 and the Raiders’ Stirling Sakashita recovers at the 10. HUGE break.

Raiders receive, return the ball 12 yards, first down at its 20. QB Jonah Chong takes a shot deep but barely overthrows Wailoa Manuel. Punt is downed at the Waipahu 27.

———-

PRE-GAME
Waipahu will kick off and defend the north end zone. Weather is picture perfect, no rain, not a cloud and a full moon. Barely any trade winds.

———-
Series history: ‘Iolani leads 13-4
Waipahu roster
‘Iolani roster