Are you ready for a whirlwind of football? TEN, yes TEN games scheduled for Friday night on Oahu. We will do our very best to keep you covered.
HISTORY: Damien (4-1, 2-0) can clinch the ILH Division II title and a bye in the first round of the playoffs with a win over St. Francis (2-2, 1-1). If the Saints win, then both teams will have to beat Pac-Five to force a tie for the regular season crown. Damien is 4-1 all-time against the Saints, including a 21-16 win earlier this year. The Monarchs beat the Saints 46-18 in their first meeting last season only to lose 21-6 three weeks later.
Live updates of the 5 p.m. kickoff at Aloha Stadium will follow below:
FINAL: St. Francis 15, Damien 12.
FOURTH QUARTER
Damien with two incomplete passes, one batted down by the mysterious No. 53. Then two completions from Faufata-Pedrina to Borges for 17 and 25 yards, but time runs out. Great finish and the Saints keep first-round title hopes alive by knocking off previously unbeaten Damien.
WOW. No time outs, Akana drives the Saints 65 yards in 29 seconds. A pair of 30-yard tosses to McCleod sets up a 5-yard keeper by Wembley Mailei, who drags a defender with him over the goal line. PAT kick is no good. STF 15, DMS 9, :31.
Monarchs recover the on-side kick and take over at the Saints’ 31. Faufata-Pedrina loses the snap and falls on the ball. That could’ve been a disaster. Good bounce for him. After a 3-yard gain by White, Saints call their last timeout, 1:25. Third and 14, Faufata-Pedrina rolls right and runs out of bounds to stop the clock at 1:16. Huge break for St. Francis.
Saints botch the kickoff return, scramble to pick the ball up at the 1, and manage a 13-yard return. But Shimabukuro, who is well over the 100-yard mark, is hit for a 4-yard loss and after a time out, the Saints are whistled for illegal procedure. Then the snap is high to Akana and he is shoved out of the back of the end zone for a safety. DMS 12, STF 9, 2:18.
The Monarchs march and stall at the St. Francis 24. Cameron comes on and blasts a 41-yard field goal with plenty to spare and Damien regains the lead. DMS 10, STF 9, 3:32.
The quarter opens with Damien in possession, but they punt following a sack by No. 53 of St. Francis, who is not listed on the roster. Saints punt the ball back. Damien ball at its 39 with 7:01 left.
THIRD QUARTER
Monarchs punt and the Saints drive deep. Shimabukuro is in beast mode as his O-line takes command. He runs five times for 37 yards and they get to the Damien 4 when the same lineman who committed the personal foul is whistled for a false start. Saints settle for a 21-yard field goal by Poole to regain the lead. STF 9, DMS 7, :23.
Paaluhi-Caulk with his second INT of the game, returning an overthrown screen pass nine yards to the Damien 33. But again, the Saints sputter. They get a 19-yard run by Tyson Shimabukuro, and then he gains 6 more when an offensive lineman commits a personal foul. Big blow. Fourth and 19, they bring in Jacob Poole for a 46-yard field goal try and he’s short. Decent leg. When they didn’t try a regular PAT kick on their first-quarter TD, I wondered if they had a kicker. They do.
HALFTIME
Boxscore
At Aloha Stadium
Damien 0 7 — 7
St. Francis 6 0 — 6
SF—Justus Paaluhi-Caulk 30 interception return (run failed)
DMS—Justice White 2 run (Kaimana Cameron kick)
RUSHING—
Damien:
White 6-24,
Marcus Faufata-Pedrina 7-(-3),
Akila Arecchi 2-1,
St. Francis:
Tyson Shimabukuro 15-69,
Dayton Leong 1-1,
Foki Kailea 1-3,
Bubba Akana 2-(-3),
Matthew Dacuycuy 1-1,
PASSING—
Damien:
Faufata-Pedrina 8-17-1-117
St. Francis:
Akana 1-4-0-26
RECEIVING—
Damien:
White 2-13,
Royce Perkins 1-17,
Shawn Borges 2-53,
James Kapilioha Livingston-Lopez 1-9
St. Francis:
Scott McCleod 1-26
SECOND QUARTER
St. Francis trying to make something happen before the break. Personal foul on Damien moves the ball to the Monarchs’ 40-yard line. QB Bubba Akana with a nice deep out pass to Scott McCleod for a 26-yard gain to the 14, but time runs out. Damien leads at the half 7-6.
Damien gets on the scoreboard. Faufata-Pedrina rolls right, the DBs bite and he lofts it over them for a 52-yard completion to Shawn Borges. First and goal at the 2, and Justice White scores up the gut on the next play. PAT by Kaulana Cameron is good. Damien leads. DMS 7, STF 6, 1:03.
Saints have fourth and 3 at the Damien 45, but they won’t snap the ball. Delay of game, punt. This is basically a game of chicken between the two coaches. They’re going to ride their defenses and special teams, play the field position game as long and as deep into this game as possible.
FIRST QUARTER
Damien stalls again and punts after a pitchout goes awry for a 15-yard loss. St. Francis ball on its 35 to start its third series. Saints call time out with :24 left. Damien determined to air it out. The Monarchs are 3-for-9, 30 yards and the interception so far.
With 4:00 left, there have been a combined three punts. Damien QB Marcus Faufata-Pedrina, the punter, tried a fake punt/run and came up short, but St. Francis stalled. But the Saints get a pick-6 by Justus Paaluhi-Caulk, who returns the sideline pass 30 yards for a touchdown. Power-I formation on the PAT run, but it’s stopped inches short. STF 6, DMS 0, 3:49.
PRE-GAME
It’s been a sweltering hot afternoon in Halawa, but the trades are kicking in and shade is now covering most of the field at Aloha Stadium. Seven minutes until kickoff. St. Francis was loud and energetic in warmups. Damien was much quieter, working diligently.
St Francis 35-14 Damien