The Golden Hawks had a lot of "dog" in them, even down 21 in the second half.

Nanakuli pulled off one of the biggest upsets in school history Saturday night, rallying for a 28-21 win over top-seeded Kaiser to advance to the OIA White football final.

Chazz Troutman threw two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 7-yard lob to Joseph Shelton with 27 seconds left.

"This means so much to us. Nobody here thought we could do this," said the junior, who was the lone Golden Hawk to play both ways for coach Skip Lopes.

"This is the biggest win I can remember since I’ve been here," said Lopes, who has been involved with the program for about 20 years.

"They outhit us. They wanted it more, even when we were up 21-0," Cougars coach Rich Miano said. "They had a lot of dog left in ’em."

Nanakuli (6-3) secured a Division II state-tournament berth and will play Radford next week for the OIA White crown.

Troutman’s toss to the 6-foot-4 Shelton came with Nanakuli trailing 21-20, just a few minutes after Shelton shanked an extra-point kick that would’ve tied the game.

But with Kaiser’s offense sputtering — do-everything playmaker Kai Gonda sat most of the game with severe back spasms — Nanakuli was opportunistic. With 2:05 left, Troutman directed a 60-yard drive, connecting on a couple of passes, while Kaiser’s penchant for penalties in the second half helped the visitors. A roughing-the-quarterback flag was a key, and after Troutman raced to the 5-yard line, Kaiser jumped offsides.

On the ensuing play, however, Troutman ran the option and fumbled on a hit by Kaiser linebacker Leimana Chong-Gum. Troutman reeled in the loose pigskin, and with no timeouts left, remained calm.

"I went to the sideline and Coach called for the pass," Troutman said. His high lob was easy enough for Shelton to snag against a smaller cornerback in single coverage.

"He felt so bad after the extra point (miss)," Troutman said. "He’s one of our Megatrons."

For Kaiser, a dream season bouncing back from last year’s struggles came to an abrupt end. A stunned home crowd was silent for the entire fourth quarter. The Cougars had issues with illnesses (quarterback Makana Lyman and Gonda), and defensive tackle Manase Palu sat out with a lingering knee injury.