Pac-Five ended its up-and-down 2018 season on a positive note, beating Waialua 14-6 at the Aiea High field Friday night in the finale for both teams.
In pouring rain, the Wolfpack (3-5, 3-5 ILH D-II) got two first-half touchdowns and ended the Bulldogs’ comeback bid by making three impressive defensive stands in the second half.
Quarterback Rocket Uechi gave Pac-Five much of the offensive momentum it needed in the early going, throwing TD passes of 12 yards to Micah Kong and 5 to three-way standout Leif Fautanu Jr.
That 14-point lead was ultra important. Waialua (0-9, 0-7 OIA D-II) moved the ball successfully throughout the second half, getting deep into Wolfpack territory three times. They were stopped, however, after making it as far as the 13, 11 and 9.
Twice, Fautanu booted 50-yard-plus punts that pinned the Bulldogs inside their 5, making life extremely difficult for Waialua in the sloppy conditions. He also had a sack, one of five tackles for loss by the Pac-Five defense.
“That was crazy, all the rain coming down,” Fautanu said. “It was really fun. Right after every tackle, you get a nice slip and slide.”
Justyce Lacar’s 11-yard TD pass to Hunter Nery for Waialua late in the third quarter made it a game that could have gone either way.
One inopportune turnover could have changed it in a split second. But no points were scored in the fourth quarter.
“It was like being a kid again, playing in the rain like that,” said Josiah Ocamb, who had three fumble recoveries among the Bulldogs’ six takeaways.
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GAME SUMMARY
Pac-Five 14, Waialua 6
At Aiea
>> Pac-Five (3-5, 3-5) 7 7 0 0 — 14
>> Waialua (0-9, 0-7) 0 0 6 0 — 6
Pac-Five — Micah Kong 12 pass from Rocket Uechi (Cy Shimamura kick)
Pac-Five — Leif Fautanu Jr. 5 pass from Uechi (Shimamura kick)
Waialua — Hunter Nery 11 pass from Justyce Lacar (kick failed)
RUSHING — Pac-Five: Kong 9-43, Ian Canute 13-33, Dane Ishibashi 8-28, Robert Walker Jr. 1-6, Team 2-(minus-2), Rocket Uechi 7-(minus-26). Waialua: Lacar 12-25, Jacob Lagua 4-2, Blitzen Benz 2-1, Aiden Fernando 1-0, Kyler Dicion 2-(minus-4), Team 1-(minus-7).
PASSING — Pac-Five: Uechi 5-9-2-44. Waialua: Lacar 14-31-2-124, Dicion 0-11-0-0 .
RECEIVING — Pac-Five: Canute 2-16, Kong 1-12, Angelo Coluccio 1-11, Fautanu 1-5. Waialua: Dylan Yadao 6-23, Kai Hoekstra 4-85, Nery 2-17, Lagua 2-(minus-1).
