Tomasi Pasi tipped away a 2-point conversion pass to give No. 3 Kahuku a 21-19 win over No. 5 Campbell on Friday night in the Open Division semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships at Aloha Stadium.
Due to that clutch play, the Red Raiders (9-3) advanced to the title game next Friday against No. 1 Saint Louis, which upended Mililani 35-0 in the stadium nightcap and will be going for a fourth koa trophy in a row.
“Tomasi made some great plays, and not just him, the defense as a unit did a great job,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “They kept Campbell out of the end zone on that crucial 2-point play.”
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Kahuku and Campbell.
The Sabers, who finished their season at 6-6, rallied from a 21-10 deficit with the only nine points scored in the fourth quarter. Chase Taylor kicked a 24-yard field goal and, right after that, the Campbell defense came up with a stop that it finished off with Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu’s blocked punt.
From there, Campbell drove to the 1-inch line, but a pile of Red Raiders stopped quarterback Blaine Hipa on fourth down.
Pinned in its own end, Kahuku punted, giving the Sabers one more chance with 1:09 to go. And they moved with passion and speed. Hipa hit Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for a 17-yard gain and then the two hooked up again, this time for a 24-yard touchdown to the front right corner of the end zone to make it 21-19 with 16 seconds left.
The conversion pass to an open Mokiao-Atimalala was diverted by Pasi.
“I got my hand on it pretty good,” Pasi said. “It was a good victory. We had four weeks of practice and made a lot of little mistakes, but we got the W.”
Said Mokiao-Atimalala: “The ball was actually supposed to go the opposite way, but Blaine didn’t have anything over there. He needed help, so I told him to throw it up and I’ll try to make a play. I saw that it was tipped and I tried to get under it, but it hit the ground before I could get to it.”
Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala, Titus’ older brother, recovered an onside kick for Campbell at the Kahuku 34, but time ran out on the Sabers.
“Hat’s off to Campbell, coach DJ (Darren Johnson) and his staff and players,” Carvalho said. “This is the true Campbell team, the Campbell team we expected — a lot of skilled players.”
Campbell led 10-7 at the half, thanks to Taylor’s 23-yard field goal and Hipa’s 5-yard TD pass to Zavier Ceruti.
>> WATCH: Chase Taylor makes 24-yard field goal
Zealand Matagi was the workhorse for Kahuku, rushing for 133 yards on 30 carries. He scored on runs of 10 and 8 yards in the third quarter for Kahuku’s 21-10 lead. Earlier, on the Red Raiders’ opening possession, Zion Ah You punched in a 2-yard rushing TD.
>> WATCH: Zealand Matagi makes 8-yard touchdown run
>> WATCH: Zealand Matagi makes 10-yard touchdown run
Twice this season, Kahuku scored convincing wins of 35-7 and 46-0 at its home grass field against Campbell. There was nothing convincing this time on the faster Aloha Stadium turf.
“They played hard, they played hard,” a red- and teary-eyed Johnson said. “They played the way they’re supposed to play. I just wanted them to come out victorious. I know what they’re made of. I know we can win.”
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NO. 3 KAHUKU 21, NO. 5 CAMPBELL 19
At Aloha Stadium
>> Campbell (6-6) 0 10 0 9 — 19
>> Kahuku (9-3) 7 0 14 0 — 21
Kahuku — Zion Ah You 2 run (Adam Requilman kick)
Campbell — FG Chase Taylor 23
Campbell — Zavier Ceruti 5 pass from Blaine Hipa (Taylor kick)
Kahuku — Zealand Matagi 10 run (Requilman kick)
Kahuku — Matagi 8 run (Requilman kick)
Campbell — FG Taylor 24
Campbell — Titus Mokiao-Atimalala 24 pass from Hipa (pass failed)
RUSHING — Campbell: Peter Manuma 1-1, Sky Lactaoen 1-(minus 1), Hipa 14-(minus 23). Kahuku: Matagi 30-133, Lalio Kaluna 2-6, Jason Mariteragi 1-5, Tiger Adolpho 3-4, Ah You 1-2, Mana Fonoimoana-Vaomu 1-1.
PASSING — Campbell: Hipa 29-45-0- 274, team 0-1-0-0, Manuma 0-1-0-0. Kahuku: Adolpho 5-5-0-101, Mariteragi 2-4-0-5.
RECEIVING — Campbell: Ceruti 7-77, Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala 7-42, Lactaoen 5-43, Ti. Mokiao-Atimalala 4-54, Manuma 4-33, Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa 2-25. Kahuku: Peter John Mataira 1-34, Matagi 1-22, Tomasi Pasi 1-18, Cyrus Abraham 1-17, Kaonohi Kaniho 1-10, Cole Pruett 1-4, Micah Carvalho 1-1.
