For one half, Campbell got all it could handle from Waipahu.
In the end, 35 unanswered points in the second half turned a thriller into a blowout as the visiting Sabers routed the Marauders 62-34 on Friday night. Campbell has won nine in a row against its old-school rival, and will keep the Cane Knife trophy secure after winning a game that was tied 21-21 at halftime.
“We made some adjustments. Moved guys around, from inside to outside. Our coaches made some adjustments that needed to be made, and we did a good job with it. It worked for us,” Campbell coach Darren Johnson said. “Waipahu has a lot of talent. I’m glad we got this win and now we’ve got to get out of here. The whole team stepped up. All the coaches stepped up.”
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, now a junior, was surgical from start to finish. The southpaw passed for 431 yards on 27-for-39 passing with five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
“We started off slow, but at the end we were able to pick it up. Just trusting the hard work we put in during the offseason. It paid off, so I’m happy we balled out,” Sagapolutele said. “We had a fantastic running game today. I thank God and I thank my O-line.”
The Sabers rushed for 276 yards on 31 carries, piling up four TDs.
A wild first quarter entertained a full house: four touchdowns and a 14-13 lead for the visiting Sabers. There were also a combined nine penalties for 127 yards to prolong the quarter, transforming the land of the black flag to the yellow flag. Campbell was whistled for six infractions and 93 yards in the first 12 minutes.
Sagapolutele was on point early, connecting with Zayden Alviar-Costa on a 37-yard pass to the 1-yard line. Lining up at quarterback, Tana Togafau-Tavui burst in on the next snap for a 1-yard TD.
The Marauders drove 59 yards in seven plays on their opening drive. Quarterback Ben Strobel found receiver Jayden Chanel for a 20-yard TD pass to tie it at 7 with 7:44 left in the opening quarter.
Tai Aipia-Barrett returned the ensuing kickoff 52 yards to the Waipahu 28-yard line, but two plays later, the Marauders defense came up with a fumble recovery after a high snap to Sagapolutele.
Waipahu took a 13-7 lead on a 27-yard TD pass from Strobel to Aipia-Barrett.
Despite a penalty on a long kick return and another to start its next series, Campbell marched quickly to pay dirt. An eight-play, 88-yard drive was capped by Sagapolutele’s 20-yard TD strike to Togafau-Tavui on a post route, giving Campbell a 14-13 lead as the first quarter expired.
A 2-yard run by running back Anieli Teleaai plus a 2-point conversion pass from Strobel to Chanel pushed Waipahu ahead 21-14 with 8:48 remaining in the first half.
Campbell tied the game on a 6-yard toss from Sagapolutele to Tainoa Lave with 5:34 left in the first half.
The Marauders drove 70 yards in seven plays, scoring on a 34-yard sideline pass from Strobel to Aipia-Barrett. The PAT kick was wide, but the home team led 27-21.
James Steffany-Flame then broke off a 54-yard TD run, juking a defender off his feet downfield, to give Campbell a 28-27 lead.
The Sabers extended that lead to 34-27 on a 7-yard TD pass from Sagapolutele to running back Falaniko Scanlan with 4:04 to go in the third stanza.
The pivotal play followed moments later when Strobel lost the football on a scramble up the middle. Campbell returned the pigskin to the Waipahu 31-yard line, and running back Caleb Dela Pena-Pihana exploded up the middle for an 8-yard TD run. Sagapolutele’s 2-point run opened the lead to 42-27 with 2:14 remaining in the third. And the runaway was underway.
Campbell’s screen game proved highly effective. Sagapolutele connected with Lave, who sprinted down the left sideline and followed his blockers for a 60-yard TD. Campbell led 49-27 with 30 seconds to go in the third quarter.
After Rowen-Ray Bucao scored on a 23-yard screen pass, it was a 56-27 lead — a run of 35 unanswered points.
Waipahu’s luck got no better on the next possession. Strobel suffered a leg injury after throwing an interception inside the Campbell 20-yard line. He was helped off the field.
—
Campbell 62, Waipahu 34
At Waipahu
Campbell (1-0, 1-0) 14 7 28 13 — 62
Waipahu (0-1, 0-1) 13 8 6 7 — 34
Camp—Tana Togafau-Tavui 1 run (Cristian Wyckstandt kick)
Wain—Jayden Chanel 20 pass from Bennett Strobel (Evan Baptista kick)
Wain—Tai Aipia-Barrett 27 pass from Strobel (run failed)
Camp—Togafau-Tavui 20 pass from Sagapolutele (Wyckstandt kick)
Wain—Anieli Teleaai 2 run (Chanel pass from Strobel)
Camp—Tainoa Lave 6 pass from Sagapolutele (Wyckstandt kick)
Wain—Aipia-Barrett 34 pass from Strobel (kick failed)
Camp—James Steffany-Flame 54 run (Wyckstandt kick)
Camp—Falaniko Scanlan 7 pass from Sagapolutele (run failed)
Camp—Caleb Dela Pena-Pihana 8 run (Sagapolutele run)
Camp—Lave 60 pass from Sagapolutele (Wyckstandt kick)
Camp—Rowen-Ray Bucao 23 pass from Sagapolutele (Wyckstandt kick)
Wain—Tysten Faleiva 16 interception return (Baptista kick)
Camp—Kona Yuen 45 run (kick failed)
RUSHING—Campbell: James Steffany-Flame 9-138, Xyler Jarra 6-51, Falaniko Scanlan 3-34, Caleb Dela Pena-Pihana 6-29, Donny Faavi Jr. 2-18, Sagapolutele 2-14, Togafau-Tavui 1-1. Waipahu: Teleaai 4-17, Strobel 4-9, Shaydan Pacheco 1-1, Zaeden Reyes 5-(minus 2), Team 1-(minus 10), Elijah Mendoza 2-(minus 18).
PASSING—Campbell: Sagapolutele 27-39-0-431, Faavi 2-4-1-42. Waipahu: Strobel 24-43-2-360, Mendoza 1-4-0-7.
RECEIVING—Campbell: Togafau-Tavui 7-99, Bucao 5-61, Alviar-Costa 4-92, Lave 3-76, Steffany-Flame 3-42, Scanlan 3-31, Brystin Samsano 2-40, Tyson Ball 1-16, Rusten Abang 1-16. Waipahu: Eric Stephens 8-146, Chazen Rodillas-Vesido 5-70, Jayden Chanel 5-41, Aipia-Barrett 4-85, Reyes 2-13, Teleaai 1-12.
Junior Varsity—Campbell 34, Waipahu 7
