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This time, Kaiser’s rally didn’t fall short.
One week after a loss in which they came up shy of the end zone by 7 yards, the Cougars fell behind in the first half, but put the jets on after the break to overcome Kaimuki 42-32 at home Saturday night.
It was an important win for Kaiser. Instead of falling into the murky bottom-end of OIA Division II, the Cougars (4-2, 3-2) moved into a third-place tie with those very Bulldogs (3-3, 3-2). Only four teams make the playoffs, so if the regular season ended right now, the Cougars would be in.
Of course, there are no guarantees because Waialua (3-4, 2-3) and Kalani (2-4, 2-3) are only one game behind Kaiser and Kaimuki and are fighting like made to make the postseasosn.
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Trailing 26-21 at the half, the Cougars began to roar — and loudly.
Easton Yoshino, the quick-release guy who is as calm in the pocket as he is strolling down the street, was the main cog in the resurgence. The senior quarterback capped Kaiser’s first second half drive with a 17-yard touchdown strike to Keagan Lime to put the Cougars in the lead for good, 28-21.
“Easton Yoshino puts us in the positions we need to be and we’re just grateful to get this win,” said receiver Makana Neleieha, who finished with 193 yards on eight catches, including three of six Yoshino TD passes.
As you will see, there was a lot more to come a bit later from both Naleieha and Lime.
It wasn’t long before Kaimuki came back to knock on the door, threatening to regain the lead. However, the Kaiser defense came up with a huge goal-line stand, stuffing the Bulldogs at the 1 with 4:07 left in the third quarter.
Starting at the 1 (check that, starting at the half-yard line after a penalty) and standing in his own end zone, Yoshino leisurely sent a pass to Naleieha in stride on a left-to-right slant route. Instantly, it was apparent only one safety was between him and the end zone.
“I caught the ball, saw the safety, made a move and I just ran for it (to the end zone),” said the senior.
A missed two-point pass failed, leaving the Kaiser lead at 34-26.
Everybody in the house knew the Bulldogs wouldn’t cave, and sure enough, they trimmed the lead to 34-32 with a long march that Ofa Vehikite capped with a 2-yard TD run early in the fourth.
At this point, Kaiser coach Tim Seaman made a smart move. Kaimuki was called for a personal foul on the play, and the 15 yards were going to be marked off on the kickoff. Instead, Seaman told the officials he wanted the 15 yards immediately. Instead of having the ball at the 3, Kaimuki’s 2-point pass in an effort to tie it up came from the 18 and ultimately failed.
And this is where Lime, who had an outstanding two-way night, comes in big time.
First, he cradled a 1-yard Yoshino TD pass for the game’s final touchdown and a 41-32 lead with 7:58 remaining. Then, he intercepted a pass by Kaimuki’s Iosefa Letuli with 5:02 to go on the Bulldogs’ second-to-last possession.
Later, from his cornerback spot, Lime stopped Vehikite on a crucial third-down play with 1:58 left. Just 0ne play later, Letuli’s illegal forward pass on fourth down pretty much sealed the win.
“I think that we played much better as a team this week,” Lime said. “We’re getting better and better as the weeks go by and bonding stronger and stronger every week, so I think that for sure we’re going to be able to go far.”
Aside from his six TD passes, Yoshino went 20-for-29 for 331 yards.
For the Bulldogs, it was a hard loss.
“It was a good game, but pretty rough for us in the second half,” said Kaimuki wide receiver Dante Peltier, who caught three passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. “We’re disappointed, but we’re going to come back.”
A 6-foot-5, 235-pound QB, Letuli threw for 265 yards and ran for 108, and Vehikite, who has four 200-yard-plus rushing games this season, piled up 109 yards on the ground.
“We knew we had to play harder than we did in the first, but we were cut short because of all the penalties against us,” Letuli said. “We just gotta leave it all on the field and move on to the next one.”
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