GAME NIGHT 8/4: St. Francis/Radford

St. Francis 28, Radford 21, FINAL

Jonan Aina-Chaves with a school-record 263 yards rushing. I’ll double check the math soon, but that should stand.

Time’s up. St. Francis picks up where it left off after last season’s 8-4 run to the ILH championship game. Radford showed promise; the Rams will get some wins this year.

Radford with some costly penalties in the waning moments here. They’ve been unable to get the stop they need. Time dwindling …

Rams might have one last drive here with 4:01 left from their 40 … nope, they go three and out. They need to stuff the Aina-Chaveses, pronto.

Radford’s rushing quarterback Matai Suitonu got knocked out of the game with about six minutes left. Looks like he hurt a leg.

Scary moment for a second as Aina-Chaves kind of just collapsed on his own after a kickoff return with 9:28 left. But got up on his own and walked off. Saints have leaned on him heavily tonight.

Back to the actual game being in the balance … Jonah Aina-Chaves completes a timely fourth-and-9 pass to Shepherd Kekahuna on a stop-and-go route. Kekahuna eludes his defender and scores from 19 yards. 2PT attempt is no good, so Saints lead by a standard TD with 10 minutes and change left for Radford to do something.

There it is! A clutch 12-yard gain by Aina-Chaves on 3rd and 10, and he has a new school record, 254 yards rushing and counting, nearly a full quarter to go.

Jonan Aina-Chaves is at 242 yards, six off his own school record, entering the fourth.

Record watch intensifies! Jonan Aina-Chaves busts a 34-yard run, putting him at 230 for the game. Kain Lyman obliges from 2 yards for the score and Aina-Chaves is good on the 2-point conversion to put the Saints back up with 7:31 left in the third.

A third pick by Copp early in the third, but St. Francis returns the favor with a lost fumble. Malik Rhines goes scoop-and-score and returns it 75 yards to put Radford up for the first time tonight.

Jonan Aina-Chaves with 175 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns at the break for St. Francis. He owns the school single-game record of 248 against ‘Iolani last year.

Radford’s Suitonu makes an impressive diving interception of Jonah Aina-Chaves to help keep things tied going into the break.

The Rams respond again! Some quarterback switcheroo helps them advance the ball, with the pass-minded Hunter Copp giving way to wildcat-style Matai Suitonu. Then Copp comes back in and finds lean Carson Dean across the middle, and he escapes a tackle to go in from 45 yards, sprinting about the last 30. XP good, tie game just before halftime.

The teams trade turnovers, a lost fumble by St. Francis followed by an immediate interception thrown by Radford. Jonan Aina-Chaves then busts a 64-yard run up the gut to the Rams’ 10. But this time it’s the Rams’ D that holds, as Jonan Aina-Chaves gets stuffed twice and Jonah Aina-Chaves goes incomplete on third and fourth down from the 6.

Radford needs only 1 minute and 15 seconds to respond with an 82-yard drive. Copp finishes it off with an impressive fade route toss to Emmanual Stevenson, 19 yards and the score. XP is good, Rams back within a touchdown.

Jonah Aina-Chaves slings it 52 yards to Shepherd Kekahuna, setting up Jonan Aina-Chaves’ 2-yard TD score, his second of the game. 2-point run attempt fails, 14-0 Saints.

Thanks to that huge Aina-Chaves run, Saints have an 8-0 lead after one. Aina-Chaves is already at 102 yards.

Radford turns it over on downs again in Saints territory, this time at the 10. Tough break there, Copp couldn’t connect with a receiver while on the run.

Saints are stuffed again, and this time Copp moves the ball upfield. But the drive stalls and they turn it over on downs at the Saints’ 28. Next play, Jonan Aina-Chaves takes it 72 yards up the middle for the score. Two-point conversion run is good for St. Francis.

Big return to open the game by Jonan Aina-Chaves, but the Saints go three and out. Hunter Copp heaves it for Radford, but into the arms of Shepherd Kekahuna.

7:20 p.m.: Host Radford kicks off the 2018 season to St. Francis.

Pregame note: Because incumbent St. Francis quarterback Bubba Akana just returned from a baseball trip, first quarterbacking duties tonight will go to Jonah Aina-Chaves, per coach Kip Akana. Radford has a new quarterback to replace the graduated Randy Wright. It’s senior Hunter Copp, according to coach Lon Passos.

JV final: Kaiser 39, Radford 26. This game ended at about 6:45, meaning the varsity game will not go until about 7:20.