We knew when ‘Iolani jumped to Division I that there would be a new ILH Division II champion crowned for the first time since 2003.
We didn’t know it might happen this quick.
Damien, which is off to its first 5-0 start in school history, needs a win in either of its next two games to clinch the league title and automatic berth to the state tournament. The Monarchs won the first meeting against the Saints, 21-6, but St. Francis is coming off its first ILH win ever, beating Pac-Five, 12-9. Can the Saints make it two wins in a row or will an ILH Division II champion be crowned tonight at Aloha Stadium?
Live updates to follow. We will also blog the Division I game here tonight between No. 2 Saint Louis and ‘Iolani.
Monarchs get the ball first but a backward pass on the first play is dropped. Receiver thinks play is dead but St. Francis picks it up and returns it to the 30. Saints ball. Seven straight runs by St. Francis capped off by Tyson Shimabukuro‘s 4-yard TD run. Chenoa Johnston boots the extra point. 7-0 Saints, 8:21, Q1.
Kickoff hits the turf and takes a weird bounce. Damien just recovers on its 19 but RB/LB Justice White is banged up on the play. LB Destin Pakele opens with a 6-yard tackle for loss on the first play. Third-and-13 and QB Bransen Apao hits a big 23-yard pass down the field to Akila Arrechi, who his hit, fumbles, but recovers it on his own. Monarchs gets a big 34-yard run on an option keeper by Apao down to the 12 but he’s banged up as he takes a shot to go out of bounds on the Damien sideline. Marcus Faufata-Pedrina in at QB. Faufata-Pedrina converts a fourth-and-1 on the 3 with a QB sneak for 2 yards to the 1 but he’s stuffed on back-to-back QB sneaks from the 1. Monarchs hand it off on third down and Pakele gets his second tackle for loss to put it at the 2. Fourth-and-goal and Damien calls timeout. Damien has gotten 1 yard on its last five rushing attempts. Monarchs will go for it. The pitch it wide to Kawaakoa and Pakele makes the stop again. Unreal. Saints take over.
Shimabukuro rushes for 5 on third-and-4. First down. Saints are able to run the ball as Pono Luis-Mateo breaks a tackle to get outside for 20 yards. A holding call stalls the drive. Saints call a pass play for the first time but Mailei scrambles instead. Another run and punt. Still no pass attempts for the Saints. Damien takes over on its 12.
Apao is back in at QB. A costly offsides call on the Saints on third-and-6 makes it third-and-1 and Apao runs for 2 yards and a first. Damien calls a pass on the next play and Apao is absolutely walloped on a blitz. He gets the ball off and it’s way short but he got nailed on that play. He gets up for a few steps but goes down to the ground. Apao back in two plays later and his third-down pass is thrown high and picked off by Micah Kalei, who returns it 46 yards for a touchdown. 14-0 Saints, 4:25, Q2.
Monarchs back out there and Apao’s pass on the second play is bobbled twice by the receiver and then bobbled again in the air and Samson Kaleikau picks it off. Another pick gives St. Francis the ball again.
Saints drive it down and complete their first pass as Mailei throws backwards to Scott McLeod and then catches the throwback for 5 yards. Roland Merrill tries a 30-yard field goal at the end of the quarter and it’s short and to the right but St. Francis leads 14-0.
HALFTIME BOX SCORE
at Aloha Stadium
Damien (5-0, 2-0) 0 0
St. Francis (3-4, 1-2) 7 7
StF—Tyson Shimabukuro 4 run (Chenoa Johnston kick)
StF—Micah Kalei 46 interception return (Johnston kick)
RUSHING—Damien: Bransen Apao 3-39, Kepono Kawaakoa 8-11, Marcus Faufata-Pedrina 5-7. St. Francis: Pono Luis-Mateo 4-32, Tyson Shimabukuro 9-39, Wembley Mailei 8-18, Pensimani Haunga 3-17, Samson Kaleikau 1-14, Kyle Savellano 1-1.
PASSING—Damien: Apao 4-8-2-48. St. Francis: Scott McLeod 1-1-0-5, Mailei 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING—Damien: Faufata-Pedrina 3-25, Akila Arrechi 1-23. St. Francis: Mailei 1-5.
Second half will kick around 6:22 p.m.
Saints get the ball first to start the second half.
Mailei fumbles the first snap but recovers it and then hands off to Shimabukuro for runs of 9 and 12. St. Francis gets over the 50 but a personal foul calls after a short run kills the drive and the Saints punt. Drive took 4 minutes off the clock.
Damien starts on its 28. Justice White back in the game after taking that early shot on the kickoff. He runs for 7 yards on first play. Monarchs then go to the air and Apao finds Shaun Apiki for 10 and then Kawaakoa for a big 31-yard gainer down the seam. A sack on third down forces fourth-and-16 on the 35 and Damien punts, no, it’s a fake. Cody Labanon completes a pass to Shawn Borges and Borges breaks not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE tackles and gets in the end zone. 35-yard touchdown pass. Damien tries to run in the 2-pointer and it’s no good. That could be huge. StF 14-6, 5:02, Q3.
DB Kaimana Cameron with the stop for Damien on third down and the Saints go three-and-out. Monarchs have the momentum now.
Saints give up a first down on a personal foul but then force a punt. Run D is tough.
St. Francis faces second-and-13 from its 36 to start the fourth quarter.
Saints three-and-out as illegal formation hurts that drive. St. Francis looks like it can get 10 yards and a first down in three plays every time but one penalty makes it tough. Shimabukuro up to 90 yards rushing.
Damien ball first-and-10 on the Monarchs 18. 10:31 to go. Apiki gets behind the defense and has a deep ball go just off his fingertips. That had 82-yard TD written all over it. Third down and Apao hits Austin Ballesteros for a 30-yard gain. Ball comes out at the end after he hits the ground and it’s ruled a catch. Kawaakoa with three straight impressive runs for 28 total yards and Damien has it on the Saints 18. Monarchs then try two fades to the end zone but both are incomplete and it’s third down. Apao is absolutely drilled from behind on a sack and Kawika Cameron recovers on the 21 for the Saints.
Third-and-2 and Justice White gets a huge jump on the ball and stuffs Mailei for only a 1-yard gain. Mailei was hit at the 19 and almost spun forwards for the first but is just short. Fourth-and-1 at the Saints 30 and Saint Francis will go for it. There’s movement. Thought Damien might have jumped first but they call false start and St. Francis punts with 6:39 left.
Monarchs get the ball on their 25. 6:22 to go down 8. Quick three-and-out and Damien elects to punt it back with 4:57 remaining. Saints defense is tough. Damien has 70 rushing yards on 25 attempts.
BAD SNAP. St. Francis takes over on the Damien 8. Huge breakdown in special teams.
Wembley Mailei 8-yard TD run on QB keeper. Johnston the extra point. 21-6, 4:45, Q4.
A face-mask penalty moves the ball into Saints territory. Labanon in at QB now to throw it up deep. Two incomplete passes. Labanon scrambles on fourth-and-10 but only gets 8 as Kenneth Buenviaje makes the game-winning tackle. Saints ball.
St. Francis keeps its playoff hopes alive with a 21-6 win. Monarchs need to beat Pac-Five next week to win ILH Division II title or there will be a three-way tie and a whacky tiebreaker.
at Aloha Stadium
Damien (5-1, 2-1) 0 0 6 0 – 6
St. Francis (4-4, 2-2) 7 7 0 7 — 21
StF—Tyson Shimabukuro 4 run (Chenoa Johnston kick)
StF—Micah Kalei 46 interception return (Johnston kick)
DMS—Shawn Borges 35 pass from Cody Labanon (run failed)
StF—Wembley Mailei 8 run (Johnston kick)
RUSHING—Damien: Kepono Kawaakoa 11-39, Bransen Apao 7-24, Marcus Faufata-Pedrina 7-4, team 1-(minus 15). St. Francis: Tyson Shimabukuro 20-109, Pensimani Haunga 7-35, Mailei 14-34, Pono Luis-Mateo 4-32, Samson Kaleikau 1-14, Labanon 1-8, Kyle Savellano 3-7, Destin Pakele 1-4, Justice White 3-2, team 2-(minus 4)
PASSING—Damien: Apao 8-19-2-125, Labanon 1-4-0-35. St. Francis: Scott McLeod 1-1-0-5, Mailei 0-1-0-0, Luis-Mateo 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING—Damien: Faufata-Pedrina 4-31, Borges 1-35, Kawaakoa 1-31, Austin Ballesteros 1-30, Akila Arrechi 1-23, Shaun Apiki 1-10. St. Francis: Mailei 1-5.
Congrats to the Saints, Great Job!!!