KEAAU – By late in the fourth quarter, the rallying cry for Hilo High’s fans at Keaau High was palpable: Hold on to the ball.
The Vikings did, and they still have a chance to hold on to their Division I state championship.
Guyson Ogata and Fiki Aguiar each scored two touchdowns Friday night, and Hilo overcame a disastrous four-turnover third quarter to deny Maui in the HHSAA Division I football semifinals for the second consecutive season, winning 35-24.
The rallying cry for the Vikings after singing their school alma mater: Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.
“I told them I was proud of the them,” Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo said. “It’s been a long journey. It’s been a very long journey. It’s been fun and it’s been stressful, but it’s been fun. The kids have progressed, and that’s all you can ask for.:
The journey will continue at Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium on Nov. 24, when Hilo (9-1) can repeat as state champion when it takes on Waipahu, which edged Iolani in the other semifinal.
“I’m looking forward in going back-to-back this year,” Ogata said.
For much of the semifinal, Hilo couldn’t stop turning the the ball over while the Sabers (5-6) couldn’t stop drawing flags.
In the end, Hilo survived six turnovers as Kyan Miyasato and Kaleo Ramos were both studies in perseverance after giving the ball away. Miyasato overcame two early interceptions to throw three touchdowns passes, and Ramos ran hard for 139 yards.
“We just had to pick each other up,” Aguiar said. “We had a lot of ups and downs.”
Maui was flagged 14 times. One took back a touchdown, and four led to Hilo first downs. One of those, a roughing the-passer penalty, wiped out a Hilo field goal and led to a Aguiar’s fourth-down scoring run to restore the Vikings’ two-score lead in the fourth quarter.
The Sabers scored 17 points off Hilo turnovers, including Mone Tongi’s 57-yard fumble return for score after it appeared the Vikings were poised to pull away. Later in the third quarter, a muffed punt catch led to Tonti’s second score and Maui suddenly cut its deficit to 28-24.
But Hilo’s defense was up to the task, holding Maui to just 183 yards of offense and forcing four turnovers of its own, three in the fourth quarter. Klyson Kaiwi and Elijah Apao had interceptions in the fourth.
“With this group we worked super hard,” senior Kahiau Walker said. “We kind of earned it.”
The Sabers’ Naia Nakamoto, who came into the game after running for a Maui Interscholastic League-record 1,353 yards and 16 touchdowns in nine league games, was held in check, gaining 24 yards on 12 carries. The junior did score on a 70-yard screen pass from Brez Delray.
“Everybody held strong,” Drummondo said of his rush defense.
Hilo led 21-10 at the half and it scored on its opening possession of the second half when Miyasato found Aguiar from 1 yard out.
Miyasato was 19 of 31 for 227 yards and two interceptions as the Vikings gained 405 yards of offense.
“At this point in the season, whatever (Maui’s) record is, they are a league champ,” Drummondo said. “We’re going to have positives, they’re going to have positives. We need to move on and be mentally tough and move on from adversity.”
Ogata had a chance at a third touchdown, but his punt return was called back, and Maui stormed back behind Tongi’s two scores.
Ogata also had a score wiped out by a flag in the first half when Hilo’s first penalty wiped out a 59-yard scoring strike.
But facing fourth-and-5, Maui’s eighth penalty, an offsides, gave Hilo a first down, and the Vikings converted on the drive when Ogata beat tight coverage and hauled in a deflected ball for a 45-yard touchdown.
Hilo’s best drive of the first half was a 12-play, 85-yard march in which Ramos started gaining steam, ripping off gains of 14 and 16, leading to Ogata’s 2-yard run.
Kalen White recovered a Nakamoto fumble on the first drive of the game, setting up Hilo at Maui’s 39. Legend Figueroa hauled in a 20-yard catch to the 1, and on the next Akui hauled in a swing pass for a 7-0 lead.
Plenty of Hilo turnovers followed, but in the end the rallying cry of “Hold on to the ball” turned into “Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.”
Maui 3 7 14 0 – 24
Hilo 7 14 7 7 – 35
First quarter
Hilo: Kalae Akui 1 pass from Kyan Miyasato (Josh Rosario kick)
Maui: FG Brex Delray 32,
Second quarter
Hilo: Guyson Ogata 2 run (Rosario kick)
Maui: Naia Nakamoto 70 pass from Delray (Delray kick)
Hilo: Ogata 45 pass from Miyasato (Rosario kick)
Third quarter
Hilo: Fiki Agiuar 1 pass from Miyasato (Rosario kick)
Maui: Mone Tongi 57 fumble return (Delray kick)
Maui: Tongi 17 run (Delray kick)
Fourth quarter
Hilo: Aguiar 1 run (Rosario kick)