KEAAU – It’s a dilemma that Keaau High football co-coach Ian Van Cleave is starting to come to terms with.
Senior Bryant Respicio-Mercado is a physical specimen who’s been bred to play quarterback, and the Cougars obviously want to use his size and athleticism at the most important position on the field.
But might his future be on defense?
That question can wait for another day. Keaau was able to have it both ways Friday night.
Respicio-Mercado answered Honokaa’s score by running for a touchdown in overtime, and freshman Ikaia Immel’s extra point lifted the Cougars to a 13-12 victory in a rare BIIF Division I game to be closely contested.
Also scarce in the league is a quarterback who also plays defense.
“That’s been a huge learning thing for me, and me and (Respicio-Mercado) just having honest conversations,” Van Cleave said. “He wants to play in college, and I don’t want to jeopardize that. As we look back on things, we try to figure out, did we do him a disservice by keeping him at quarterback his entire career, because he’s an outstanding defensive player.”
Respicio-Mercado collected two sacks as Keaau (2-3) held the Dragons (1-4), losers of four in a row, to 162 yards of offense, with 110 coming on two long runs by Justin Pascua.
At halftime, Respicio-Mercado was honored as the school’s homecoming king.
“Now, at the next level, does (Respicio-Mercado) match as playing QB or on defense?” Van Cleave said.
Honokaa quarterback Kaialii Nakamoto capped the first possession of overtime with a short touchdown run, but he was stuffed by Respicio-Mercado on the two-point try.
With the ball spotted at the 20, Keaau hadn’t scored on its last 10 possessions, but it used five runs up the middle to tie the game. Duncan Castro picked up nine yards on three carries before Respicio-Mercado kept on a four-and-1.
“Just my teammates’ intensity,” Castro said. “The energy they give off kind of flowed through me.”
Van Cleave said he had no apprehension sending out Immel for the game-winner. Earlier, Immel slipped on a go-ahead 33-yard field attempt on Cougars’ penultimate possession of regulation.
“I was kind of nervous,” said Immel, who had extra time to think after the Dragons called time out to try and ice him.
“I was just talking to myself,” he said. “I do what I got to do.”
The game was far from an offensive masterpiece – the teams nearly combined for as many penalties as first downs – but the contest will go into the books as far and away the most competitive game of the first half of the Division I season. There hadn’t been a game decided by fewer than three scores before this one.
“I’ve been telling everybody who asked me, outside of (our team), of course, that on paper, we’re even,” Van Cleave said. “Actually, if anything, on paper, they’re above us.”
“Definitely was supposed to be a close on, and it was.”
Pascua’s 61-yard run midway through the second quarter was Honokaa’s first score in four games. The sophomore finished with 115 yards on six carries, Diesel Martinez ran for 41 yards and Nakamoto was 3 of 8 for 18 yards and was picked off twice by Shaden Abejon
With the game tied 6-6 early in the third quarter, Pascua ripped off a 49-yard run to get the ball to Keaau’s 15, but the drive was thwarted by Abejon’s interception.
Respicio-Mercado was picked off twice on Keaau’s side of the field on consecutive possessions in the third quarter, but its defense held. Respicio-Mercado finished 7 of 24 for 122 yards, including a touchdown pass to James Asuncion in the first quarter.
Castro ran hard for the second consecutive week, gaining 59 yards on the ground and catching a pass for 22 more.
“It felt different,” Castro said, “I couldn’t feel their hits. When they hit me, I get back up because I can’t feel anything.
“That’s how it has to stay.”
Honokaa 0 6 0 0 6–12
Keaau 6 0 0 0 7–13
First quarter
Keaau – James Asuncion 25 pass from Bryant Respicio-Mercado (kick failed_
Second quarter
Honokaa – Justin Pascua 61 run (rush failed)
Overtime
Honokaa – Kaialii Nakamoto 1 run (rush failed)
Keaau – Respicio-Mercado 6 run (Ikaia Immel)