KEAAU – Who said reading is dead?
Shaden Abejon sure didn’t gloss over an unflattering online preseason prognostication of Keaau High’s football team. He scrutinized it, retained it and took it to heart.
As his teammates, including 18 fellow seniors, mingled with family and friends on the Cougars’ track Friday night, Abejon, wrapped in lei, was proud to proclaim the book on Keaau’s season had taken on more gratifying theme, the latest chapter coming in its final home game.
“In the beginning of the year, I was looking on Scoringlive and they predicted us to go 1-9,” Abejon said. “Just to have three wins to prove them wrong feels good.
“A lot of people doubted us, but games like this just prove that we have heart, and we’re not done yet.”
The Cougars were almost done against resurgent Waiakea, but when it came time to make a play late in the fourth quarter, they made two.
Senior Westin Joseph hauled in a 30-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass from Bryant Respicio-Mercado with 1:53 remaining one play after Abejon made a crucial fourth-down catch, and the Cougars escaped with a 30-23 BIIF Division I victory.
“Just happiness,” said Joseph, who has made more of an impact on defense in his career. “It happened so fast. That was my first touchdown, that’s a big one for me.
“We didn’t quit, we play all the way to the end.”
Beaten badly and bullied all year long to the tune of getting outscored 420-28 entering the night, the Warriors (0-9) took their first lead of the season on a trick play on the opening play from scrimmage. They fell behind by eight, then retook the lead 23-22 on Kaikeao Kane Kalua’s 25-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Taking over at its 30 after blocking another field-goal attempt, Keaau (3-6) converted two fourth downs on its game-winning drive, the first thanks to a defensive holding penalty that puzzled Warriors coach Neil Azevedo, who was nonetheless proud of his team’s effort.
“Hell of job,” he said. “It told them it was my fault on some of the calls that I made. They did awesome, they kept fighting.”
Keaau can secure the program’s first four-win season since 2008 with a win Thursday at Honokaa in its final game.Co-coach Ian Van Cleave has loftier goals for the future, but he admitted a fourth win would be a good benchmark for this team to reach.
“I’ve seen (the seniors) since they were freshmen, so it’s kind of special,” co-coach Ian Van Cleave said. “There are a lot of kids that I really, really like. I’m glad we have some great people in this senior class.”
Keaau won the first meeting between the two teams 52-14 on Aug. 31, but this one took on a different tone right out of the gate. On the first play from scrimmage, Waiakea’s Justin Nakamoto-Baltazar took a handoff to the right side and fired a touchdown pass to a wide-open Kamaha’o Ka’ilipaka for a 73-yard play.
There were six lead changes, two courtesy of special teams. Waiakea’s Samson Thomas blocked a punt and scooped it up to score in the second quarter, but on the ensuing kickoff Keaau’s Taj Iliwaalani-Salva ran onto a ball near the sideline and took it back for a touchdown.
“I never expected them to come out that aggressive and good,” Abejon said. “They definitely improved from the last game and they definitely had more players. “
Azevedo credited baseball players such as Kalai Rosario and the “two Cody’s” – Min and Kunimitsu – with coming out for the team after the 104-0 debacle against Hilo to instill a fresh attitude and keep team upbeat.
Most of all he lauded Thomas, who was credited with seven tackles, a fumble recovery that set up the field goal and 73 return yards, with keeping Waiakea afloat.
“A man amongst boys,” Azevedo said.
Abejon’s touchdown catch on the final play of the first half stretched Keaau’s lead to 22-14.
The Cougars held Waiakea to 132 yards of offense – minus-three on the ground – and picked off three passes (Elijah Aiwohi, Masen Silva and Joseph). The first two led to scores, including D’Shane Bannister’s touchdown run in he first quarter, and Joseph’s pick ended Waiakea’s last-ditch effort to regain the lead.
Respicio-Mercado, a senior, was 8 of 23 with two scores and an interception, and Duncan Castro gained 66 yards on 15 carries, tacking on a two-point conversion on the final TD.
Waiakea’s best drive came late in the third quarter, a nine-play, 52-yard march in which Vance Kamau found Carson Kawaguchi for a 19-yard gain and then capped with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Afterward, it was easy for Abejon to get a read on the theme of the night.
“We didn’t take them lightly and they definitely got better,” he said, “but we have a lot of toughness. This 2020 class has a lot of toughness and heart.
“No matter the size, we have a lot of kids that like to go out there and be aggressive and play to the final whistle.”
Waiakea 7 7 6 3 – 23
Keaau 6 16 0 8 –30
First quarter
Waiakea – Kamaha’o Ka’ilipaka 73 pass from Justin Nakamoto-Baltazar (Kaikeao Kane Kalua kick)
Keaau – D’Shane Bannister 9 run (kick failed)
Second quarter
Keaau – FG Ikaia Immel 25
Waiakea – Samson Thomas 10 blocked punt return (Kane Kalua kick)
Keaau – Taj Iliwaalani-Salva 73 kickoff return (Immel kick)
Keaau – Shaden Abejon 6 pass from Bryant Respicio-Mercado (kick blocked)
Third quarter
Waiakea – Vance Kamau 1 run (run failed)
Fourth quarter
Waiakea – FG Kane Kalua 25
Keaau – Westin Joseph 30 pass from Respicio-Mercado (Duncan Castro run)