Tafuna outlasts Waipahu in high scoring season opener

Brian Bautista | SL

Tafuna got a three total touchdown performance from Junior Afoa and held on for a 41-35 victory over Waipahu on the opening week of the Hawaii football season.

Afoa took the game's opening kickoff 90 yards back for a score, found Terariki Foa for a TD toss late in the first quater and capped off his scoring day with a rushing TD in the final second until halftime. He also added a two-point conversion for good measure.

The Marauders, second in scoring via the pass a season ago with 43 TDs, put up almost all of its points against the Warriors via the ground game, as Kealii Sione found the end zone three times via rush and Tristan Pacheco added another.

Waipahu tied the score at 27-all with 7:58 left in the third on Sione's second TD run of the evening, but Tafuna jumped back into the lead on a Foa TD run and extended the lead to 41-27 when Paulo Akeripa crossed the goal line for another rushing score.

Sione's third TD run at the 8:23 mark got the home team to within six points, but that was as close as the rally would get.

The Warriors who have won the last four American Samoa High School Athletic Association championships, will continue its non-league slate with a game against Farrington on Aug. 17.

Waipahu, the defending HHSAA Division I state champs now competing in the Open Division this season, look to bounce back in an afternoon contest at Kailua also a week from today.