Radford gets past Kaiser to notch second league win

Rayden Aoki | SL

Radford remained in the hunt for a league playoff berth, holding on to take down Kaiser on Homecoming Night, 28-21.

Afi Togafau threw for two scores and ran for two more to lead the way for the Rams, who got all they could ask for from a scrappy Kaiser squad that led after the first quarter.

The Cougars got on the board on a 24 yard pass play from wide receiver turned quarterback Caleb Hamasaki, who found Ian Leong for the game's opening score. That play capped a six play drive for the home team and marked the first lead held over a league opponent this season.

A response from the Rams came just three plays later via a trick play executed to perfection, as Togafau found a wide open Zyon-Blaze Telles-Kuwahara on a flea flicker that went 53 yards to tie the contest right back up.

"We try to keep teams off guard by running a trick play (to open up games) and it worked out just as we thought," said Togafau.

Aiden Leong scampered in off left end from four yards out with 49 seconds left in the opening quarter to put Kaiser back on top, but the Rams had the response once again in the opneing minutes of the second, as Togafau connected with Luke Barner for a 24 yard pitch and catch, and that 14-all score would remain at the intermission.

The duo of Telles-Kuwahara and Barner accounted for 235 of the teams 264 yards through the air. Each caught seven passes. Barner's size and sure handedness came in clutch on a number of third and fourth down conversions that sustained drives for Radford.

"He's one of my main targets and it's easier because he's actually really huge," said Togafau of Barner.

The score remained tied through literally the balance of the third quarter, when the Rams took the lead for good on a one yard keeper by Togafau as the period hit zeros. Radford added an insurance score with 1:11 to go, capping a sustained drive of running plays with a three yard plunge by Togafau that made it 28-14.

Caleb Hamasaki gave the home squad a glimmer of hope with a 23 yard scramble of his own with just 41 ticks left on the clock to make things interesting, but on the ensuing onside kick attempt, Collin Murphy was there on the recovery, dousing the threat.

Radford improved to 2-3 in OIA Dvision I play with two games remaining. The Rams would need to win both home games versus Kailua and Moanalua to have any kind of shot at the postseason.

"Our ultimate goal is a state championship, so we need to win every single game from here out," Togafau remarked.

Hamasaki finished the contest with 159 yards of total offense, while Aiden Leong rushed for 77 yards on 10 carries to lead the way for the Cougars.