Fri, Oct 3, 2014 @ Roosevelt [ 7:30 pm ]

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Nanakuli

27

Radford

26

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Nanakuli (10-1-0)	3	7	0	17	27
Radford (6-4-0)	0	7	7	12	26

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Andrew Morgan 220 yd 3 TD

Kale Kanehailua 199 yd

Chance Cacatian 109 yd

Makaila Haina-Horswill 232 yd 1 TD

Thomas Reid 133 yd 3 TD

Clifford Cunningham 101 yd

Nanakuli's Makaila Haina-Horswill carried the ball 21 times for 232 yards and 1 touchdown in a 27-26 victory over Radford. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Nanakuli's sideline erupts after a high-snap prevented Radford from completing a 2-point conversion in the final seconds to end the score, 27-26, Golden Hawks' victory. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Nanakuli's Makaila Haina-Horswill carried the ball 21 times for 232 yards and 1 touchdown in a 27-26 victory over Radford. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Nanakuli's sideline erupts after a high-snap prevented Radford from completing a 2-point conversion in the final seconds to end the score, 27-26, Golden Hawks' victory. Sean Nakamura | SL

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MAKIKI – The Golden Hawks just keep living up to their name.

Nanakuli, ranked No. 4 in the ScoringLive/OC16 Division II Power Rankings, remained undefeated with a 27-26 thriller over Radford in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II contest at Roosevelt's Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium Friday night. 

With the win the Golden Hawks (7-0) clinched the top seed in the league's four-team postseason. It also helped Nanakuli avoid a three-way tie with Radford (5-3 overall, 5-2 league) and Pearl City (6-1) for first place in the division.

Radford got the ball back with on its own 28-yard line trailing 27-20 with 1:43 to play in regulation. The Rams drove all the way down to the Nanakuli 44-yard line before a sack on quarterback Andrew Morgan prompted Radford to burn its last timeout with 20 seconds remaining.

After the timeout Morgan found Thomas Reid on back-to-back plays for gains of 18 and 20 yards to take it to the Nanakuli 12-yard line where the Rams would spike the ball with three ticks left on the clock. On the last timed play of the game Morgan bided time in the pocket before firing a 12-yard scoring strike to Reid with no time on the clock. 

However, instead of kicking the extra point and taking it to overtime, Radford elected to go for two. The shotgun snap was too high for Morgan to handle and Nanakuli remained without a blemish on its record. 

"We want to win. I don't like second, I don't like third. I want to be the guy and I'm glad that our team – they were ready for it. I told them if we score, we're going for two, no questions asked. We're going to go win this thing. Yeah, we fell short on an (errant) snap but we prepare for this every week and our players were ready for it. I believe that if that snap would have been good, we would have a good chance on making it," Radford coach Fred Salanoa said on the decision to go for two. 

In a tight game like this, Nanakuli's Clifford Cunningham stands out as the main difference maker. The 5-foot-11 junior kicked two field goals, a 36-yarder for Nanakuli's first score and a 21-yarder for Nanakuli's final score, and was 3-for-3 on his PAT attempts. Cunningham also caught five passes for 101 yards to lead the team in receiving. 

"Clifford, he's a really good player. He's Mr. accountable. Every time you have to count on him, he'll deliver for you," Nanakuli coach Keala Watson said on Cunningham.

While Cunningham did damage on special teams and the airwaves, running back Makaila Haina-Horswill pounded on the Rams' defense. The senior running back was held under his yard per carry average throughout most of the game, but was able to spring free in the fourth quarter for a 70-yard touchdown scamper. He also had a 69-yard jaunt to set up Cunningham's 21-yard field goal. Makaila Haina-Horswill finished with 232 yards on 21 carries. 

"Ground game was a little non existent at times, but our guys just kept pounding away," said Watson. "Our offensive line stepped up big time tonight."

Nanakuli quarterback Kale Kanehailua accounted for the other Golden Hawks scores with a nine-yard scramble at the end of the first half and a 20-yard keeper up the gut.

All of Radford's scores were between Morgan and Reid. Morgan finished with 220 yards and three touchdowns on 22 of 33 passing and Reid caught a game-high eight passes for 133 yards and three scores. 

Nanakuli can complete an undefeated run through the OIA Division II with a win over Kalani (4-3) next Saturday.