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Michael Lasquero | ScoringLiveOctober 12, 2018, 11:28pm
Fri, Oct 12, 2018 @ Roosevelt [ FORFEIT ]
UPDATE: It was later ruled that Saint Francis used an ineligible player and thus had to forfeit this game as a result.
MAKIKI — The game was sloppy and nearly didn't get played, but in the end No. 15 Saint Francis will take it.
The Saints completed an undefeated regular season with a 20-14 win over Roosevelt — their closest game of the year — Friday night in a Division II interleague matchup at a rainy Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.
Junior running back Bubbah Aina-Chaves ran for two scores and 209 of Saint Francis' total 299 rushing yards to help the Saints (9-0 overall, 8-0 ILH D2) end the Rough Riders' six-game winning streak in Saint Francis' final tuneup before the First Hawaiian Bank D2 state tournament.
It was contest that almost got canceled right before kickoff as lightning sightings in the area during pregame warmups necessitated a weather delay. With the Saints already locking up the ILH's lone D2 state berth — their first in school history — and the game having no bearing on Roosevelt's OIA playoff seeding, both teams could have packed it up. Fortunately, conditions proved to be playable enough after the 30-minute wait period.
Saint Francis coach Kip Akana was glad that the game was played. Because the ILH only has two teams in D2, the Saints are unable to be seeded in the six-team state tourney and will play their next game on Nov. 10.
"We wanted to play this game, we didn't want to go four weeks and not have a game," said Akana. "You play football to be competitive games and we got one tonight."
But it may have been a costly one for the Saints. Starting quarterback Bubba Akana went down with a lower leg injury before the end of the third quarter and 2017 D2 All-Hawaii First Team offensive lineman Siotame Haunga was ejected after an unsportsmanlike helmet-to-helmet hit. Per ILH rule, Haunga would have to sit out in the Saints' next contest.
Coach Akana said they are going to get X-rays on his QB's possible high ankle sprain and added that the Saints are going to appeal Haunga's ejection.
"We already looked at the film and we know it wasn't helmet-to-helmet contact," he said. "We will appeal and we're certain that call was incorrect."
Penalties were frequent in the game with both teams combining for 278 yards in penalties. That number would have been more if it weren't for multiple offsetting fouls. Still, both teams were in a position to win throughout the night to make it a competitive bout all the way through.
Roosevelt (8-2 overall, 6-1 OIA D2) drew first blood in the second quarter with a drive that started on its 16-yard line. A roughing the passer penalty penalty and a 16-yard keeper by Sky Ogata set up Keneke Gusman's 35-yard rumble through the heart of the Saint Francis' defense. Mason Morishige tacked on the PAT to make it 7-0 in favor of the home team with 4:28 left in the first half.
Saint Francis responded on the ensuing drive on Aina-Chaves' 5-yard touchdown run. It was a drive that had a number of things go the Saints' way. A targeting penalty moved the ball to the Rough Riders' 35, a fumble by Aina-Chaves went out of bounds for positive yardage and Aina-Chaves scored with the Roosevelt defense watching him. A whistle was blown just as Aina-Chaves took a direct snap, but the play continued and Saint Francis got on the board. The 2-point pass attempt failed to leave the score at 7-6 heading into the break.
Aina-Chaves gave Saint Francis its first lead of the game on a 19-yard run with 3:53 to go in the third quarter, but Roosevelt came right back with Ogata's 20-yard TD run on the next possession to leave the score at 14-14 with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Both teams traded punts and fumbles within their next three drives before Shepherd Kekahuna took a direct snap 55 yards around left end to put the Saints up for good with 5:37 remaining in regulation.
Roosevelt drove inside the Saints' 40-yard line on the following possession, but Ogata fumbled the ball after a scramble on fourth-and-10 and Saint Francis recovered the loose ball with 93 seconds left in the game. The Saints then got the necessary first downs to run out the clock to seal the deal.
"Competition is good," said coach Akana. "They had a big crowd here coming out to their home field. We will have to deal with that kind of challenge (in states) and I think the boys responded well."
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