Today's O'ahu Interscholastic Association White Conference football championship game between Kaimuki and Kalaheo has a rare chance to move into prime-time, literally.

Originally billed as an undercard to the 7:30 p.m. feature game between Kahuku and Mililani for the OIA Red title, Kaimuki-Kalaheo now takes center stage in light of today's final ruling on Kahuku's alleged use of an ineligible player (see related story).

The White championship game will be played and televised live from Aloha Stadium at 6:00p, due to Kahuku's forfeiture of the Red title game.

That would give more people a chance to watch two of the state's premier running backs, Kaimuki's Chester Sua and Kalaheo's Jesse Carney.

Sua, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior, gobbles up real estate in large chunks with surprising agility and balance. He has rushed for 1,041 yards and 12 touchdowns on 162 carries (6.4 ypc), including a season-high 209 yards on 30 touches in a 14-13 victory over Kalaheo on Sept. 18.

Carney, a slippery 5-10, 180-pound senior, ranks third among all state rushers with 1,368 yards on 129 carries, averaging an astounding 10.6 yards per carry. He set what is believed to be a state record on Sept. 11, racing for 374 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-22 win over Kalani.

In a showdown with Sua and Kaimuki a week later, Carney gained 130 yards on 20 carries.

The Mustangs have another running threat in quarterback Justin Pagan, who has rushed for 894 yards and 11 TDs on 135 carries (6.6 ypc) while engineering Kalaheo's veer option attack. Pagan also has thrown for 807 yards and eight touchdowns.

In that regular season showdown two months ago, the Mustangs closed the score to 14-13 on Pagan's 1-yard sneak with just under four minutes remaining, but their two-point conversion attempt failed.

---