Tigers top Waipahu, reach quarterfinals

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Quarterback Abel Werner passed for 308 yards and two touchdowns to lead McKinley over Waipahu, 27-7, in first round action of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association football tournament last night.

An Aloha Stadium crowd of 3,007 saw the Tigers (5-3, 6-3 overall), ranked 10th in The Advertiser Top 10, advance to a quarterfinal against No. 5 Wai'anae (5-2, 6-2) on Friday. It is McKinley's first quarterfinal since 2000.

The Marauders (3-5, 4-5) are done for the year under first-year coach Sean Saturnio.

Werner completed 17 of 30 passes, including TD passes of 19 yards to Joshua Bumanglag and 70 yards to Isaiah Iaea.

"He's very knowledgeable of what we want to do," McKinley coach David Tanuvasa said of Werner. "A couple of the touchdowns were his calls."

Tanuvasa said on the deep pass to Iaea, Werner noticed there was no free safety.

"He saw the matchup, made the call and it was a touchdown," Tanuvasa said.

Werner's first TD came off a shovel pass. Although it's a designed play, Werner said he still can change the play based on what he reads off the defense.

"I read the end," Werner said. "It's a counter to one of our spinoffs."

Waipahu starting quarterback Val Ventura took a helmet to his knee after a sack late in the first half. He had completed 7 of 8 passes for 70 yards and was more adept at running the option. Backup Austen Benito, filled in, but his lack of experience was evident.

"It took us out of our running game and we had to throw more," Saturnio said.

Benito was 9 of 19 for 77 yards.

McKinley roared to a 14-0 first quarter lead on two TD passes by Werner. On McKinley's first series of the game, it was the beneficiary of an illegal substitution penalty against Waipahu on a fourth-and-4 at the McKinley 44, when the Tigers punted. Instead, the Tigers got the ball back and four plays later, Joshua Bumanglag took a shovel pass from Werner for the 19-yard TD.

Later in the quarter, the Tigers stuffed the Marauders a yard short of a first down at the McKinley 20. Four plays later, Werner hit Iaea on a slant pattern for a 70-yard TD to make it 14-0.

The Marauders responded quickly, taking advantage of Andrew Hale's 52-yard kickoff return to the McKinley 45. Seven plays later, Ventura's shovel pass to Todd Dickerson resulted in a 32-yard TD to pull Waipahu to 14-7 to start the second quarter.

The Tigers added to their lead late in the half on a 15-yard TD run by Michael Vasconcellos to make it 21-7.

McKinley's John Mai nailed field goals of 34 and 40 yards in the second half.

WAIPAHU (3-5, 4-5) 0 7 0 0— 7
MCKINLEY (5-3, 6-3) 14 7 3 3—27

• McK—Joshua Bumanglag 19 pass from Abel Werner (John Mai kick)
• McK—Isaiah Iaea 70 pass from Werner (Mai kick)
• Waip—Todd Dickerson 32 pass from Val Ventura (Howard Howell kick)
• McK—Michael Vasconcellos 15 run (Mai kick)
• McK—FG Mai 34
• McK—FG Mai 40

RUSHING—Waipahu: Ventura 8-8, Andrew Hale 11-16, Dickerson 3-12, Travis Atualevao 1-(minus 1), Austen Benito 3-12. McKinley: Werner 7-18, Vasconcellos 17-106, Iaea 1-8, Quinton Sayers 2-1.

PASSING—Waipahu: Ventura 7-8-0—70, Sandy Bishop 0-1-0—0, Benito 10-19-0—77, Autalevao 0-1-0—0. McKinley: Werner 17-30-0—308.

RECEIVING—Waipahu: Dickerson 5-76, Hale 3-13, Braddon Varde 3-26, Atualevao 6-32. McKinley: Iaea 4-146, Joshua Bumanglag 8-108, Iama Lanvao 1-28, Vasconcellos 1-16, Sayers 1-(minus 3), Iakopo Taumua 2-13.

ILH

KAMEHAMEHA 28, PAC-FIVE 7: Josh Vierra had two touchdown catches in the first half to lead the Warriors over the Wolf Pack.

PAC-FIVE (1-4) 0 0 7 0— 7
KAMEHAMEHA (5-0) 7 7 7 7—28

• Kam—Josh Vierra 4 pass from Caleb Spencer (Kepa Gaison kick)
• Kam—Vierra 20 pass from Kawai Akina (Gaison kick)
• Kam—Dustin Grace 88 pass from Akina (Gaison kick)
• Pac—McShane Dator 2 run (Darci Hata kick)
• Kam—Kahe Santos 53 run (Gaison kick)

RUSHING—Pac-Five: Andrew Rutherford 2-5, Dennis Moku Pilialoha 3-7, Gyles Lawrence 3-3, Ryan Urabe 1-(minus 6), Dave Stewart 5-7, Dator 1-2. Kamehameha: Spencer 2-19, Kawai Akina 1-8, Kahe Santos 16-169, Andrew Phillips 2-2, Samson Castillo 3-7, Chase Kaanoi 3-22, Parker Bode 1-22.

PASSING—Pac-Five: Dator 15-41-2—225. Kamehameha: Spencer 6-9-0—132, Akina 6-16-1—176.

RECEIVING—Pac-Five: Travis Tyler 6-90, Paul Kaohu-Nishimura 1-12, Ryan Leong 2-43, Ryan Urabe 5-72, Shane Lawrence 1-8. Kamehameha: Vierra 4-92, Ruth 2-36, Santos 2-29, Grace 2-99, Waika Spencer 1-44, Benjamin Vincent 1-8.