Sophomore halfback Kenneth Ogata's goal in the 62nd minute lifted host Moanalua past Castle, 1-0, for the O'ahu Interscholastic Association East Division title yesterday.

An estimated crowd of 400 watched Ogata's direct kick from just beyond the 18-yard box bounce off the goalkeeper and trickle through the goal.

"I was trying to aim for the front post," Ogata said. "But it didn't really go there. It kind of went toward the middle. But it went in, so I'm happy."

The Menehunes (9-0-1) won their first OIA East title and earned a first-round bye in the OIA playoffs. The Knights (8-1-1) also earned a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet about the (OIA East) championship," Moanalua senior forward Chad Nakamura said. "But just to win, and with so many people in the stands, it feels good."

Nakamura said Ogata was the perfect player to take the direct kick because of his kicking strength in his right leg.

"Kenny's got a great leg," Nakamura said. "He just put it right to the corner and it squeezed right through the goalie."

Added Moanalua coach Spencer Machado: "Kenny does that all the time, he puts the ball right there. When he gets into the game, he knows exactly where to place the ball. It was a nice soft touch."

Defensively, Moanalua hounded Castle the entire game. Going into yesterday's game, Moanalua had allowed just three goals.

"Our defense played a big part," Moanalua sophomore goalie J.D. Baba said. "When I was in the goal, I hardly got the ball that much. That's always a good thing."

Castle coach Sabo Nakamine said his team could have controlled the ball better, but credited Moanalua for disrupting passing lanes.

"Moanalua's a great team," Nakamine said. "I told the boys to play the 50-50 ball in the air, which they did, but they didn't stick to our gameplan. Our gameplan was to work the ball on the ground."

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.

O'ahu Interscholastic Association

Eastern Division

Varsity

• Farrington 3, Kailua 2

Farr: B.A. Gafa 2, Ioane Siuta 1. Kail: Michael Matsutani, Josh Vierra.

• Roosevelt 10, McKinley 0

Roos: Paulo Barros 4, Chris Morales 1, Chad Hirata 1, Holden Lau 1, Gavin Wong 1, Dean Kurihara 1, Keenan Loo 1.

• Kaiser 2, Kalani 0

Kais: Jacob Curtis, Jonathan Su.

• Moanalua 1, Castle 0

Moana: Kenneth Ogata.

• Kahuku 0, Kaimuki 0

Interscholastic League of Honolulu

Varsity

• Mid-Pacific 1, Hawai'i Baptist 0

MPI: Chase Heilbron.

• Punahou 3, Pac-Five 3

Pun: Callum Trigg-Smith, Colin Giles, Kirkland Lozada. P5: Tom Culver 2, Jordan Ota 1.

• Kamehameha 8, Damien 0

KS: Kekoa Oshiro 2, Dustin Engle 1, David Gualadarama 1, Spencer Freitas 1, Makan Protheros 1, Kepa Gaison 1, own goal 1.

Junior varsity

• Punahou Gold 1, Kamehameha Blue 1