KAILUA — The formerly hard-luck Kailua High School football team finally had the ball bounce its way last night, as the Surfriders rallied past arch rival Castle, 21-20, in O'ahu Interscholastic Association action.

Now Kailua needs some outside help to gain entry into the OIA's Red Conference playoffs.

The Surfriders improved to 2-5 overall and finished 2-4 in the OIA's Red Conference Eastern Division. All four division losses came by narrow defeat, but now their playoff hopes hinge on McKinley (1-4) losing at Roosevelt (0-5) on Friday.

Castle, ranked No. 9 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, fell to 4-3 and 3-2. The Knights already have clinched a playoff berth but lost a chance at the East's No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

"It feels good to win," said Kailua senior linebacker Rocky Trueman, whose interception off a deflection sealed last night's victory with one minute remaining. "To come that close, we knew we just had to work harder and today it paid off. We wanted this game bad."

Trueman's interception came one play after Castle quarterback Blake Rapozo completed a 34-yard pass to Kevin Aipia Jr. on fourth-and-18 from their own 7-yard line. That set up first-and-10 at the 41, and Rapozo threw a pass to the right sideline, about 15 yards downfield. The ball ricocheted off the heavily covered intended receiver and was projected end-over-end high in the air, until Trueman snatched it near midfield.

"I was on the other side (of the field), and I just wanted to run and secure the tackle," Trueman said. "(After the fourth-down conversion), I just told our guys, 'That's OK, let's just play one more play.' "

It turned out to be the last of many big plays in the game.

Fullback Manako Tuifua had given the Surfriders a 21-20 lead with 1:53 remaining on a 3-yard touchdown run. Kailua had closed it to 20-15 with 7:27 left on a safety, when the shotgun snap sailed out of the end zone.

The Knights had broken a 13-13 tie with Rapozo's 30-yard TD pass to Shaydon Kehano, and Derek Hillegas' extra point made it 20-13 with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter.

Castle struck first with a 67-yard touchdown pass from Rapozo to Lowen Rogers with 4:07 left in the first quarter, but the Surfriders tied it 7-7 after Isaac Sato's 11-yard TD run with 4:59 remaining in the half.

The Knights went up, 13-7, on Rapozo's 81-yard scoring pass to Rogers, but the PAT attempt failed. Kailua tied it on Sato's 4-yard touchdown run three minutes into the third quarter, but the extra-point attempt failed.

The Surfriders had recovered the opening kickoff when Castle failed to field the ball.

"I think that's when the momentum started to shift," Castle coach Nelson Maeda said.

CASTLE (4-3, 3-2) 7 6 7 0—20

KAILUA (2-5, 2-4) 0 7 6 8—21

Cas — Lowen Rogers 67 pass from Blake Rapozo (Derek Hillegas kick).

Kai — Isaac Sato 11 run (Trey Tam kick).

Cas — Rogers 81 pass from Rapozo (kick failed).

Kai — Sato 4 run (kick failed).

Cas — Shaydon Kehano 30 pass from Rapozo (Hillegas kick).

Kai — Safety, ball snapped out of end zone.

Kai — Manako Tuifua 3 run (pass failed).

RUSHING — Castle: Garrett Paredes 5-2, Rapozo 7-(minus-14), Rogers 2-(minus-14), Hans Reppuhn 1-0, Jaysen Ferreira 2-0. Kailua: Sato 27-100, Styren Kahale 2-(minus-4), Ioane Aipa 3-11, Wa'a Kekauoha 3-6, Bobby Lastimosa 1-4, Tuifua 4-21.

PASSING — Castle: Rapozo 15-27-1—319. Kailua: Lastimosa 7-15-1—63, Kahale 1-1-0—32.

RECEIVING — Castle: Shaydon Kehano 8-105, Rogers 2-148, Micah Wada 2-15, Reppuhn 2-17, Kevin Aipia Jr. 1-34. Kailua: Sato 1-(minus-2), Tuifua 1-9, Corey Lau 2-34, Josh Kamakea 1-6, Chason Louis-Soares 1-9, Kapena Alameda 2-39.

JV score: Castle 21, Kailua 14.