Radford quarterback Quintin Iriarte threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and Kodi Ongory-Mathias ran for 176 yards and a score as Radford outlasted Konawaena 48-46 in the HHSAA Division II state football semifinals on Saturday.
The Wildcats (11-2) were down but never out against the OIA champion Rams (12-0), storming back with 13 points in the fourth quarter. Konawaena had a chance to tie it up on a two-point try, but could not convert.
The 94 combined points made it the highest-scoring affair in Division II tournament history, breaking the previous mark of 81. The squads also combined for 843 yards of offense — 524 for Radford and 319 for Konawaena.
With the win, Radford advances to the state title game against KIF champion Kapaa next Friday. The top-seeded Warriors defeated Lahainaluna 24-0 in the other Division II semifinal game on Saturday.
Konawaena sophomore quarterback Austin Ewing passed for 272 yards and five touchdowns, but also tossed a pick. Running back Algene Kelekolio caught a touchdown pass and ran in a score. Kamakana Ching, Kayson Mahiai and Tristan Fleming-Nazara also had receiving scores.
The loss ends Konawaena’ season, but it is one that won’t be soon soon forgotten in Kealakekua. The Wildcats earned their first win at the HHSAA state tournament with a victory over Damien in the first round, and defeated Kamehameha-Hawaii to capture a fourth BIIF title in five years.
The teams combined for 40 first quarter points, but Konawaena failed to score on two point after attempts.
Radford took control with a late first quarter touchdown from Iriarte to Ace Faumui, and tacked on two more scores and a two point conversion to make it 36-19 with five minutes to go in the half.
Konawaena managed a late first half touchdown when Ewing connected with Mahiai to make it a 10 point game heading into the half.
The Rams held a 48-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Konawaena would not go away quietly. Ewing connected with Fleming-Nazara on a 15-yard touchdown early in the final stanza to make it a one score game. A wild Radford snap went 40-yards in reverse and was recovered by Konawaena’s Trey Basque at the 4 to set up a Kelekolio four-yard run, but the two-point conversion to tie was no good.
The Wildcats got the ball back deep in their own territory with 12 seconds remaining. But with no timeouts, the ‘Cats couldn’t claw back with a miracle.
Konawaena 19 7 7 13 — 46
Radford 21 15 12 0 — 48
