What a difference a point can make--especially one out of eighty-one.
That was the margin of victory Saturday afternoon as 'Iolani held on by its fingernails against a fourth quarter resurgent Kaimuki team in its first round Division II tournament game.
Never was a team more aptly named than the Bulldogs. They hung on to the very end, falling one point short when their last two point conversion attempt failed.
Extra points have been crucial for 'Iolani this season, those missed by opponents as well as made, or not made, by the Raiders.
In the showdowns with Damien for the ILH title, the Monarchs were plagued by missed PAT's, and so on Saturday, both teams gambled on two point conversions, missing as many as they made, and thereby hung the balance of the game.
In Saturday's game five different failed conversion attempts after touchdowns left eight crucial points uncollected. Kaimuki had two blocked kicks on PAT's and two two point conversions that went awry. 'Iolani tried and failed on its own two point conversion in the first quarter before wisely relying on the steady kicking of Kody Adams the rest of the way.
Going into the fourth quarter, some fans were leaving Hamada field, the Raiders' home turf, as 'Iolani was sitting comfortably on a 21 point lead, 41-20. The Bulldogs fought back, however, reducing the game to a single two point conversion with thirty seconds remaining on the Diamond Head clock.
Two touchdowns on turnovers near the end of the first half ultimately provided the points needed for the win. Jarom Baldomero intercepted a pass for one, and a fumble recovery by Daniel Takami set up the other, a pass from Ryan Dung to Lionel Fujioka in the Makai corner of the Ewa end zone.
Coming into the second half, it looked like more of the same as it took just two plays and a little over a minute for 'Iolani to score after receiving the kickoff. A long pass to Aaron Fong and a sprint by Justin Yamamoto made the score 41-20, and the fans began heading for the parking lot as that was the score eleven minutes later at the end of the third quarter.
But the excitement was just beginning as a stubborn Kaimuki team failed to wilt in the heat and under the pressure, rallying for three unanswered touchdowns, missing an extra point, making a two point conversion and then failing on a final pass for the two points that would have won the game for them.
'Iolani now travels to Maui to play King Kekaulike on Friday. Game time is 7:30 at War Memorial Stadium.
