HONOKAA — Football quickly became an afterthought in the closing minutes of the game between Keaau and Honokaa on Friday night. ADVERTISING HONOKAA — Football quickly became an afterthought in the closing minutes of the game between Keaau and Honokaa
HONOKAA — Football quickly became an afterthought in the closing minutes of the game between Keaau and Honokaa on Friday night.
With the Cougars up 13-12 and attempting to run out the final seconds, Keaau’s Bronson Castro took a hard hit and didn’t get back up. Several minutes passed as both teams took a knee on their sidelines. Eventually, Castro was taken away in an ambulance, and Keaau (2-1, 2-1) ran out the time to preserve the win.
“It’s bittersweet. It really put things in perspective for everyone,” Keaau head coach Leo Abellera said. “Football is just a game. We would have rather lost the game than lose a kid like that.”
When the injury stoppage happened, just under two minutes still remained on the clock. The Cougars, many who were visibly affected by the incident, collected themselves to finish the game.
“With these young guys, we just had to stay positive. It couldn’t turn into trying to get revenge for their downed teammate. They did a really good job keeping their composure,” Abellera said. “Honokaa was very respectful, too. I think coach Noeau Lindsey has instilled pride back in that program.”
Noa DeMotta-Cobb was the steadying force for the Cougars in the see-saw affair. The senior back punched in the eventual game-winning touchdown from 25 yards out at the end of the third quarter, and picked up the first down that allowed the Cougars to run out the clock.
Abellera said limiting his players going two-ways helped the Cougars production on offense. Keaau had very few plays that went for double-digit yardage, but picked up just enough for first downs. The sustained drives limited Honokaa’s chances on offense and gave Keaau a major edge in time of possession.
It was a very noticeable improvement for Keaau from a week ago, when Waiakea trampled the Cougars in a 42-6 victory. Abellera admitted, his team’s bad showing in that game made him a bit grumpy leading up to the matchup with the Dragons.
“On Thursday during walkthroughs, the boys asked me if I needed a Snickers,” Abellera said with a laugh. “It’s day to day with the guys, but they are coming around.”
That might be an understatement. After two winless seasons, the Cougars are out of the basement and sit in second place in Division I as the midway mark of the season approaches.
After coming out of the gate with a huge win over Division I Kealakehe, Honokaa faces an uphill battle to get back on track. The Dragons have just 189 yards of offense in their last two contests combined, and face BIIF powerhouses Hilo and Konawaena in back-to-back weeks.
The Cougars have just a few days to prepare for Kamehameha-Hawaii on Thursday.
“We face a really good opponent on a short week,” Abellera said. “It might be hard to focus the next couple of days, and we understand that as coaches. Right now, it’s just one day at a time.”
