Kaua‘i Bulldogs stay close in 76-70 score-a-thon

KAPA‘A — Football fans got their bang for their buck, Saturday, as the Kaua‘i Bulldogs tried to overcome the visiting Westside Hawaiian Warriors from Waianae.

Chazz Troutman, the Warriors’ QB, finished with a fumble recovery and a pass interception while running for seven touchdowns and passing for one in its 76-70 edge over the Kaua‘i Bulldogs at the New Kapa‘a Town Park stadium. This does not include the successful point-after runs made by the Warrior who also finished the night by being voted the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award by the field officials.

The Bulldogs, playing in the Kaua‘i Youth Football league bowl game in an 8-man format, relied on their quarterback, Fresno Masaniai, and skilled position players, Cory Somera-Payomo and Daniel Alonzo, to try and make a difference.

Masaniai chalked up four of his own touchdowns and threw two passes to Alonzo for scores. Somera-Payomo, being denied the ball on his first appearance as the kick returner, marked four touchdowns, including one in the third quarter where he returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

As the clock ticked past the two-hour mark in the game, Somera-Payomo literally dragged a horde of Warriors 13 yards for the final TD of the night that came with 25.6 seconds showing on the game clock.

The Bulldogs could not get on the board until late in the first quarter when they faced a 14-0 deficit.

Alonzo was all alone in the end zone when he pulled in his first TD from Masaniai at the 2:09 mark. Keli‘i Efhan, having fans with his name on signs in the stands, could not score on the point-after for a 14-6 deficit.

But Troutman answered that on a 30-yard score after breaking Bulldog tackles midfield for a 20-6 Warrior lead with 29.6 seconds left in the quarter.

Despite battling against a lead that did not extend beyond 14 points throughout the game, the Bulldogs dug deep into their bag of basics to stay close, giving the Warriors a scare in the third quarter when it pulled to within four points.

Facing a 12-point deficit after Troutman tapped paydirt on a 3-yard up-the-middle charge, Masaniai broke out for a 34-yard scamper to paydirt with 3:22 remaining in the third period.

A keeper play on the point-after had the Bulldog QB slanting to the opposite corner to pull to a 54-50 deficit.

But the Warriors weren’t without its share of tricks as it turned to Kana‘i Mauga, one of the smallest players on the field, to push through for a 5-yard score up the middle with 1:18 remaining in the quarter.

Earlier, Mauga had been unsuccessful on two point-after plays before finally breaking through traffic for the score. But Father John Frederick, dad of Nicole Scherzinger of “Dancing With the Stars” fame, was not done, yet.

The Warriors turned to Danielle Phillips, earlier getting a first down, who pulled in a Troutman pass on the point-after play for a 62-50 go-ahead.

As the clock wound down, it became the Warriors’ biggest enemy as the Waianae visitors tried to work it so the Bulldogs wouldn’t have a chance to close the gap.

But with 25.6 seconds showing on the game, Somera-Payomo tapped paydirt, literally dragging Warrior defenders the final 13 yards for the score.

Troutman was presented the Sportsmanship trophy, Kaua‘i Crusader R.J. Garcia earned a prize for selling the most tickets, and Warrior Lisi Mauga was awarded the Scholastic Award on his 3.8 Grade Point Average.

Brad Hiranaka, the KYF president, said the younger Kaua‘i Bulldogs will be on the plane to Waianae this weekend because the younger Warriors were not able to get here.

“It will just be a day trip,” said Bruce Herbig, whose son Nate was playing on the line for the Bulldogs. “Nate also plays with the younger boys so he’ll be going, too.”

Hiranaka said the next KYF season starts on July 26.

Youngsters interested in the program can visit the KYF Website at www.kauaiyouthfootball.com for application forms and more information.