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University of Washington-bound quarterback Keith Price threw for 110 yards and one touchdown and ran for 101 yards and another TD last night to help St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) defeat Kamehameha, 23-14, in an inter-regional matchup at Kunuiakea Stadium.
It was the season opener for St. John Bosco, which plays in the competitive Trinity League of the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section along with perennial powers Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita).
Kamehameha fell to 2-1.
"I told our guys that we beat a dang good football team tonight," St. John Bosco coach Kiki Mendoza said. "We play in the top division in Southern California, and that's as good a team as our kids have faced."
After a scoreless first quarter, St. John Bosco jumped to a 16-0 lead after Auburn Jiminez's 42-yard field goal, a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Price and Price's 36-yard touchdown strike to Will Shamburger following a scramble on third-and-5.
The Warriors closed to 16-7 just three seconds before halftime on Edmund Kamano Jr.'s 1-yard quarterback sneak and Kevin Doo's extra point. Kamehameha then cut it to 16-14 with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter after Ryan Ho scored on a 7-yard run to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive.
But after the Braves went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Kamano threw an interception. St. John Bosco again went three-and-out and the Warriors were able to advance to midfield, but on third-and-9 the ball was snapped over Kamano's head as he approached the line to call an audible and the play resulted in a 20-yard loss.
When Kamehameha finally got the ball back with 2:12 left, the Braves' Leon McFadden recovered a fumble and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown, and Jiminez's extra point made it 23-14 with 2:01 remaining.
"The middle linebacker and defensive end hit the quarterback, and the ball came loose," McFadden said. "It took one bounce and I just scooped it up and ran it in."
Mendoza said the bad snap and 20-yard loss proved to be the break his team needed.
"(The Warriors) really had the momentum and they were fired up," Mendoza said. "But when they had that bad snap, things kind of settled down for us. I thought that was the key play of the game."
Kamehameha lost the ball on downs on its final possession and St. John Bosco was able to run out the clock.
"For a loss, it still feels pretty good to see how our guys had that spark after being down 16-0 to a very good team," Kamehameha coach David Stant said. "We just have to get our younger guys the confidence to play in games like these. But that's why we scheduled it this way; this is going to help us in the (Interscholastic League of Honolulu) season."