PHOTOS: Seabury Stings Molokai in 8-Man Final

Seabury Hall’s Jaxson Stinger gets into the open field en route to a long touchdown run. Molokai’s Cody Pestana-Stone gives chase. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

By Rodney S. Yap

The curtain closed Thursday on Seabury Hall’s storybook football season, but not before a trio of Spartan seniors left their final impressions.

Quarterback Jaxson Stinger passed for five touchdowns and ran for another to lead Seabury Hall to a 44-34 victory over visiting Molokai at War Memorial Stadium.

A spirited crowd of about 700, evenly split between Seabury blue and Molokai green, watched the Spartans claim the Maui Interscholastic League’s first official eight-player football championship.

Seabury Hall’s Duncan Harrison uses a stiff arm to keep a Molokai defender out of reach. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Seabury Hall finished the 2014 season with a perfect 6-0 mark, improving to 18-0 since Stinger and the Spartans began playing eight-man football three seasons ago.

Stinger passed for 293 yards, connecting on 12 of 21 attempts. He also ran for 82 yards, frustrating a swarming Molokai defense as the two schools played perhaps its most memorable game in their young rivalry.

Molokai’s Alden Abafo scores on this 7-yard run with two seconds left in the second quarter as Seabury Hall’s Jaxson Stinger (5) and Rip Pahukoa close in. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Stinger’s classmate Rip Pahukoa caught four passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. The poised quarterback did not overlook senior playmaker Duncan Harrisson, who ran for 76 yards and caught four passes for 108 yards and two scores.

To Molokai’s credit, the Farmers scored first and answered every challenge the Spartans’ threw their way.

The first half ended 20-20 when Alden Abafo scored on fourth-and-goal with 2 seconds left and junior quarterback John-Michael Mokiao-Duvauchelle used a quick count to successfully convert the two-point try.

The Farmers went 63 yards in nine plays on a drive that began with a nifty 25-yard pass from Mokiao-Duvauchelle to Kaimana Kahale.

Molokai’s offense finished with 429 yards and 25 first downs. Seabury Hall had 481 yards of offense and 20 first downs. Molokai got 120 yards rushing from Alden Abafo.

Seabury Hall took a 26-20 lead on the first possession of the second half, and increased its lead to 14 points when Stinger hooked up with Pahukoa on a 74-yard touchdown toss.

In the last two weeks, Stinger has accounted for 12 touchdowns, six against Molokai and six in the Spartans’ 55-22 semifinal win over Lanai last week.

Seabury Hall’s Rip Pahukoa catches this pass from quarterback Jaxson Stinger en route to a 75-yard touchdown against Molokai. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

In all, Seabury Hall bids aloha to 16 seniors from its 2014 roster. Molokai, on the other hand, loses seven seniors, but welcomes the return of eight freshmen and 13 sophomores.

Other Spartan seniors are Paxton Malek, Jordan James, Makena Jost, Michael Chasen, Shun Harima, Keanu Catugal, RJ Prouty, Bryce Barbier, Jordan Haylor, Justin Ringsby, Alex Ballard, and Kevin Lewis.

The Farmer seniors include Kayson Castor-Wallace, Sheyden Kaholoaa, Mana Puaol, Kahanu Alcon, Haaloha Tani Aikala Falealii, King Kahana-Kalua and Iokepa Albino.

Friday’s Scoring Summary

At War Memorial Stadium

SPARTANS 44, FARMERS 34

Molokai ……………. 6 ….. 14 ….. 6 ….. 8—34

Seabury Hall ….. 7 ….. 13 ……. 14 ….. 10—44

First Quarter

MH—Sheyden Kaholoaa 14 run (run failed), 4:47.

SH—Rip Pahukoa 37 pass from Jaxson Stinger (Kevin Lewis kick), 2:22.

Second Quarter

SH—Pahukoa 20 pass from Stinger (Lewis kick), 11:12.

MH—Alden Abafo 2 run (run failed), 7:44.

SH—Duncan Harrisson 31 pass from Stinger (run failed), 2:11.

MH—Abafo 7 run (John-Michael Mokiao-Duvauchelle run), 0:02.

Third Quarter

SH—Harrisson 62 pass from Stinger (kick failed), 9:41.

SH—Pahukoa 74 pass from Stinger (Harrisson run), 3:33.

MH—William Dela Cruz 13 pass from Mokiao-Duvauchelle (run failed), 0:59.

Fourth Quarter

SH—Stinger 5 run (Lewis kick) 11:22.

SH—Pahukoa 33 FG, 1:30.

MH—Keoni Makekau 30 pass from Mokiao-Duvauchelle (Abafo pass from Makekau), 0:20.

Molokai sophomore quarterback John-Michael Mokiao-Duvachelle looks over his center at Seabury Hall defender Bryce Barbier (25) during first-half action Thursday at War Memorial Stadium. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Seabury Hall linebacker and leading tackler Cody Wendt (3) stuffs this Molokai run Thursday at War Memorial Stadium. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Molokai quarterback John-Michael Mokiao-Duvachelle gets ready to deliver a pass Thursday against Seabury Hall. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Molokai’s King Kahana-Kalua finds running room against Seabury Hall at War Memorial Stadium on Thursday. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.