Sports
Far East Class AA H.S. football playoffs: Kadena, Yokota to meet in final
Stars and Stripes
November 5, 2007
At Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Kadena booked a return to the Class AA football championship game, beating Seoul American 27-10 on Saturday and avenging defeat in the 2006 title game, in which the Falcons defeated the Panthers 12-6 in overtime.
Also Saturday, at Naval Station, Guam, Yokota earned its first berth in a Class AA title game, defeating Guam High 41-8.
Kadena will host Yokota at 7 p.m. Saturday at McDonald Stadium at Kadena Air Base’s Risner Complex.
Yokota 41, Guam High 8: Yokota (10-0) soothed the disappointment of Class AA semifinal losses the past two seasons.
“This one feels really special,” coach Tim Pujol said.
Senior tailback Anthony McNeill rambled for 175 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries, scoring on runs of 3, 26, 47 and 15 yards. He leads the Pacific with 1,315 yards.
Tony Presnell added 114 yards plus a TD and DeEric Harvin went 4-for-4 for 91 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Riki Byrnes, and added 42 yards on four carries.
For Guam High (4-7), Torus Washington was 8-for-15 for 98 yards passing, hitting Rey Tenorio from 10 yards out in the fourth quarter. Myron Marshall had six solo tackles and six assists.
“They’re a very good team,” Guam coach Brandon Miller said. “We’re just starting our program; they’re at the peak of their’s.”
Kadena 27, Seoul American 10: Each week, a different skills-positions player has shone for the Panthers (3-0). On Saturday, it was junior tailback Brandon Harris, who scored three times in helping Kadena roll up 383 rushing yards.
“He stepped up,” coach Sergio Mendoza said of Harris, part of Kadena’s skills-positions wealth that includes Ernest Carr, Roosevelt Payne and Vince Coronado.
“We have speed in various areas of the team. We wanted him (Harris) to be a part of that mix. Now, we can have a balanced attack, on all sides of the ball.”
Payne scored the Panthers’ final touchdown, a 17-yarder in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons scored first, on a safety in the first quarter, and that was it until quarterback Daniel Burns plunged over from the 2-yard line late in the fourth.
Burns went 6-for-20 for 96 yards for the Falcons (5-1).