Aaron Cosey and the Guam High Panthers keep reaching new heights. The latest: The school’s first second-place finish in the Interscholastic Football League regular season.

Cosey threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and the Panthers improved to a school-best 4-1 with a 27-12 victory over John F. Kennedy on Saturday. Guam earned a first-round playoff bye in the process."This year, I believe we have the full package, and we’re a contender for the championship on the island," first-year coach Billy Henry said.

Guam High had never finished higher than third and has had two winning seasons in its 12 years in the league. This fall, the Panthers beat Father Duenas Memorial and defending champion Simon Sanchez in the same season for the first time.

But much work needs to be done, Henry said, before the Panthers can call themselves contenders.

"One thing we need to work on is execution. We play to the tempo of the team we’re playing," he said. "But our defense has come around. They’re solid."

Talk around the island, Henry said, is that it might come down to regular-season champion George Washington vs. Guam High for the title; the Geckos routed the Panthers 40-7 last month.

"Who knows? We’re hoping for the best," Henry said.

Jason Brunson began Saturday’s game by returning the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 165 combined yards, rushing seven times for 65 yards and catching a 15-yard TD pass from Cosey.

Cosey also hit Devon Jacobs for a 10-yard score. Cosey capped the Panthers’ scoring with a 20-yard third-quarter run. He finished 4-for-4 for 45 yards. Ed Cruz had a team-high 15 tackles with one sack and Evan Ola added six tackles and two sacks.

JapanRobert D. Edgren 33, Nile C. Kinnick 15: At Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Matt Linder and James Ervin each intercepted two passes and Ja’Maal Dennis ran for three TDs as the Eagles, who hadn’t played since Sept. 18, pulled away in the second half.

"Defense spearheaded this win," Eagles coach Chris Waite said, adding that Edgren "started slow" in the first half, but once it shook off the rust, "I felt they looked good. I felt they played really well."

Dennis had 205 yards on 23 carries. Zach Davis, playing for the first time in a month, was 5-for-8 for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Elijah Gamble paced the Red Devils with 159 yards on 32 carries, including touchdown runs of 7 and 17 yards. Channing Meyer was 9-for-28 for 85 yards. Nate White recovered two fumbles and batted down a pass.

The Eagles joined American School In Japan as teams that came off three-week layoffs with a win. ASIJ routed Yokota 48-8 on Friday.

SingaporeSingapore Falcons 45, Osan American 20: At Singapore, Danny Albanese intercepted four passes, Jeffry Smith intercepted two, Andrew Roberts threw three TD passes and Max Shaulis ran for two scores as the Falcons got just their third win in the 18-year history of the Korea-Singapore World Bowl series.

"They came well prepared," Falcons coach Jamie Matisin said of an Osan squad (1-3) which got three touchdown passes from Jake Mattison, two to Julian Johnson and one to Dominique Williams. "The Osan Cougars never gave up, fought right until the last whistle."

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