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KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – Shariff Coleman and Thomas McDonald, the running back tandem dubbed “Speed Inc.,” struck once more Saturday for Kadena, and ruined Guam High’s attempt at the first perfect season in school history.

McDonald and Coleman combined for five touchdowns, giving them 24 for the season, and Kadena scored 26 unanswered points to pull away at halftime and beat Guam High, 34-20, at Kadena’s Ryukyu Middle School. The second half was played with a running clock.

Kadena, in its final tune-up for defending its Far East Division I title, improved to 7-0, while Guam High, making its first trip off-island in its 13-season history, fell to 8-1.

The all-Panther battle was Kadena’s first game since blanking Kubasaki 44-0 on Oct. 8 and clinching its fifth straight berth in the Division I playoffs. And the rust was evident, coach Sergio Mendoza said.

“It took us awhile to get going,” he said. “Guam High is a good team. They have some class players.”

Tegen Brown got Guam High on the board first with a 3-yard run, but it was all Kadena from there through the rest of the half. Kadena put together a handful of sustained drives to build on the lead.

Both teams substituted players freely in the second half. Both Kadena coach Mendoza and Guam coach Billy Henry agreed to the running clock after each team suffered injuries in the first half.

Patrick Bailey caught a 30-yard pass and Matt Eaton a 25-yarder from Paul Floyd in the second half.

Despite the defeat, Henry said: “It was a great game.”

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