BEARS KEEP STREAK ALIVE WITH MIRACLE WIN OVER LUNAS

(Oct. 26): Seldom do highly-anticipated sporting events lived up to the pre-game hype. On Saturday night before the biggest crowd of the season at War Memorial Stadium, the football showdown between Baldwin and Lahainaluns – in the words of my broadcast buddy, Barry Helle – surpassed the hype.

In the years to come, the Bears and their backers will fondly recall how they overcame an11-point deficit to rally past the Lunas for a 29-28 victory thanks to a 75-yard punt return by Mikey Webb with 51.9 seconds left.

The Lunas, and their loyalists, will painfully remember this game as a victory that got away. Lahainaluna has now lost six straight to the Bears, a skid dating to 2004. Many of those game have come down to the wire, with Baldwin finding a way to pull out a close victory.

Saturday night's game was no exception. As has become a habit their habit this season, the Bears again overcame a slow and mistake-prone start to pull off a comeback win. This time, Baldwin put itself in a hole by throwing five picks in the final half alone – two of them returned for touchdowns by Bryson Williams and Cole Loewen – and trailed 25-10 at intermission.

But Baldwin's defense picked up the pace in the second half. Webb forced a fumble with a mega-hit on Lunas QB Jake Manning that Wyatt Burns returned 45 yards for a score late in the third quarter..

A 39-yard field goal Ivan Delaney gave the Lunas a 28-17 edge with 3:04 left. The Bears responded with a 33-yard scoring hookup between QB Buta Wilhelm-Ioane and receiver Sheldon Leong to pull to within 28-23 with 2:04 remaining.

The Lunas were forced to punt after three plays, setting the stage for the play of the season. Webb, benefiting from some great blocking, streaked up the left sideline on a 75-yard dash, allowing Baldwin to extend its MIL unbeaten streak to 35 games in addition to clinching the league's Division-I title and a berth in the state tourney.

The Lunas' loss kept alive Kamehameha's D-II title hopes. Lahainaluna is 4-1, but the Warriors right behind at 3-2 going into this Saturday's game against the Lunas at War Memorial Stadium. Kamehameha tuned up for the big game with a 49-3 romp past the Trojans. In other weekend action, King Kekaulike defeated Maui High 33-19.

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