Kadena clinches playoff spot

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — As well as Kadena performed offensively, with three backs over 100 yards and a fourth nearly there, scoring on seven of nine possessions and not punting, coach Sergio Mendoza still found fault even after a 43-0 victory ver Kubasaki.

Twelve penalties for 95 yards, nine in the first half for 60 yards, stood out as one are of concern. Another was special teams; the Panthers missed six of seven extra-point tries and two field goals.

"We still have a long way to go," Mendoza said after the Panthers (4-0) wrapped up their fourth straight Far East Class AA playoff berth by winning the first three games in the Okinawa Activities Council best-of-five championship series.

"We couldn’t hit a PAT to save our lives tonight," Mendoza said, adding that a failed two-point conversion last Nov. 8 at Seoul American cost Kadena the Class AA title. "We have to fix that. That’s been a glaring problem for us."

As has first-half penalties, Mendoza said. "I really think the best is yet to come for us. I’m tired of us being a second-half team. If we can put two good halves together, we will be an interesting team to watch," he said.

Much did go well on Kadena’s Homecoming Friday, particularly the ground game; the Panthers rolled up 528 yards on 54 carries, the best performance on Mendoza’s four-season watch.

Shariff Coleman torched Kubasaki (0-5) for 155 yards on 18 carries, including touchdown runs of 19 and 23 yards on consecutive carries.

"He’s a special player, one of the best I’ve ever had. He has great vision and breakaway speed," Mendoza said of Coleman, adding that the offensive line has had much to do with that success.

Fellow tailback Thomas McDonald scampered 11 times for 137 yards and two TDs. Quarterback Stanley Schrock added 104 yards on nine carries and two scores. Fullback Lotty Smith just missed going over 100, carrying 11 times for 98 yards, including a 53-yard TD burst.

The entire 20-man roster has "been working hard and we’re starting to see the benefits of that work," Mendoza said. Kadena outgained Kubasaki 537-84 on offense and has outscored the Dragons 120-0 over the last 11 quarters.

Kadena takes that momentum into regular season-first interarea showdown at Yokota. Panthers coach Tim Pujol, Mendoza said, "is a class act and (coaches) a class-act program. It will be a battle."

Japan

American School In Japan 48, Yokota 8: At Tokyo, Yokota suddenly found itself in a two-game skid after winning a league-record 41 straight Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools games. The host Mustangs (4-2) beat Yokota (5-2) for the first time since a 28-14 victory on Nov. 7, 1998.

Alex Busam ran for 137 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. Steve Adams added a 43-yard TD run and Ryan Christianson an 85-yarder. Hayden Jardine went 2-for-3 for 80 yards, hitting his brother Tom for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Bradley Forbes had Yokota’s lone points when he returned a blocked field goal 70 yards.

The game finished with a running clock after ASIJ assumed a 30-point lead in the third quarter — the first time Yokota has ever been on the losing end of a mercy-rule game. It’s the first time Yokota’s lost two straight regular-season games in 10 years.

Tom Jardine contributed to this report.