This is quite a way to win a state title. Hilo High School's Keanu Keolanui hit a clutch 55-yard-field goal as time expired during the HHSAA Division I championship at Aloha Stadium on Friday to give the Vikings a 20-17 win over the Iolani Raiders and their second championship in school history.
But the drama was not just due to how long of a kick it was, or that the clock was ticking down to zero, or that the Vikings' undefeated season came down to this. On top of all of that, the ball hit the crossbar before going through the uprights. Keolanui launched the ball towards the goal post and put the ball perfectly so that it hit the crossbar and bounced the right way.
We'll chalk this one up to a lot of skill and a little bit of luck:
His teammates appropriately surrounded him and tackled him to the ground in celebration.
After the game, Keolanui spoke about the kick that caused the fans and the team to erupt, saying it was the longest one he has ever hit in a game.
"That was my longest kick," he told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. "I kicked one 57 yards in practice, but it barely made it."
He then explained his process when lining up for a kick:
"When I kick, I don't look at the number. I look at the goal posts, wait for the snap, take my time and hit it as hard as I could."
The field goal was the longest in state history, according to the Tribune-Herald, and capped off the Vikings' perfect 14-0 season.
