KANE'OHE — Three yards and 44 seconds away from a storybook comeback victory, the Castle High School football team suffered yet another heartbreak last night to end a season that was full of them.

'Aiea defensive back Lofa Li'ili'i recovered a Knights fumble in the end zone for a touchback with 35 ticks remaining to preserve a rain-soaked 18-12 victory in the first round of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoffs.

Na Ali'i, the fifth seed in the Western Division, improved to 4-5 and advances to next week's quarterfinals where they will play at West No. 1 Wai'anae (5-3) on Friday.

East No. 4 Castle, which lost its final three games following the tragic death of starting offensive/defensive lineman/punter Patrick Kapahu, finished at 3-6.

"It's tough to take, but we had our opportunities," Knights coach Nelson Maeda said. "We had lots of them, actually. So even though it's a tough loss, you gotta be good losers and handle it the right way. If we're going to blame anybody, we have to look at ourselves first."

Trailing 18-12 with 2:45 left in the game and no timeouts to work with, Castle quarterback Bryson Ukauka engineered an impressive 13-play drive by completing five passes for 68 yards to give the Knights first-and-goal from the 3.

But Ukauka's quarterback sneak attempt was aborted when the ball slipped out of his hands while trying to stretch it across the goal line. Li'ili'i quickly pounced on the loose pigskin, setting off a wild celebration on the 'Aiea sideline and a chain of broken hearts on the other side of the field.

"We were trying to yell at Bryson to spike the ball, because we still had enough time (to score on second or third down)," Maeda said. "But I guess he saw a chance to get in on the quarterback sneak, and he slipped and then lost control of the ball. It would have been a storybook ending, but instead it was a sad finish."

A loss would have been just as disheartening for Na Ali'i, who took a 12-0 lead barely five minutes into the game. 'Aiea scored on its second offensive play, with quarterback Alfredo Higa connecting with Alan Fonoti on a 64-yard touchdown pass play.

The extra point attempt snap could not be handled due to a wet ball, but Na Ali'i struck again with 6:49 remaining when Higa found Fonoti again on a 6-yard TD pass to the back of the end zone.

The 2-point conversion run attempt fell way short, and the lead was 12-0.

Castle fumbled the ball away on its first play after the ensuing kickoff, but gained possession back at the 'Aiea 33 after a high punt snap. Seven plays later, Andrew Fakatoa ran it in from six yards out to make it 12-6. The extra point attempt fell short.

A torrential downpour throughout halftime turned the already soggy field into a quagmire, and the teams combined for six fumbles in the second half.

Na Ali'i took an 18-6 lead with 3:21 left in the third quarter on Higa's 11-yard touchdown pass to Li'ili'i.

The Knights gained first-and-goal on the 4 with 7:36 remaining in the game, but lost the ball on a fumble, one of seven Castle turnovers.

The Knights then closed it to 18-12 on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Ukauka to Scott Keiter-Charles, who caught the ball on about the 15 and then weaved his way through several defenders before diving into the end zone.

The Knights later apparently tied the game on a 35-yard interception return with 3:55 left, but the play was ruled dead because of an offsides penalty on Castle.

Maeda said the poor playing conditions hampered the Knights' game plan, more so than 'Aiea's.

"All of our (three) quarterbacks struggled tonight," Maeda said. "We actually practice a 'rainy day offense,' but it was difficult to throw. I think 'Aiea did a little better than we did because they have more running in their offensive package."

Li'ili'i finished with 107 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Ukauka was 14 of 25 for 211 yards.

'AIEA (4-5) 12 0 6 0 — 18

CASTLE (3-6) 6 0 0 6 —12

'Aiea — Alan Fonoti 65 pass from Alfredo Higa (kick failed).

'Aiea — Fonoti 6 pass from Higa (run failed).

Cast — Andrew Fakatoka 7 run (kick failed).

'Aiea — Lofa Li'iliæi 11 pass from Higa (pass failed).

Cast — Charles Keiter-Charles 54 pass from Bryson Ukauka (kick failed).

RUSHING — 'Aiea: Lofa Li'ili'i 23-107, Daniel Li'ili'i 7-35, Higa 5-(minus 2), Crenston Ioapo 2-1. Castle: Ukauka 2-3, Fakatoka 17-53, Bronson Kekahuna 1-(minus 5), Thomas Ilae 3-23, Keiter-Charles 1-15.

PASSING — 'Aiea: Higa 9-16-1—133. Castle: Ukauka 14-25-1—211, Moku Bruhn 0-1-1—0.

RECEIVING — 'Aiea: Lofa Liilii 2-14, Fonoti 2-71, Daniel Liilii 5-48. Castle: Corey Paredes 7-59, Fakatoka 2-3, Keiter-Charles 4-136, Kekahuna 1-13.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.