Kama Bailey returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and Damien School teammate Christian Vasconcellos returned an interception 81 yards for another TD last night to help the West defeat the East, 37-16, in the 17th Annual Hawai'i Union Builders Goodwill Senior Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

Bailey, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound running back, returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a score then added a 94-yard return to give the West the lead for good at 20-16 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"This was good fun, I was just having fun out there," said Bailey, who rushed for a state-best 2,045 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. "I didn't really think I would return two for touchdowns, but I just tried to do whatever I can because this is my last high school game."

West coach Wendell Say of 'Aiea said Bailey showed in practice that he is one of the state's top talents, regardless of Damien's Division II classification.

"He's the real deal," Say said. "College coaches were asking about him this week, and I told them he had the work ethic, he practices hard. And you could see he can run, he's hard to tackle."

The East tied the score at 7-7 after Tamatoa DeMello's 36-yard TD pass to Bruce Andrews on a halfback option with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter, then went up 13-7 with 27 seconds left in the half when Micah Mamiya tossed an 8-yard TD to Earvin Sione. The two-point conversion run failed.

The West took the lead back early in the second half after Rustin Funakoshi's 71-yard touchdown strike to James Buchanan, with Colin Lund's extra point making it 14-13.

Josh Mun's 38-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter put the East back on top, 16-14. Bailey then returned the ensuing kickoff for a score, and the two-point conversion run failed.

Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Matt Ibanez returned a fumble 25 yards for a TD, although a TV replay showed quarterback Cody vonAppen's knee apparently hitting the ground before the ball came loose.

Lund's extra point made it 27-16, and after another lost fumble by the East, he converted a 43-yard field goal to put the West up 30-16 with 9:12 remaining.

About five minutes later, Vasconcellos leaped over an East receiver for an interception at his own 19, then raced up the left sideline and made one sharp cut at about the East 20 to avoid the last defender before cruising into the end zone.

"This feels so good," said Vasconcellos, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback who has committed to play for the University of Hawai'i. "This season was rough, and I thought the Pac-Five game (in the regular season finale) would be my last game. I got an interception in that game, but it wasn't a 'pick-6.' I was really rusty and had a hard time warming up (tonight), but slowly the pace came back."

Read Wes Nakama's blog on prep sports at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.