They've done it over and over again in practice, but when the time came during a pressure-filled situation, Waipahu's Lele Pefua came through with one of the game's biggest plays.

The 5-foot-8, 200-pound senior linebacker blocked the potential game-tying PAT and had a sack late in the game to help the Marauders defeat Roosevelt, 20-19, Friday in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association White game at Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex.

"We always work Monday through Thursday on field goal versus field-goal blocks, so we get a lot of work at it," Marauders coach Sean Saturnio said. "With all the practice in the world, it came more down to the 11 guys on the field that wanted to make something and everybody rose up a little bit.

"It was Lele's opportunity that he happened to get through and he executed the block like how we draw it off."

Pefua, an Advertiser all-state honorable mention pick last year, blocked the PAT after Roosevelt scored on a fumble return with 6:20 left in the game, cutting the deficit to one.

"We fumble the ball and they picked it up for a score," Saturnio said. "That's when he rose up and he became the leader the team needed him to be."

Pefua later sacked Roosevelt's Lowen Kahooilihala for an 8-yard loss and that series ended with 1:30 remaining.

"If you look at the end pure result on the scoreboard, if he doesn't block that PAT, we're tied with a few minutes left in the game," Saturnio said. "At worse, with the way the momentum was swinging, who knows what would happen.

"He came up big with a sack that helped our cause in a tremendous way."

Kaimi Haina gave Waipahu a boost in the first half with two interceptions, including one that started a touchdown drive eventually scored by quarterback Troy Matautia.

Waipahu pulled ahead 20-6 on Matautia's touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Roosevelt closed the deficit with a late run.

"Roosevelt played a wonderful game," Saturnio said. "They were very well prepared. They are the type of kids that you hope your kids will always work to the end and they worked to the end."

"We were gritty and scrapped and clawed. We didn't play an overly good game at various times throughout the game, but the offensive and defensive teams — there were various players that gave what the team needed them to give."

Reach Stanley Lee at sktlee@honoluluadvertiser.com.