Football: Hater helps Dragons get a leg up on Panthers

Ryan Hater runs.

Kubasaki running back Ryan Hater gets sandwiched by two Kadena defenders. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – His right leg was the worry going into Kubasaki’s football season. Ryan Hater put those concerns to rest with a huge performance Friday.

The senior running back-placekicker booted two first-quarter field goals and added a 61-yard touchdown run early in the second period, then the Dragons held off a fourth-quarter comeback for a 12-6 win over Kadena in a rematch of last October’s Far East Division I final. “

Make it or break it,” Hater said of the two field goals. “Game’s on the line. Special teams wins championships. I said I can do it. I know I can. And I did.”