• Changing of the guard? Changing of the guard? By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island The Friday night lights in the KIF mirrored big blue for a long time, in fact for over 10 years, the Waimea Menehune
• Changing of the guard?
Changing of the guard?
By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island
The Friday night lights in the KIF mirrored big blue for a long time, in fact for over 10 years, the Waimea Menehune football team practically owned the gridiron.
During that span of time, which was only a couple of years ago, the Menehune amassed a huge following and built a program that’s one of the most respected in the state.
Everytime you headed out to watch the Menehune play, you knew that no matter what deficit they faced, the end result would end in a Waimea victory.
Kaua‘i and Kapa‘a could not figure out the “Big Blue Machine” and they came close a couple of times, but the magical westsiders always managed to come up with the big plays to stave off any type of success from either the Warriors or Red Raiders.
Former head coach Jon Kobayashi and his coaching staff took the Waimea football program to new heights. Players like Eddie Tacub, Sean Jardin, Boni Garma, Donavan Gadingan, Kurt Castro, Jason Caldeira, Randy Villanueva, and many more, enjoyed the successes on the field.
In 2002 though, Kobayashi resigned and decided to spend more time with his family.
The two years that followed were rare times for the Menehune, who relinquished their crown, which they owned for over a decade, to the Red Raiders.
Is this the changing of the guard in KIF football?
This past Friday night, Kaua‘i grabbed its second straight KIF title.
Not only did the Red Raiders win the crown, they also did it on Waimea’s turf and on their homecoming.
Lots of former Menehune were in the stands at Hanapepe Stadium, looking at a team that desperately needs a spark to get them back in the saddle again. Head coach Liko Perreira shouldn’t be blamed at all for the two titles lost, instead, collectively the Menehune have to get back to the drawing boards and come up with a scheme to adjust to the Red Raider attack, which will reload next season, thanks to a loaded JV squad.
Kaua‘i varsity head coach Keli‘i Morgado, a Punahou graduate and Kaua‘i junior varsity head coach Derek Borrero, a Kaua‘i graduate have found the right mix and have worked hard to get the respect that they deserve.
For a while, the frustration of not winning the KIF title hindered both Kaua‘i and Kapa‘a.
You could see the lack of confidence from the two schools as they headed off the field with another loss to the Menehune.
For the Red Raiders, winning the KIF title for the second consecutive season means much more than wins and losses, instead it’s a matter of pride, which comes with beating the best and continuing to do so.
Winning a championship is a hard thing to do, but defending it is an even harder task.
That’s why the Menehune football team and their decade of winning remains as one of the most impeccable streaks in Kaua‘i sports history.
So will we see another streak of that sort from Kaua‘i High School, or will Waimea find the magic from the past, and let’s not forget about those pesky Kapa‘a Warriors, who seem to be in every game, but just can’t get past the yellow flags.
The Warriors and Menehune tangle in Kapa‘a’s homecoming game, which is the last contest of the KIF football season.
Pride is on the line for both teams at Vidinha Stadium this Friday. Kaua‘i in the meantime, wait for the Maui division II champs, either Kamehameha-Maui or Pac-3 in state quarterfinal action on Nov. 19 at Hanapepe Stadium.
Duane Shimogawa Jr., Sports Editor can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) and kauaisports@pulitzer.net
