HANAPEPE — “Once she rounds the corner, look out,” said Eric Rita from his vantage point at the food booth. Rita was referring to his daughter Laura “Boom” Rita, who is a member of the Koloa Raiders’ midget cheer team.
HANAPEPE — “Once she rounds the corner, look out,” said Eric Rita from his vantage point at the food booth.
Rita was referring to his daughter Laura “Boom” Rita, who is a member of the Koloa Raiders’ midget cheer team.
For the past three games, once the Midget girls are finished with their half-time competition routine, they pick up an idle football and compete on a short-ened field in a game of tag ball.
“You guys wanna play football?” Rita asked the Hanapepe Colts cheer squad. “Okay, who’s got the ball?”
Koloa had first possession as the Colts punted, and following a sizeable gain picked up by “Boom,” swept the outside for a touchdown on a 20-yard keeper.
“We’re undefeated,” the Koloa pepsters decried. “You should’ve seen Boom get to the Lihu’e quarterback!”
On the Hanapepe possession, it was an announcer’s delight as he called “wild ball” while the Colt pepsters hiked the ball, shovel passed, and tried to get past the Raider defense that outnumbered the Colts. But the effort was for naught as the half ended on a 7-0 Koloa win.
Rita said they’ve won all three of their games. The girls have played Lihu’e and Kekaha.
As the pepsters went through their mini game, one parent behind the video-cam said, “I’ve got it all on film” while the audience erupted in laughter at the antics of the girl football players.
Now that the audience and girls have a taste of the gridiron, one Koloa parent warned, “Wait until next year.”
