LIHU‘E — The discussion after last week’s impressive 47-7 win over Honoka‘a was that Kaua‘i High School’s second preseason matchup would be the true test. If Saturday’s road game against Lahainaluna was a test, head coach Derek Borrero and his
LIHU‘E — The discussion after last week’s impressive 47-7 win over Honoka‘a was that Kaua‘i High School’s second preseason matchup would be the true test. If Saturday’s road game against Lahainaluna was a test, head coach Derek Borrero and his Red Raiders probably deserve an A.
Kaua‘i came away with a 35-18 win over Lahainaluna, Saturday afternoon in Lahaina, Maui. Playing at Lahainaluna’s home “Imu” field, the Raiders relied on their sure-handed running back, Paleku Yasay, for much of the afternoon. The senior piled up 173 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries.
Yasay was also the Raiders’ main weapon for the majority of the first quarter in the Honoka‘a victory, before Coach Borrero decided to open up the passing game and limit his carries for the rest of the night. The 2008 Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation All-Star got a much larger workload Saturday and continued to prove his abilities. He handled the ball on 32 of Kaua‘i’s 42 rush attempts.
Quarterback Trey Shimabukuro was somewhat limited in terms of yardage numbers, completing nine of 18 passes for 105 yards, but threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.
Taran Tani was on the receiving end of Shimabukuro’s first touchdown, an 11-yard pass with 9:29 left in the first quarter to give Kaua‘i a 7-0 lead. Yasay hit the end zone later in the first on a nine-yard run to increase the lead to 13-0.
Lahainaluna cut the deficit to a single point in the second quarter on two one-yard touchdown runs by Imihana Ampong. A Shea Shimabukuro 42-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with room to spare to give the Raiders a 16-12 lead at the half.
After the break, Kele Hanohano hauled in a 21-yard touchdown reception with 9:07 to go in the third quarter to increase the lead to 23-12. After a Luna touchdown late in the third, Hanohano found paydirt again, this time on the ground with a 21-yard run. The extra point failed.
Trey Shimabukuro put the final score on the board with a two-yard touchdown run with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. The missed extra point created the final math, a 35-18 Raider win.
Lahainaluna quarterback T.J. Rickard carried 19 times for 91 yards.
Lahainaluna had not lost on its “Imu” field since 1947, though it did have a 47-year hiatus from play and just resumed action there in 2004. The Lunas were 10-0 in home games since that time heading into Saturday’s showdown with Kaua‘i.
Kaua‘i is the only KIF team to still have a game remaining before conference play kicks off on Sept. 11. The Raiders will take on Coronado High School at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Vidinha Stadium.
The Maui News contributed to this story.
