LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Red Raiders will be putting their perfect 6-0 record on the line tonight when they host the Waimea Menehune (0-4, 0-2) at 7:30 p.m. at Vidinha Stadium. In the teams’ first meeting, Kaua‘i quarterback Trey Shimabukuro
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Red Raiders will be putting their perfect 6-0 record on the line tonight when they host the Waimea Menehune (0-4, 0-2) at 7:30 p.m. at Vidinha Stadium.
In the teams’ first meeting, Kaua‘i quarterback Trey Shimabukuro sat out with a knee injury, but backup Kalena “Boom” Rodero Workman filled in nicely, throwing three touchdown passes and running for another score to propel Kaua‘i to a 34-10 victory.
However, Waimea has made strong improvements on both sides of the ball since that meeting, engaging in an entertaining and hard-fought battle with Kapa‘a two weeks ago, ultimately coming up just short in a 7-6 loss.
The defense held its ground nicely, limiting the Warriors to just 21 yards rushing while quarterback Jenzen Cacal was 8 for 15 for 108 yards passing.
As he was in the Kaua‘i matchup, Waimea all-purpose player Kaulana Waalani-Arroyo was the big-play threat, hauling in a 70-yard touchdown pass, while also returning kicks and notching a sack on the defensive side. Getting the ball in his hands will likely be the Menehune plan when a big play is needed.
Clifton Callejo also provided Waimea a spark in that contest, rushing six times for 58 yards. Perhaps the coaching staff will again look to get the junior more involved out of the backfield.
As for the Kaua‘i offense, Shimabukuro will see the Waimea defense for the first time this season. The senior showed no ill-effects from that injury in last week’s 24-0 win over Kapa‘a, though his passing numbers (15 for 39, 194 yards) don’t indicate a very efficient outing.
Shimabukuro and his receivers seemed to be slightly out of sync on some intermediate routes, but his throws were usually safe. He clearly trusts his receivers and allows them to go make plays down the field.
That will probably be the key to this one, whether or not Waimea is susceptible to the big play. The Menehune clamped down on Kapa‘a in the red zone their last time out and must again display that “bend but don’t break” mentality to make Kaua‘i work hard to reach paydirt.
