LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation championship was within their grasp and the Kaua‘i Red Raiders made sure it didn’t slip through their fingers. Kaua‘i was relentless in a 38-0 win, Friday night at Vidinha Stadium. The Raiders now sit
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation championship was within their grasp and the Kaua‘i Red Raiders made sure it didn’t slip through their fingers. Kaua‘i was relentless in a 38-0 win, Friday night at Vidinha Stadium.
The Raiders now sit at 8-0 on the season, 5-0 in the KIF, clinching the first-place finish in the standings and a berth in the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state tournament.
For the third straight meeting, it took a while for Kaua‘i’s offense to find a rhythm against the strong Kapa‘a defense. The teams traded short possessions for much of the first half, until Kaua‘i moved to the Kapa‘a 14-yard line.
After a holding penalty backed up the Kaua‘i offense to a 2nd and 25, quarterback Trey Shimabukuro dropped back and hit receiver Taran Tani in stride down the seam for a 29-yard touchdown to get the Raiders on the board with 6:32 to play in the first half.
Late in the half, a botched lateral moved the Kapa‘a offense backward, eventually facing a 4th and 18 at its own 12-yard line. Kaua‘i’s Tani broke through the Kapa‘a line and stuffed the Davin Chong punt. Niko Chow pounced on the ball right at the goal line, scoring the Raiders’ second touchdown of the night, making it 14-0 with 1:39 to play in the second quarter.
The teams headed to the locker room and homecoming ceremonies commenced with a Michael Jackson-themed performance from the Kaua‘i band, but not before a masked streaker sprinted the length of the field and into the bushes on the airport side of the stadium.
After the entertainment, the Raiders put on a show of their own in the third. On their first possession, they moved into Warrior territory and Shimabukuro put one up for Kalena “Boom” Rodero Workman, who came down with the 43-yard score just over three minutes into the half.
On Kapa‘a’s second offensive play, defensive back Kalen Nakaahiki stepped in front of a Brehdan Kamibayashi pass for the first interception of the night.
On the ensuing drive, Shimabukuro tossed a soft pass that Rodero Workman grabbed for his second touchdown in the first eight minutes of the quarter.
Kaua‘i came up with another turnover on Kapa‘a’s first play, when Chow again showed a good nose for the ball and intercepted Kamibayashi, leading to a Shea Shimabukuro 40-yard field goal.
With just under 10 minutes to play in the game, senior captain Trey Shimabukuro came out of his final KIF home game, receiving handshakes from his coaching staff. He watched the rest of the action from the sideline after completing 19 of 31 passes for 261 yards and three scores.
On a 3rd and Goal from the 19-yard line, backup quarterback Rodero Workman tossed a pitch to running back Kele Hanohano, who then pulled up and tossed a pass toward the end zone. Receiver Jamen Kealoha-Albarado went up and made a great grab for the touchdown, concluding the scoring.
With starting Kaua‘i running back Paleku Yasay unavailable, Hanohano filled in admirably and ran hard all night, finishing with 20 carries for 98 yards.
Tani was named player of the game, hauling in eight passes for 117 yards and a score, plus the blocked punt.
For Kapa‘a, running back Darren Taylor was unable to get much going on the ground in the first half, then took a brutal hit late in the second quarter. Kamibayashi threw a beautiful pass down the middle right into Taylor’s arms, but the junior running back was hit high by two Kaua‘i defenders at once.
The pass was incomplete and Taylor remained on the ground for a few moments, before he was able to walk off to the sideline with some support from the training staff. He did not return to the field.
Kapa‘a is now 3-4 on the season, 2-3 in the KIF. The Warriors will have next week off as Kaua‘i heads to Hanapepe Stadium to face Waimea High School (0-6, 0-4).
