LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School is heading to the state Division II championship game next week on O‘ahu after a 28-14 semifinal win over Hawai‘i Prep Academy, Friday night at Vidinha Stadium. The undefeated Red Raiders were down 6-0 at
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School is heading to the state Division II championship game next week on O‘ahu after a 28-14 semifinal win over Hawai‘i Prep Academy, Friday night at Vidinha Stadium.
The undefeated Red Raiders were down 6-0 at halftime, due in large part to four turnovers, but rebounded in the second half to overcome Ka Makani.
“Unbelievable,” Kaua‘i head coach Derek Borrero told his team in a huddle on the field after the game. “I am speechless. You guys deserve this.”
No. 2 seed Kaua‘i will play No. 1 seed Iolani in the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association championship game at 4:30 p.m., Friday, at Aloha Stadium. Iolani defeated Aiea 21-7 Friday night to advance to the finals.
After a scoreless first quarter, HPA struck first with 3:47 to play in the half on a 10-yard pass by Keanu Yamamoto to Isaiah Adams. The Red Raiders blocked Kalei Konrad’s point-after attempt.
Kaua‘i’s special teams unit kept the score down by blocking a 43-yard field goal attempt with under a minute to go in the half.
The Red Raiders went into the locker room at halftime with four turnovers. Running back Paleku Yasay fumbled twice and quarterback Trey Shimabukuro threw two interceptions, picked off by Ka Makani’s Billy Kailimai and Dustin Hoover.
At halftime, Borrero said he told his team to “stop shooting ourselves in the foot” and execute like he knew the players could.
The Kaua‘i coach said he didn’t know if it was rust from the long break or the playoff jitters, but his team came out firing in the second half. Four weeks have lapsed since the KIF champions’ final regular-season contest, a 45-0 win over Waimea on Oct. 30.
The Red Raiders drove the field to open the third quarter, in part with a highlight-reel 32-yard pass to Kalena Rodero-Workman. The scoring play came with 9:38 to play in the quarter on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Shimabukuro to Jamen Kealoha-Albarado. Shea Shimabukuro’s extra point was good, giving Kaua‘i its first lead of the game at 7-6.
Riddled with penalties (Kaua‘i ended the game with eight penalties for 81 yards), what would have been a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown was called back for Red Raiders’ blocking below the waste and holding.
A HPA interception was followed by a Kaua‘i fumble, giving Ka Makani the ball back with under five minutes to play in the third quarter.
Kaua‘i took possession to open the fourth quarter after recovering a fumble on the HPA 16-yard line, but they went three and out.
The Red Raiders found the end zone again with 8:54 to play in the fourth quarter on a 43-yard run by Kele Hanohano, who had 69 total yards in the game.
In near rapid-fire succession, Kaua‘i tacked on another 14 points just a couple minutes apart. Yasay had a 25-yard touchdown reception with 7:09 to play, and Trey Shimabukuro punched in a 1-yard quarterback sneak that was set up by a Rodero-Workman reception for some 35 yards.
With 5:40 to play, HPA was down 28-6.
Ka Makani made it 28-14 with under a minute to play in the game on a 51-yard pass to Nathaniel Adams from Yamamoto, followed by a successful two-point conversion.
HPA recovered the onside kick, but with only seconds to play, there just wasn’t enough time.
“I really enjoyed the composure my team had on the sideline,” Borrero said. “I told them this was a beautiful opportunity for us. We worked hard. These kids sacrificed a lot.”
HPA head coach Jordan Hayslip said he remains really proud of his team.
“They just came up short tonight,” he said on the field after the game. “(Kaua‘i) came out and threw the ball well in the second half. We came out with turnovers.”
Hayslip said Shimabukuro, KIF Offensive Player of the Year, is as good as any quarterback his team had seen this year.
“He can really thread the needle,” the HPA coach said.
HPA upset No. 3 Moanalua last week, 17-14.
The Red Raiders ended the game with 343 total yards offense to HPA’s 281.
Kaua‘i lost in the first round of last season’s playoffs against Radford, 17-7. In 2007, the Raiders won their first-round game 40-9 over Roosevelt before falling 35-21 to Iolani, a team that Borrero said he will have his team preparing for next week.
“In September, I said I wanted to end our season, regardless of the outcome, in Aloha Stadium,” Borrero said. “Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.”
• Nathan Eagle, managing editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 227) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
