LIHU‘E — Waimea’s Henry Delos Reyes pulled in two touchdown passes and Brock Tacata intercepted a Kaua‘i pass to give the Waimea JV football team an 18-14 win in the hot afternoon sun at Vidinha Stadium. The heat took its
LIHU‘E — Waimea’s Henry Delos Reyes pulled in two touchdown passes and Brock Tacata intercepted a Kaua‘i pass to give the Waimea JV football team an 18-14 win in the hot afternoon sun at Vidinha Stadium.
The heat took its toll on the JV Red Raiders as Kelson Andrade, nursing an injured foot against the JV Warriors last week, was pressed into service late in the second half. And Kanoa Iwasaki, doubling as quarterback, succumbed to the heat along with his brother Kaiea Iwasaki.
With the JV Raiders driving in the final four minutes, the Menehune squashed any hope of a comeback by sacking Andrade in the midfield.
Delos Reyes, pulling in air balls throughout the afternoon, put the icing on the Waimea win by pulling in a 30-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Peterson Lahip with 5:06 remaining in the game.
A failed point-after locked the scoreboard on the 18-14 win after the JV Menehune defense stopped the Kaua‘i drive.
The Menehune opened the game early, capitalizing on its first possession on a 53-yard Lahip to Delos Reyes touchdown with 4:07 showing in the first period.
Tacata’s point-after boot failed for the 6-0 bulge.
But Tacata redeemed that effort on the ensuing Kaua‘i drive, blocking a Red Raider punt, recovering the loose ball and running it in from about 25 yards out with 2:12 showing in the opening frame for the early 12-0 lead.
Kaua‘i answered on the ensuing drive, moving the ball to inside the Menehune red zone before Brock Ephan plugged the effort on a fumble recovery at the Menehune 9-yard line as time ran out on the quarter.
The defensive slugfest continued through most of the second quarter until Kaua‘i finally broke through the red zone on a Kanoa Iwasaki three-yard aerial hit to brother Kaiea with just seven ticks remaining in the half.
Alec King-Martin booted the point-after to pull Kaua‘i to a 12-7 deficit at the half.
Facing a five-point deficit, Kaua‘i came back from the locker rooms and on its opening kickoff drive, stumbled at the Menehune 14-yard line on a fourth-and-six.
Keanu Hanohano struck, recovering a fumble recovery and running it back to the end zone as Waimea tried to dig out on the ensuing series.
King-Martin’s point-after boot at the 7:01 mark put Kaua‘i into the lead, 14-12.
That lead stook until the final quarter when Lahip found Delos Reyes for the second time, a 30-yard touchdown hit.
Waimea will host the JV Warriors at the Hanapepe Stadium, Saturday, with a 2 p.m. kickoff. The varsity matchup is scheduled to start no earlier than 4:30 p.m.
