LIHU‘E — Saturday evening at Vidinha Stadium the Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders went to battle against the Pac-Five Wolfpack of Honolulu. Although they appeared poised to put up big numbers after scoring on its first possession, Kaua‘i fell flat
LIHU‘E — Saturday evening at Vidinha Stadium the Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders went to battle against the Pac-Five Wolfpack of Honolulu. Although they appeared poised to put up big numbers after scoring on its first possession, Kaua‘i fell flat offensively for much of the remaining game, however, they were able to hold on for the 13-12 victory.
On its opening possession of the game, the Red Raiders drove the ball 67-yards, which culminated on a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trey Aguano to Desmound Souza. Grant Basquez was able to convert the extra point, giving the Red Raiders the early 7-0 lead.
Unfortunately for Kaua‘i, that would be its last trip into the endzone for the duration of the game.
Pac-Five began to put the pressure on Kaua‘i in the second quarter as they were able to complete a 43-yard drive with a touchdown pass, missing the extra point and leaving the Wolfpack down 7-6.
The Red Raiders were able to add a field goal with less than four minutes left in the second quarter, giving them a 10-6 lead going into the half.
Moving into the third quarter, it was more of the same offensively for both teams. The Red Raiders were able to add another field goal via the leg of Basquez putting them up 13-6 through the third quarter of play.
That didn’t deter the Wolfpack as they made a late game charge on a 54-yard drive, which ended in a 1-yard touchdown run. Curiously, the Wolfpack decided to go for the two-point conversion, which was unsuccessful leaving them down 13-12. This is how the game would finish.
To go with his early touchdown pass, Aguano led the Red Raiders with his legs as he racked up 122-yards on 11 carries and had three runs over 20-yards during the game. He also completed 10-of-24 passes for 69-yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Kanoa Iwasaki was on the receiving end collecting five catches for 34-yards.
Defensively Kaua‘i played solid for the majority of the game and came up with a key fourth-and-one stop late in the fourth quarter, which sealed the victory for Kaua‘i.
James Bukoski was a stand-out defender as he finished with 10 tackles and one sack. Alvin Honorato also contributed with an interception.
The win gives Kaua‘i a perfect 3-0 record through the preseason, which will set up its regular season debut Friday at Vidinha Stadium as they prepare to battle the Waimea Menhune.
The game will begin at 7:30 p.m., with a junior varsity game proceeding it as Kaua‘i High will take on Kapa‘a at 5 p.m.
•Rick Killeen, sports writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or sports@thegardenisland.com. Follow Rick on Twitter @RickKilleen.
