HANAPEPE — Austin DeFreitas pulled in a pass to set up a score to lead Woodbridge High from Orange County, Calif., to a 13-0 win Saturday over Waimea. The Waimea High School Menehune finished its preseason, 1-2. Waimea quarterback Kiliona
HANAPEPE — Austin DeFreitas pulled in a pass to set up a score to lead Woodbridge High from Orange County, Calif., to a 13-0 win Saturday over Waimea.
The Waimea High School Menehune finished its preseason, 1-2.
Waimea quarterback Kiliona Russell-Moe, a transfer from Washington state, put the Menehune in good position on its opening possession, hitting Acetyn Emayo on a long pass for a first-and-goal on the Woodbridge 3-yard line.
The drive was snuffed when the Menehune committed its first of three turnovers in the end zone.
Waimea’s defense had bright moments, the first on a fumble recovery by C.J. Kahepuu on the 24-yard line. But Menehune’s ensuing drive came up empty when the ball squirted free in the end zone and was corralled by the Warriors.
Woodbridge took the ball to the Waimea 31-yard line before the Menehune defense held.
The defensive battle continued until the four-minute mark of the second quarter, when Woodbridge, facing fourth-and-13, took to the air. Quarterback Ryan Goodman hit DeFreitas for a first-and-10 on the Waimea 30.
On the next play, sophomore Alex Young ran into the end zone. Senior kicker Krauser Keating booted the point-after for the 7-0 lead at the 3:45 mark.
Late in the first half Woodbridge drove to the Waimea 35-yard line, but the Menehune defense again rose to the call and kept Woodbridge out of the end zone.
Woodbridge capped a 52-yard drive in the third quarter with a 1-yard charge by DeFreitas with 2:45 showing in the period.
The point-after boot was blocked for the 13-0.
Waimea’s offense was sparked by Russell-Moe, Emayo, Chava Delos Reyes and Destin Miguel.
The match was livestreamed to Warrior fans in Irvine, Calif.
Waimea’s next game is Friday at the Vidinha Stadium when they play the Kapaa High School Warriors in the Kauai Interscholastic Federation season opener.
The junior varsity match kicks off at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday night, Kauai High School wraps up the preseason by hosting Cottage Grove High School from Oregon at Vidinha Stadium starting at 7 p.m.
