LIHUE — Friday night lights returns to Vidinha Stadium this week when the Kauai Youth Football Westside meets the Lihue Bulldogs starting at 7 p.m. “We originally had the game scheduled for Saturday, but the stadium is already booked so
LIHUE — Friday night lights returns to Vidinha Stadium this week when the Kauai Youth Football Westside meets the Lihue Bulldogs starting at 7 p.m.
“We originally had the game scheduled for Saturday, but the stadium is already booked so we got the Friday Night Lights,” said Brad Hiranaka, the KYF commissioner Saturday night following the league’s opening game. “There will be some Saturday night games during the league play which ends May 31.”
The Bulldogs, a D1 team in the KYF league, took up a block in the stands of several hundred people who watched the Westside Pride under the coaching of Thomas Apilado and Elton Montemayor eat up the Kapaa Warriors, 50-6.
Ransen Pasion and Lanakila Gushiken-Banquel led the Westside charge, both players garnering two touchdowns apiece in the win. Quarterback Lacin Montemayor iced the win, tapping paydirt on a 4-yard charge with 7:05 showing.
Aka Wisneski, in addition to doing kickoff honors, marked four successful point-after boots and a pass interception with just 16 seconds remaining in the first half to ensure a 26-6 Westside margin at the break.
From the onset, Westside demonstrated its defensive prowess when Noa Simao blocked a Kapaa punt for Westside’s first possession on the Kapaa 44-yard line.
Kapaa put up a fight when Raffy Perono forced a turnover two plays from scrimmage.
The Kapaa possession was short-lived as Makana Ruiz forced the ball back to the Westside on the Kapaa 34-yard line from where Pasion reaped the first touchdown on a 7-yard charge with 2:38 showing in the opening frame.
Gushiken-Banquel opened the second quarter with a 15-yard charge to the end zone for a 12-0 lead in the first nine ticks of quarter.
Kapaa answered on the ensuing drive, quarterback Lanakila Pagtolingan finding Adonis Llego-Pelletier on the sidelines for a 61-yard scoring strike with 9:25 showing in the half.
Westside came back with two more scores before the break, Pasion capping a 63-yard drive on a 1-yard dive after tapping Dylan Balaan on a long pass play which settled the ball on the end zone chalk.
Pasion secured his third touchdown of the night with 1:31 showing in the half, charging another yard to score, capping a drive which was set up on a Westside fumble recovery.
Gushiken-Banquel owned the third quarter when Westside scored two touchdowns and triggered the running clock in the first three minutes of play.
Gushiken-Banquel asseted the Westside presence on a 75-yard opening kickoff return for touchdown, following that feat with a 20-yard romp to the end zone.
Wisneski, finding the uprights late in the second quarter, split the uprights on a PAT boot at the 7-minute mark to trigger the running clock.
With the luxury of time on its side, Lacin Montemayor ignited the jubilant Westside spectators, handing the pigskin to big Harrison Kanahele for several carries.
Lacin iced the win at the 7:05 mark, running the ball in on a keeper play for the 50-6 final.
The KYF D1 teams from Waimea (Westside), Lihue (Bulldogs) and Kapaa (Warriors) are made up of middle school players.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
