LIHUE — Carla Silva, whose son Ridge Serraon plays for the Kalaheo Crusaders, said Saturday that flag football is the fun football. The Crusaders won its match against the Lihue Black, four touchdowns to three touchdowns. Serraon threw three touchdown
LIHUE — Carla Silva, whose son Ridge Serraon plays for the Kalaheo Crusaders, said Saturday that flag football is the fun football.
The Crusaders won its match against the Lihue Black, four touchdowns to three touchdowns. Serraon threw three touchdown passes, one each to Nakoa Andrade, Nalu Aguano and Gregory Manintin, in the Kauai Police Activities League Bobcat division.
That match at the North Vidinha fields was one of many on a day filled with games. The K-PAL flag football program entered its second week of play after its opening game was delayed several times.
“We have about 600 kids in kindergarten through fifth-grade playing from Kekaha through Kilauea and even more north than that,” said K-PAL coordinator Mark Ozaki. “This is a little less kids than last year, but this year, we don’t have a middle school division because of poor registration. We hope to get the middle schoolers back up next year.”
Players in kindergarten through first-grade play in the Cubs division, players in second- through third-grade are in the Troopers division, and players fourth- through sixth-grade play in the Bobcat division.
Sean Andrade, coach for the Crusaders, said they miss players every week.
“We won today,” Andrade said. “But we are missing players because they’re on vacation, traveling or doing other things. It’s all good because this is summer and the kids need to be able to enjoy it. The kids enjoy themselves playing football, and Ridge has been our quarterback because of missing players. I just told him ‘We’re going as far as we can with you. If you can’t do the job, we’ll put someone else in.’”
Serraon, 11, said he’s been playing flag football since he was 5 years old.
“It’s fun,” the quarterback said. “I have good teammates, and we have a great coach.”
Carla, along with Natalie Silva, Serraon’s grandmother, said they are his greatest fans.
“Flag football is not as competitive as Pop Warner football,” Carla said. “Last year, Ridge sat out Pop Warner. This year, he’s still thinking about whether or not he wants to play. With flag football, the kids look like they have more fun. This is fun football.”
Ozaki said the flag football games play on Saturdays at the North Vidinha fields with the first games starting at 8 a.m.
The season continues until July 18.
