LIHUE — Lihue Patriots Junior Midget coach Jason Apilado wanted one more game before putting away the equipment for the year. “Coach Jason pretty much pulled this together,” Pam Arroyo, president of the Kauai Pop Warner Football League, said Sunday
LIHUE — Lihue Patriots Junior Midget coach Jason Apilado wanted one more game before putting away the equipment for the year.
“Coach Jason pretty much pulled this together,” Pam Arroyo, president of the Kauai Pop Warner Football League, said Sunday during the Kauai-style turkey game at Isenberg Park. “He contacted the band people, the Kauai Sports crew, and pretty much got everybody together so they could play one more game before calling it a season. We just came to support, and KPWFL commissioner Teddy Arroyo’s company donated four bicycles to give away — one to each team who was here to play.”
Noah Land of the Kapaa Eagles Mitey Mites was one of the bicycle recipients.
“This was a pretty good game,” said Ant Tangelder who was supporting Land on the field. “Not only did the Eagles win, 28-0 over Lihue, Noah got one of the bicycles.”
Arnold Sales, the Lihue Pop Warner Association president, said Cheysen Kaluahine of the Patriots Mitey Mite team was the recipient of the bicycle for the first game.
“What?” said Kawai Kaluahine, a JM cheerleader. “My brother won a bicycle? How did he do that?”
Kawai will be joined by Reyna Arellanes, Hoku Taniguchi, Iyanah Villon, Kayana Goias-Jerves and Kahylie Hepa as they leave for the Pop Warner National Dance and Cheer competition in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, escorted by coach Roxy Palau.
Cruz said the group will be joined by Lihue Patriots cheerleader Jaesha Mata who was selected by JAMZ, the national group who leads the yearly cheer camp for KPWFL, to perform with a national group during the Buffalo Wings Citrus Bowl in Florida. He said part of the proceeds from the Sunday event at Isenberg Park will help her with expenses for the trip.
“We’ll all be traveling together,” Palau said. “The girls will leave Dec. 5 and return on Dec. 12. I believe Lihue is the only cheer group going to Florida to compete.”
In addition to helping the JAMZ-selected cheerleader, Cruz said the Lihue Pop Warner Association will be contributing to the band programs at Kauai and Waimea high schools. Those schools sent a contingent of musical performers to the Kauai-style turkey bowl, including a drum line from each school jamming during the halftime of the Junior Midget contest.
Pam Arroyo said the Lihue Patriots Junior Peewee also will be leaving for Las Vegas on Tuesday. They play Saturday against the Fontana Falcons starting at 10 a.m. PST. The Hanapepe Colts will also be playing at the Southern Nevada Silver Bowl Saturday, facing the Imperial Valley JPW team in a kickoff at noon PST.
On the field, Lihue Patriots, suffering from a 28-0 loss to Kapaa in a Mitey Mite game, came back strong when Shiloh Kaneakua-Louis lit up the scoreboards for the Patriots.
Sitting on the 6-0 lead, the Kekaha Titans Junior Midgets answered with 3:10 remaining in the half when Kean Minia found the end zone on a two-yard swing to the rightside. A point-after boot by Bryson Kapahu gave the Titans an 8-6 bulge en route to the 16-12 final in favor of the Titans.
Keenan Kamakele of the Titans was selected the recipient of the bicycle, and Kaneakua-Louis went home with the bicycle for the Lihue Junior Midgets.
