HANAPEPE — Waimea High School quarterback Tresten Shigematsu kept for two touchdowns and passed for another pair of scores Saturday to lead the Menehune to a 28-14 win over Kaua‘i High School at the Hanapepe Stadium.
Playing before hundreds of people at the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation football game, the Red Raiders lit up the scoreboards first, scoring two touchdowns in the opening stanza for an early 14-0 bulge,
The Menehune answered the call in the second quarter with two touchdowns despite a Kaua‘i interception in the end zone early in the frame to deadlock the contest, 14-14 at the break.
Refreshed from the short halftime, the Menehune took the wind out of Kaua‘i’s sail with a pass interception.
Waimea’s offensive unit churned up a touchdown in the third quarter and iced the victory with a touchdown in the fourth quarter before bleeding the clock following a fumble recovery that stymied the Red Raiders.
Fueled by a long infraction against the Menehune, Kaua‘i opened the scorebooks when Andrew Passi found Mareyon Cromarte at the end of a 57-yard scoring strike. Nainoa Itamura’s boot split the uprights for the 7-0 bulge with 4:35 showing in the opening quarter.
Taking over after Waimea failed to convert on the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders struck again when Passi found Austin Renaud in the end zone on another 50-plus yard scoring aerial. Itamura’s boot capped the drive for the 14-0 lead with 2:38 remaining.
The Menehune answered in the second quarter on a second effort when Shigematsu cradled the pigskin for a 4-yard score after Kaua‘i nearly spoiled the first attempt when Greg Manintin plucked a Shigematsu aerial in the end zone. There still was a lot of time on the clock before the break as the score showed 6:51 remaining.
Joseph Sams, going perfect in Point After Touchdown kicks, and a failed field goal, upped the scoreboard 14-7 as the Menehune kept chipping away at the deficit before the half.
Shigematsu found Anson Lazaro in the end zone on a 12-yard scoring pass, and Sams did the PAT boot to deadlock the contest, 14-14 at the break.
Facing a new game coming out of the locker rooms, Kaua‘i’s Passi found Renaud on a nice pass play that was coupled with a several big penalties against Waimea to put the Raiders in striking position on the Waimea 29-yard strike.
But the Big Blue defense raised its head as Josiah Banasihan plucked a Passi aerial to shut down the Kaua‘i offensive effort for the afternoon.
The pivotal defensive play sparked another Menehune touchdown when Shigematsu found Lazaro in the end zone for a 6-yard scoring pass. Sams’ boot broke the 14-14 stalemate with 5:16 showing in the third quarter.
An encore defensive play when Jonah Sandal intercepted a Kaua‘i pass in the fourth quarter coughed up Waimea’s final score that came on a 9-yard Shigematsu keeper, and Sams’ foot finding the uprights, 28-14 with 11:10 showing in the game.
Hope for a Red Raider comeback was crushed when Waimea’s Damien Akita pounced on a loose ball on the Kaua‘i 18-yard line with 4:34 showing on the game clock.
With the win, Waimea prepares for its Homecoming contest scheduled for Nov. 27, while the Red Raiders are still looking for its first “W” when it faces Kapa‘a High School, currently undefeated, and ranked No. 8 in the Bedrock Sports Hawai‘i Top 10, Saturday in a single contest starting with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Vidinha Stadium.
Go Big Blue!