HANAPEPE — The Lihue Raiders Mitey Mites moved a step closer to the Regional Championships Sunday after defeating the Hanapepe Colts Mitey Mites during the Kauai Pop Warner Football League games at Hanapepe Stadium.
The Raider Mitey Mites broke away from an 8-8 halftime stalemate to score two touchdowns and beat the Colts Mitey Mite, 22-8 during the first contest played on Sundays due to the endangered seabird fledging season.
“This was the first game of the day — two Mitey Mite teams battling to represent Kauai, and Hawaii, in the Division 3 Regional Championships in California,” said KPWFL commissioner Blaine Agena. “With the win by the Lihue Raiders, the team improves to 6-0 and is one step closer to the Regionals. With the loss, the best that Hanapepe Colts (4-2) can hope for is a tie which would force a playoff game to determine who continues to California.”
Both teams broke a 0-0 first quarter tie to score in the second frame when Lihue’s Drake Javier broke the scoring plane at the end of a 31-yard run. Chase Kawakami put the Raiders up 8-0 with his point after touchdown that came with 6:38 showing in the half.
The Colts answered with 3:52 showing when Kepa Pablo pulled in a 56-yard scoring pass and River Balocan forcing the 8-8 stalemate with a successful PAT boot.
Lihue came back to score in the third and fourth quarters for the win when Takase Thomas found the end zone in the third frame at the end of a 26 yard run, and broke out for 65 yards and the final score of the game, Kawakami doing the PAT honors in the 22-8 win.
During the PeeWee division contest that followed, an unsuccessful PAT was the margin of victory as the Lihue Raiders PeeWee took an 8-6 edge off the field over the Hanapepe Colts.
Mahana Alameda scored for Lihue on a two-yard charge into the end zone, and Kaimana Chong provided the margin of victory with his PAT boot in the first quarter.
Hanapepe answered with Shayden Dela Cruz scoring on a three-yard charge in the second frame.
With two losses opening the day for Hanapepe, the Unlimited division 30-6 win over the Kekaha Titans redeemed the losses.
Nalu Ho‘okano opened the Hanapepe tally with an 11-yard score with just 32 ticks showing in the first quarter, and Isaac Ulanday did the point-after honors for the 8-0 go-ahead that was answered late in the second quarter when Kekaha’s Ridge Naka‘ahiki-Iwai scored on a one-yard dive, the point-after failing for the 8-6 Hanapepe bulge at the break.
Alika Reyonolds upped the Hanapepe ante in the third quarter on a 38-yard touchdown with Ulanday doing the PAT boot for the 16-6 go-ahead.
Ulanday continued to add to the Colts’ score, adding a six-yard touchdown and PAT in the fourth quarter. With less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation play, Ulanday pounced on a fumble recovery and ran the ball in for a 16-yard score and the successful PAT.
During the afternoon series, the Kekaha Titans Mitey Mites opened with a 12-0 win over the Koloa Rams when Kaikea Miyashiro found the end zone twice in the first half — a 15-yard scoring run, and a 42-yarder. Both PAT attempts were unsuccessful.
Dayton Shimatsu provided the Kekaha Titans PeeWee division with the margin of victory after successfully booting the PAT following Brennon Fernandez’s touchdown in the first quarter as the Titan PeeWees took an 8-6 margin over Koloa.
Koloa found the end zone coming off an 8-0 halftime deficit when Kupa‘a Kaimina‘auao scampered nine yards for the Ram’s score, the PAT being unsuccessful.
This weekend’s KPWFL games move to the Bryan Baptiste Memorial Sports Park in Kapaa, Sunday when the first of five contests kick off starting at 7:30 a.m.
