HONOLULU — Early on in this football season now passed, I wrote a column
suggesting that teams from Oahu might fear traveling to Kaua’i for a showdown
on Waimea’s turf.
I offered the theory that the Kahukus and St. Louis
Schools of the state’s most populated island wouldn’t want to risk scuffing
their images with a possible loss on the Garden Island. Alright, after watching
those squads — ranked second and first in the state respectively — Friday
night, I’m willing to back off the claim that Waimea could defeat either.
But I’m leaving this on the table, right where it belongs: The Menehunes are,
pound for pound, clearly worthy of a top three state ranking. Need numberical
proof? Waimea was the only neighbor-island team even to score in the state
quarterfinal games.
Obviously, the key to that claim is the pound-for-pound
idea. Though in spots Waimea was able to hold Kahuku at bay during the teams’
state playoffs quarterfinal at Aloha Stadium, the Menehunes were unable to
contain the Red Raiders over the long haul.
Twice did the Red Raiders
drive the ball inside the 10-yard line, putting the onus on the Waimea defense.
Twice did the Menehunes respond to that onus — for three downs. On fourth,
however, the Kahuku offensive line simply pushed and shoved, allowing its skill
players a waltz into the end zone.
But while it’s true that, when applied
over the course of the game, the Red Raiders’ size did matter, the Menehunes
made their names during the spurts inbetween.
Chief among those names was
junior Chesley Barba. The cornerback/receiver/special teamer recorded one
interception and one fumble recovery. He stands just 5-foot-4 and weighs 134
pounds. He was on the wrong end of a memorable Kahuku moment, when Red Raider
running back Mulivai Pula pancaked him in the third quarter. But Barba also
defined the Waimea spirit on a handful of occasions.
More than once did
Barba end up in the Kahuku backfield, bringing down foes 50 pounds his superior
for a loss.
He, along with the rest of the Menehunes proved that football
matchups cannot exclusively be calculated on paper.
Waimea also showed that
a well-disciplined team can pounce at any moment, can capitalize on its
opponents’ lull in the blink of an eye.
After Kahuku erupted for 29
first-quarter points — 15 off Waimea turnovers — the Red Raiders became
complacent, comfortable. The Menehunes were ready, and that readiness delivered
them 17 points in a row. It wasn’t necessarily that Waimea re-loaded and went
on the attack. On the contrary, the KIF champions played at the same speed and
with the same intensity all night.
And I mean all night.
Late in the
fourth quarter, with his team trailing 43-17, tailback Josh May unleashed the
most inspiring of his workmanlike runs on the evening. With only pride left to
play for, the senior transfer charged into the teeth of the Kahuku defense.
The waiting big bodies crunched him at the line of scrimmage, but May
drove his legs forward. Eventually, one of the bodies spun May around by his
jersey. The 200-pound Menehune went with the spin and broke to the outside.
There he bowled through two more Red Raider defenders before a gang tackling
brought him down 14 yards beyond his starting point.
It was the kind of
play that, as the television announcers in the press booth observed, summed the
Waimea effort on the night: relentless.
It was the kind of effort,
especially in the second quarter, that garnered the Menehunes perhaps the
biggest compliment of their season.
On the phone last week, Kahuku coach
Siuaki Livai told me that, if push came to shove, he could always just create a
wall with his offensive linemen and let his running backs work behind them. But
the coach said he didn’t want to do that — that it wasn’t a pretty way to play
the game, unappealing to the fans. But it was a gameplan that Waimea forced.
When they let their guard down, the Red Raiders saw what heart and
determination can deliver. And, with good reason, the OIA champions got
nervous. With that, Kahuku turned to steamrolling in the second half. There was
no way for Waimea to stop it; the laws of physics, eventually, must
apply.
And when they did, the Menehunes were underfoot. But not without the
grit and determination that has characterized Waimea football long before I
arrived on this island, and surely will continue to be the school’s calling
card indefinitely.
Kahuku 43, Waimea
17
Waimea 0 17 0 0 — 17
Kahuku
29 0 14 0 — 43
Scoring
Summary
Kahuku—Smith 7 run (Lee Kick)
Kahuku—Francisco 53 punt
return (Lee kick)
Kahuku—Mapu 14 fumble return (Au
run)
Kahuku—Kammerer 72 pass Funaki (Lee kick)
Waimea—A. Agan 32
FG
Waimea—Sablan 12 run (Agan kick)
Waimea—Sablan 8 pass Naumu (Agan
kick)
Kahuku—Smith 3 pass Funaki (kick fail)
Kahuku—Pula 17 run
(Salanoa pass Au)
The Vital Statistics
Menehunes Red Raiders
First Downs 10 16
Rushes-Yards 46-173 36-218
Passing Yards
84 152
Total offense 52-257 56-370
Punt
Return-Yards 0-0 3-60
Kick return-Yards 7-44
4-48
Fumbles-Lost 7-3 5-2
Penalties-Yards
7-45 4-26
Punts 6-36.5 2-46
3rd Down
Conversion 2-12 4-7
4th Down Conversion 0-1
1-1
Rushing: Waimea—Sablan 20-92, May 11-52, Dizon 7-28, Cabral 2-7,
Naumu 6-(-6); Kahuku—Salanoa 9-52, Pula 7-66, Funaki 8-36, Smith 5-40, Moors
1-10, Atuaia 1-2, Unga 1-0, Kaahu 1-6, Kamakeeaina 1-13, Fonoimoana 1-0, Kaka
1-(-7)
Passing: Waimea—Naumu 3-6-1-84; Kahuku—Funaki
9-18-4-152
Receiving: Waimea—Koga 1-49, Emayo 1-27, Sablan 1-8;
Kahuku—Napaa 2-11, Kammerer 2-90, Moors 1-19, Hafoka 1-12, Fonoimoana 2-17,
Smith 1-3
