LIHU‘E — The Waimea High School Junior Varsity football team coughed up three fourth-quarter touchdowns on two fumble recoveries, but came up short Saturday against the Kaua‘i High School JV at Vidinha Stadium. The Junior Menehune came back from a
LIHU‘E — The Waimea High School Junior Varsity football team coughed up three fourth-quarter touchdowns on two fumble recoveries, but came up short Saturday against the Kaua‘i High School JV at Vidinha Stadium.
The Junior Menehune came back from a 20-7 halftime deficit, driving strong in the third quarter to set up its first of three final period scores when Cy Corona settled the ball on the Kaua‘i 3-yard line on a second-and-goal with ticks remaining in the period.
Waimea opened the final period when Chava Delos Reyes found Nohili Kahepu‘u in the end zone on a three-yard air strike with just five seconds peeled off the clock.
The point-after boot failed and on the ensuing kickoff series, Waimea’s Esera Mose corraled a loose ball on the Kaua‘i 38-yard line to set up the next score.
An option play by Delos Reyes struck paydirt, but was called back on a penalty to the Kaua‘i 20-yard line. Delos Reyes tried again, and on the second attempt at the end zone, hit paydirt on a 12-yard keeper play with 4:40 remaining in the game.
Another failed point-after boot pulled the Junior Menehune to a 20-19 deficit.
Tysen Banasihan set up Waimea’s final score at the 3:17 mark when he pounced on another loose ball on the Kaua‘i 37-yard line. Waimea capped that drive on a 33-yard aerial strike from Delos Reyes to Kamalei Compoc-Dela Cruz with 1:51 showing.
Another failed point-after boot could not stifle the Menehune excitement as the blueshirts pulled ahead 25-20, its first lead of the game with less than two minutes showing.
Fighting the clock, the Junior Red Raiders set up its final score on a nice pass play from Trey Aguano to Desmond Souza, the ball settling on the Menehune 3-yard stripe with 51 seconds left in the contest.
Two plays later, Agunao found Souza in the end zone for a three-yard scoring play with 40 seconds showing and Kaua‘i regaining the lead 26-25 after the Aguano-Souza connection on the point-after was broken up.
Earlier, Kaua‘i notched a first quarter score and added two more in the second period for the 20-0 lead before Waimea tapped paydirt with 25 seconds showing in the half to prevent a first-half shutout.
Dryke Smith-Butac opened the scorebooks on a 12-yard touchdown run in the first period and fueled a second-quarter drive with a 16-yard run before Aguano plowed into the end zone on a 1-yard keeper play at the 7:37 mark.
Grant Basquez’s point-after boot pulled Kaua‘i to a 13-0 lead before Aguano hit Keoki Palau on a 31-yard scoring pass with 2:50 showing in the half. Basquez’s PAT boot put Kaua‘i up 20-0.
Delos Reyes connected with Compoc-Dela Cruz for Waimea’s sole score of the first half. Compoc-Dela Cruz kicked the point-after to give Kaua‘i its first-half lead.
Kaua‘i hosts Kapa‘a this Saturday at Vidinha Stadium with the JV game kicking off at 1 p.m. followed by the varsity match starting at 3:30 p.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
