HANAPEPE — Kapa‘a Eagles defender Luke McCullough outran Kailua’s Cody Rituran and dropped him outside the end zone, Saturday at Hanapepe Stadium.
But Riturban, after pulling in a Tai-Jon Mizutani pass from the eight-yard line, arched his upper body just enough to have the ball cross the goal line in the second quarter.
That touchdown was the only score in the matchup between the Kapa‘a Eagles Junior Pee Wee and the Kailua Mustangs, a game Kailua won, 6-0 after the point-after attempt went awry in the highly-defensive slugfest.
Earlier in the day, Jesse Wysard ran for two touchdowns and passed for one to lead the Manoa Paniolo to a 20-0 win over the Hanapepe Colts JPW.
Wysard found the end zone midway through the opening quarter and booted the PAT for the 7-0 lead. He upped the ante midway through the second quarter on a 19-yard scoring pass to Kahi Bisho with 5:14 remaining in the half. The failed point-after gave the Paniolo a 13-0 halftime lead before Wysard iced the win on another 1-yard charge to paydirt.
He engineered a pass play to Bisho for the point-after and the 20-0 final.
Jimmy Nunuha of the Nanakuli Hawks found Keone Peneku on a 29-yard scoring pass with no time showing to ice a 36-6 win over the Kapa‘a Eagles Junior Midget squad in the final bowl game.
Earlier, Nunuha found Keanu Momoa on a 30-yard hit with Makaila Horswill doing the point-after boot for the 8-0 lead with less than two minutes peeled off the second period.
Horswill added the second score on a one-yard charge at 2:52 mark and booted his second point after for the 16-0 margin at the half.
Following a scoreless third period, John Levinthol put Kapa‘a on the board with a six-yard charge to paydirt only to have the Hawks answer with three touchdowns in the final five minutes of play.
Nunuha found Horswill for a 3-yard touchdown at the 4:50 mark and Luke Luna-Luuloa broke out for a 34-yard score with 2:10 remaiing in the game.
Horswill did the point-after boot on that score before Nunuha hit Peneku for the final score, a 29-yard hit, for the final play of the 36-6 Nanakuli victory.
During last week’s Maile Bowl at Vidinha Stadium, the Kapa‘a Eagles split their series after Mililani’s Kaulana Funakoshi ran for two TDs to lead Mililani to an 18-6 win over Kapa‘a in a JPW match.
Cade Halemanu, the Kapa‘a QB, found Leslee Aki on a 13-yard pass in the second quarter for Kapa‘a’s score.
The Kapa‘a Eagles JM redeemed that loss with a 22-6 win over the Hawai‘i Young Warriors before the game was called when the Warriors’ roster dropped below the minimum number of players.
A Brooks Bethel interception returned for a touchdown opened the book with 1:07 showing in the first quarter with Braxton Garma doing the point-after kick for the 8-0 Kapa‘a lead.
But the Warriors answered in the second quarter when QB Marcus Aikau found Drake Poti on a 35-yard scoring pass.
The point-after failed, giving Kapa‘a an 8-6 lead at the half.
Kapa‘a came back with two second-half scores before the game was called, Bethel breaking the plane on a four-yard run and Garma doing the PAT.
Chaz Pacleb, the Eagles’ quarterback, it Levinthol on a 53-yard connection for the final score before the game was called.
This Saturday, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League hosts its annual Shrine Bowl with three games on tap: a Mitey Mite, JPW and JM matchup.
No location or times were provided for this annual fundraising finale.