Kaua‘i High School quarterback Keli‘i Ephan passed for three touchdowns and Trey Aguano passed for two touchdowns as the Red squad stayed ahead of the White squad 34-23 in Saturday night’s scrimmage at Vidinha Stadium.
Playing before a good-sized audience that enjoyed a beef stew plate that came with then cost of a ticket, the Kaua‘i High School football program wrapped up its spring practice with the Red-and-White game, played in four 15-minute quarters with more than 60 players, cheered on by a handful of eighth-grade hopefuls who joined the team on the sidelines.
Following defensive exchanges through most of the opening quarter, the Red squad lit up the scoreboard with 2:44 showing in the first period when Ephan found Kalawaia Judd on a 55-yard aerial hit and Marcus Brown nailing the point-after on a boot.
Judd also aided the cause in the final period when he plucked an Ephan pass (for the White) and ran the pigskin back 57 yards for another touchdown with 4:26 showing in the game, Brown agin doing PAT honors for a 34-17 read.
But Aguano, steering the White on a final offensive series, found Desmond Souza along the wing, the tight end skirting the chalk for a 68-yard score with just 38 ticks remaining.
The Grand Basquez point-after boot was blocked for the final reading.
Following the Red’s opening score, White mounted its own drive which ended when Ephan intercepted an Aguano pass
Another interception, this time by Charlee Balisa of an Ephan pass (for the White) in the second quarter put the Red up 14-0 following Balisa’s 35-yard runback of the plucked ball and Brown’s PAT boot.
Brown upped the ante on a 27-yard field goal with 10:13 showing in the half for the Red 17-0 lead, which stood until the final 19 seconds when the White found the end zone as Ephan connected with Uli‘i McFadden for a 29-yard score, Basquez booting the point-after for the 17-7 halftime reading.
Prior to the score at 19 seconds, White found the end zone when Aguano tapped a receiver for a long bomb, but the play was negated on an illegal forward motion call.
Coming off a short intermission, Dreyke Smith-Butac put the Red up at the 10:03 mark on a seven-yard push into the end zone, Brown again kicking the PAT.
Basquez’s foot launched a 30-yard field goal with at the 6:24 mark in the third period to pull White to a 24-10 deficit until the 4:06 mark, when Ephan found James Bukoski on a 10-yard aerial, Basquez bringing the scoreboard to a White 24-17 deficit, the score being set up on a Cameron Henry pass interception to inside the Red 30-yard line.
Kapa‘a played its Green-and-White game Friday night at Vidinha Stadium and Waimea will host its Blue-and-White matchup at Hanapepe Stadium later this month.
