The Kauai High School girls paddling team faces a crucial race Saturday at the Kauai Interscholastic Federation paddling regatta.
With just Saturday’s regatta remaining before the KIF championship, Kauai girls slipped to 14 points in the standings after dropping its race to the Kapaa girls by nearly 10 seconds during the weekend’s regatta at Wailua River. They still hold the top spot, however.
Kapaa girls improved to 10 points and second place, and a first-place finish Saturday would improve the Warrior wahine to an even closer margin heading into the KIF championships.
Kapaa girls pushed the line from the onset over the weekend, the Kapaa A team edging out Kauai A team by nearly three seconds in the opening heat.
Kapaa slipped across the line on a paddle which stopped the clock at 4 minutes, 26 seconds while the Red Raiders came across at 4:29.
Similarly, the second heat saw Kapaa cross more than 12 seconds, the Warrior B squad crossing the half-mile course on a 4:41 to Kauai’s B team at 4:53.
During the finals, Kauai settled for a second finish, crossing at 4:37 to Kapaa’s 4:28 run.
The Kapaa wahine’s win gave Kapaa a dominant showing, the Warrior teams topping five of the six events, including the three varsity races.
The Kapaa boys and mixed teams continued their runs in those division, the Warrior men and mixed teams holding 16-point standings, or an undefeated record.
The Warrior men topped the races over the weekend, its varsity boys crew flying across the line on a 3:51 paddle to Kauai’s 4:13 run and Waimea settling in third at 5:21.
In the mixed division, Kapaa crossed the line on a 4:08 paddle, nearly nine seconds ahead of Waimea (4:16) and Kauai settling in third at 4:25.
Waimea boys and mixed teams hold second place in the standings with 7 and 8 points, respectively.
Kauai boys and mixed squads are in third with 5 and 4 points, respectively.
After sweeping the varsity races, Kapaa picked up two wins in the junior varsity runs, dropping to Kauai High School in the JV girls race.
Kauai’s A team topped the JV runs with a 4:30 paddle over the half-mile course followed by Kapaa girls crossing on a 4:42 run.
Kapaa’s JV boys and mixed teams topped the JV races, the Warrior JV boys getting a three-second jump on Kauai with its 4:04 run while Kauai crossed at 4:07.
The Kapaa Mixed JV team topped that division race on a 4:07 paddle followed by Kauai A team at 4:12 and Waimea crossing at 4:29. Kapaa’s B and C teams pushed runs of 4:42 and 4:30, respectively.
Saturday’s race will feature the teams taking on a half-mile course on the Wailua River with the first paddles hitting the water at 9 a.m.
The KIF championship regatta will also be on a half-mile course at 9 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Wailua River.
