HANAPEPE — There will be no spectators when the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League hosts the regional and league championships for cheer competition on Oct. 31 in Kapa‘a.
Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, no spectators will be allowed when the KPWFL cheer squads from around the island will compete for four slots to advance to the national Pop Warner cheer and dance competition that will be held the first week of December at Universal Studios in Florida.
The announcement was finalized on Sunday amidst six football games that took up the entire daylight hours at Hanapepe Stadium.
The Kekaha Titans finished with a win, a loss and a tie as the Titans 12 under were victorious, 16-8 over the Lihu‘e Raiders and led by Kekaha’s Kaiea Miyashiro scoring twice, and Nash Schaeffer booting a pair of points-after-touchdown.
Lihu‘e struck first when Drake Javier pulled in a 48-yard scoring pass, with Colton Dela Cruz booting the PAT.
“We came up a touchdown short after the Kekaha coaches argued that the buzzer happened before the snap on the final play of the game,” said one of the Lihu‘e coaches who watched the 14 and under Raiders warm up. “The Kekaha coaches won the argument.”
With just 19 seconds remaining in the first half of the Lihu‘e Raiders 14 under and the Kekaha Titans matchup, the Raiders’ Jaiden Yanos broke open a 0-0 stalemate by plunging a yard through traffic for a touchdown. Keanu Padrones booted the point-after touchdown for the 8-0 lead en route to a 14-8 Raiders win.
Kekaha answered when Ashtin Kinimaka-Aranio found the end zone on a four-yard run, with Shayden Dela Cruz booting the PAT for the tie.
Lynden Kealoha broke the tie for the win on a one-yard charge for Lihu‘e.
The Titans wrapped up their day with a 14-14 tie in the Bobcat Division flag-football game against the Hanapepe Colts, when the Titans’ Tolu Achuara scored on runs of 15 and 8 yards, and passed a PAT bomb to Koa Wong to knot the contest.
Host Hanapepe Colts got on the board first when Noah Balmores pulled in a 12-yard pass with Shay Yamase doing the two-point PAT run. Yamase also pulled in an eight-yard pass from Robbie Tanita for the Colts’ second score.
Lihu‘e finished the day with two wins and a loss following the Raiders’ 24-0 shutout over the Kapa‘a Eagles, who came up short, 14-8, against the Hanapepe Colts in the 12 under afternoon contest.
During the shutout against the Eagles, Daesyn Sablan-Vigilia led the fireworks on scoring runs of 16 and 31 yards. Kaikoa Gonsalves added an eight-yard scoring run, and Kavea Nishi closed the scorebooks on a 31-yard run.
Napali Jardin and Dax Siliado pulled in scoring passes for the Hanapepe Colts in its 14-8 win in the 12 under division contest over the Kapa‘a Eagles. Takazee Thomas scored the Eagles’ sole points on a two-yard run.
The Colts wrapped up two wins on the outing after its Cub Division Colts edged the Koloa Raiders, 26-14.
Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League games continue Sunday with six games on tap starting at 8:30 a.m. at the stadium in the Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a.
