LIHU‘E — Viewpoint School, a private school in Calabasas, California with an enrollment of 1,200 students, had its chances on Friday against host Kaua‘i High School at Vidinha Stadium.
But missed opportunities and steady pressure from Kaua‘i High School, under first-year coach Mel Purcell, prevented the Patriots from closing the windows and gave the Red Raiders a 20-6 win before a large audience limited to the south side of the stadium for seating because of ongoing construction work.
Steadily chopping its way across the fields, the Red Raiders notched two scores from Sage Javinar and iced the game with a second half score by quarterback Brennan Hiranaka. The sole two-point point after touchdown attempt (PAT) came on a Hiranaka fake keeper play following the Raiders’ second touchdown in the second quarter.
The Patriots picked up their only score in the game when QB Connor Eagen kept the ball for an 8-yard push into the end zone in the third quarter. The PAT kick attempt by Brad Roesler was blocked.
The start of the game was delayed by 30 minutes to allow the California fans an opportunity to arrive at the stadium before the game started. The delay was further aggravated by a first quarter that peeled nearly an hour off the clock while both “young teams” tried to find their feet on the game field amid a flurry of yellow flags.
In this setting, the Patriots opened their first window when Eagen found Darren Haggerty at the end of a 40-yard pass in the end zone. The score was called back for an ineligible receiver and Viewpoint had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate at the end of 12 minutes of regulation play.
Kaua‘i High found its feet after the long first stanza, and ripped two scores, leading to its 14-0 bulge at the half.
Taking control of the ball late in the first quarter, the Raiders capped a 52-yard scoring drive when Javinar plunged a yard into the end zone with 8 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the half. The PAT effort failed when Noah Ibaan was unable to cross the end zone mark.
Javinar scored the second touchdown on a 2-yard lunge into the end zone with 3:25 showing in the half. A fake keeper play by Hiranaka gave Kaua‘i a 14-0 halftime lead.
Following a 55-yard kickoff return by Kaua‘i High’s Kaimana Kaui to open the third quarter, Kaua‘i High lost the ball when Viewpoint’s Haggerty intercepted a Hiranaka aerial near midfield. An Eagen to Haggerty connection moved the ball into the Red Raiders red zone, but the Patriots couldn’t close the door against the stiffened Raider defense.
Instead, the Patriots attempted an unsuccessful field goal that was recovered by Kaikane Bisarra-Kaleiohi and run back out to the Kaua‘i High 15-yard line, and aided by an infraction against Viewpoint. The Raiders failed to convert on the possession, and punted away with Haggerty fielding the pigskin at midfield.
Eagen passes to Shane Anderson and Haggerty moved the ball to the Raider 17-yard line, from where Eagen capped the drive on an 8-yard score. The PAT was blocked with 38.4 seconds showing in the third quarter.
The Red Raiders locked up the game on the ensuing kickoff that was energized by a personal foul infraction against the Patriots. Kaua‘i High drove in from the Viewpoint 48-yard line and capped the drive on a Hiranaka keeper with 10:04 showing in the contest as the sunlight faded and the Vidinha Stadium lights battled to keep enough light on the playing field.
Kaua‘i High next hosts O‘ahu’s Damien High School, which pulled off a 37-32 win over Nanakuli High School in the final 13 ticks of their matchup on Saturday night on O‘ahu. The kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday.
On Saturday night, Waimea High School will host Buckeye Union, a team from Arizona, in a single match at Hanapepe Stadium starting at 6 p.m.
This will be the final preseason game before the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation opens on Sept. 2, when Kaua‘i High travels to the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a to battle Kapa‘a High. The junior varsity teams kick off starting at 4 p.m. The varsity contest starts 30 minutes following the completion of the JV contest.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
