HANAPEPE — The name change for the Lihu‘e Pop Warner Association was a good luck charm for the Lihu‘e Patriots, who claimed a trio of victories on Sunday during the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League Jamboree at Hanapepe Stadium.
“They used to be the Red Raiders,” said KPWFL official Patsy Rapozo. “Now they’re the Patriots, and I like the blue from the red, white and blue color scheme.”
Traditionally, the Jamboree marked the start of tackle football and cheer action following a month of conditioning in the KPWFL program.
This year, under the leadership of Paul Pancho as its president, the daylong event of recorded game results was one of the changes from the traditional exhibition-only contests where teams would play for one quarter each.
Eve Carter, of the Kekaha Titans association, was applauded as the Volunteer of the Year and joined by the crop of student scholar-athletes that were named during an earlier Wescon Region scholastic awards banquet.
The Patriots finished the day by winning all three of their division matches, followed by the Hanapepe Colts, who took two of its three matches against the Titans.
In the 12 and Under Division, the Eagles were shut down by the Patriots, 32-0 where big Shane Mahoney scored three touchdowns, and quarterback Justin Lopez mixed two touchdowns and passed for one in the victory. Kaisen Barretto tried four extra point attempts before succeeding on his fifth TD.
In the Flag Division, Lihu‘e controlled the Eagles, 45-7, and the Titans from Kekaha were a 12-6 victor over the Hanapepe Colts.
The Eagles, recently celebrating groundbreaking on their new storage facility that it will share with the Kapa‘a Diamonds softball program, were still in the recovery mode from the earlier fire that destroyed nearly all of the association’s supplies and safety equipment at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex.
The Hanapepe Colts picked up a win in the 12 and Under Division with a 28-14 edge over the Titans behind three touchdowns from Chad Cabral. Kailana Prigge plucked a Titan air ball and ran it back 13 yards for the Colts’ score.
Kekaha came alive in the final quarter when its player wearing No. 81 pushed for two touchdowns, one a 69 yarder and the other a 19 yarder.
The Hanapepe Colts were also victorious in the 10 and Under Division where Adrian Henkel scored two touchdowns. Reef DePeralta opened the books with a 13-yard score in the Colts’ 20-0 showing over the Titans.
Benzyn Numazawa and Easton Hew added the extra points on the ground.
Alaka‘i Pigao-Mundon had the distinction of scoring Kapa‘a’s only touchdown during the Jamboree, as he tied the contest with the Patriots in the 14 and Under Division play.
Lihu‘e, opening the books in the second quarter, got a 71-yard pass reception from Chance Kawakami in the end zone, a 58-yard pass reception by Makoa Miguel, and a 60-yard pass reception by Drake Javier in the win. Mikemund Jose ran for 34 yards for Lihu‘e’s only ground game score.
The next KPWFL six games are scheduled to start from 7 a.m. on Sunday at Vidinha Stadium.
