Kauai High Red Raiders Win KIF Girls Flag Football Season Opener

A third-quarter interception and a 20-yard quarterback keeper lifted Kauai High School's Red Raiders past Waimea High School in the varsity girls flag football season opener at Hanapepe Stadium on Friday, March 6, with a crowd that nearly filled the converted baseball bleachers watching the comeback unfold.

Girls flag football is in its second year as an official Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation sport, and the league expanded the program further this season by adding a junior varsity division. Waimea, Kauai and Kapaa high schools all fielded JV squads by opening day.

On the varsity side, Kauai trailed Waimea before its defense turned the game in the third quarter. A Red Raider defender intercepted a Waimea pass near midfield to set up the go-ahead drive, and Kauai's quarterback finished the possession with a keeper from 20 yards out. The QB then ran in the Point After Touchdown, giving Kauai a 7-6 edge that held for the win. The outcome came after a series of interceptions on both sides had defined the contest.

The JV opener at Hanapepe produced a lopsided result by comparison. Waimea's JV Menehune dominated Kauai JV by a score of 12-2. A photo captured during the game showed a Kauai JV defender intercepting a pass intended for a Menehune receiver close to the goal line, one of the defensive highlights in a game Waimea ultimately controlled.

Elsewhere on opening day, Island School and Kapaa finished in a 6-6 tie at the BJB. Officials at Hanapepe received word of that result while the Red Raiders game was still in progress.

The next round of KIF girls flag football takes place Tuesday, with Kauai High hosting Kapaa at Hanapepe Stadium and Island School welcoming Waimea at the Voyagers' field in Puhi. At Hanapepe, the JV game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity contest begins 20 minutes after the JV game ends. Island School's single game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.