Kauai's Kyron Rapacon carries the ball against Pearl City. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Kanoa Iwasaki (5) pushes up Kauai teammate Kalawaia Judd (12) in the air after the clock ran out giving the Red Raiders the win over the Pearl City Chargers. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Pearl City wide receiver Timothy Rivera makes a successful pass reception for a 10-yard touchdown in the fourth, the Chargers first and only score of the entire match. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Kauai running back Kanoa Iwasaki routes his way to the end-zone for the first score of the game in the first quarter. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Sat, Nov 9, 2013 @ Vidinha Stadium [ 2:00 pm ]

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Pearl City

7

Kauai

13

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Pearl City (7-5-0)	0	0	0	7	7
Kauai (10-1-0)	0	13	0	0	13

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Kelson Andrade 63 yd 1 TD

Jordan Taamu 109 yd

Kyron Rapacon 60 yd

Blake Cooper 65 yd

Kalawaia Judd 39 yd

Timothy Rivera 74 yd 1 TD

LIHUE, Kauai — All of the talk this week about the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Football Champions centered around Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference champion Kaiser and what some viewed as a snub when it received the No. 4 seed. Well, they weren't the only team that felt disrespected.

Kauai, winner of the Kauai Interscholastic Association and one of just two unbeaten teams in D2, didn't particularly appreciate the No. 3 seed it had bestowed upon it Sunday, when the bracket was announced. Saturday, Kauai answered some of its doubters with a 13-7 win over OIA runner-up Pearl City — the team that Kaiser beat for the league title — in a first-round game of the six-team tournament played at Vidinha Stadium.

A sparse crowd of about 400 fans — who braved rainy conditions amidst a flash flood watch issued by the National Weather Service — saw the home-team Red Raiders improve to 9-0 and move on to the semifinal round. Kauai, playing in its ninth state tournament, will play six-time D2 champion Iolani at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Raiders' Kozuki Stadium.

"It's a huge win for our program," Kauai coach Tommy John Cox said. "Coming into this first round, we didn't get a lot of respect. I think we kind of earned that today and we're looking forward to next weekend."

Kanoa Iwasaki ran for a touchdown and Kelson Andrade threw a touchdown pass to Pono Bukoski for all the offense the Red Raiders needed. Andrade was 6 of 12 for just 63 passing yards, including four completions for 39 yards to Kalawaia Judd, while the running back duo of Kyron Rapacon and Reggie McFadden combined for 23  rushes for 117 yards.

Meanwhile, the Kauai defense — which Cox has hung his hat on all season — "bent, but didn't break" in the words of both coaches and recorded four interceptions off Pearl City quarterbacks. Senior third-year starter James Bukoski made a game-high 10 tackles and picked off two passes from his middle linebacker position.

"It took a lot of effort to win this game," said Bukoski, who is 5-feet, 8-inches and 170 pounds. "Pearl City, they're not an easy team, they pushed all four quarters — they even tried trick plays in the fourth quarter — and we just had to give it all our heart. It was a really intense game."

The Red Raiders allowed 235 yards by the Chargers — 33 more than they gained — but came up with numerous critical defensive stops over the course of the game. Pearl City punted on its first four possessions of the game and threw interceptions to end the next three drives before it strung together a 10-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with Travis Joe's touchdown pass to Timothy Rivera with seven minutes and 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

"Our defense has been keeping us in ball games the whole year and they did it again (today)," Cox said. "We live and die by our defense and the offense always does just enough to get us the 'W.'"

Kauai scored on its second offensive possession, which covered 81 yards in 11 plays and took 4:04 off the clock. Andrade hit Kalawaia Judd to convert a third down and McFadden picked-up 28 yards on an inside run to set-up Iwasaki's 1-yard touchdown run one play into the second quarter. Pono Bukoski tacked on the extra point to give the Red Raiders a 7-0 lead.

"Our defense worked hard and (the offense) had to do our thing and it was the same old grind, nothing new, we just stuck to our game plan," said Iwasaki, who carried eight times for 27 yards. "(Pearl City) is really tough. We did a lot of film work coming into this game."

Later in the second quarter, Kauai added to its lead with Andrade's 13-yard touchdown pass to Pono Bukoski. The scoring play was the third third-down conversion of the drive — which consisted of seven runs and two passes — and lasted 5:13 in duration. The PAT was no good.

Pearl City quarterback Jordan Taamu was intercepted in the final minute of the second quarter by Damien Butac, who returned it 41 yards. Kauai attempted a 25-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, but it was low and wide left.

The Red Raiders held a 13-0 lead at halftime.

Early in the second half, the Chargers ate up big chunks of yards using a power-run game out of the I-formation. Pearl City drove 52 yards in 10 plays — all but one a rush attempt — and into the red zone, but Taamu was picked off by Kaiea Iwasaki in the end zone on third-and-20.

After a Kauai fumble that was recovered by Blake Cooper, the Chargers ran the ball on six consecutive plays before another Taamu interception on a third-and-16. It was his third interception in his last four throws. The Pearl City defense held yet again and forced a punt to get the ball back with 10:06 left to play, which led to the Chargers' lone score.

Taamu left with an undisclosed injury near the end of the third quarter and was replaced by Joe, but eventually returned to finish the game. He was 10-of-25 passing for 109 yards. Joe completed 3 of 7 passes for 24 yards and was also picked off by James Bukoski.

"(They have) a lot of pride," Cox said of his Red Raiders. "These kids work so hard the whole year and they just wanted the 'W' today in front of their friends and their parents and I'm just so proud of them."

Pearl City was just 2 of 14 on third downs for the game and had just 58 yards of total offense in the first half. Rivera caught six passes for 74 yards — both team-highs — and Cooper, who saw time at both running back and linebacker rushed for 65 yards on nine carries and made five tackles. Cody Crail and Zebadiah Selu tied for a team-high eight tackles.

"First half, they shut us down in the passing game, so in the second half we tried to come out and run the ball on them — see if we could do something different and it was working — but Kauai's defense bent, but didn't break," said Pearl City coach Robin Kami, who closes out his first season as coach of his alma mater at 7-4.