Kaua'i ran past Roosevelt, 40-9, in the opening round of the Division II First Hawaiian Bank Football State Championships last night.

Kaua'i's Keli'i Ruiz and Peleku Yasay ran for two touchdowns apiece, and the Red Raiders rushed for 324 yards at Vidinha Stadium in Lihu'e.

"Unbelievable," said Ruiz when asked about the victory in the postgame interview on OC-16 after he rushed for 171 yards on 24 carries.

Kaua'i (8-1) — the five-time reigning Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation champions — scored 20 unanswered points in the second half.

The Red Raiders will face 'Iolani (4-6) of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu in the semifinals, Nov. 24 at 'Iolani at 2 p.m.

The Roosevelt (6-4-1) — the O'ahu Interscholastic Association White runner-up — mustered just one touchdown against Kaua'i, the 2006 state runner-up in Division II.

Kaua'i led 7-3 at halftime and increased its lead to 14-3 on Yasay's 7-yard run in the third quarter with 4:56 remaining. The Red Raiders began the drive on Roosevelt's 18 following a botched punt attempt.

Andrew Renaud's 20-yard TD pass to Tyrus Ceria-Lux moved Kaua'i's lead to 20-3 in the third quarter with 1:10 remaining. The PAT failed.

Yasay's 1-yard plunge pushed the lead to 27-3 in the fourth quarter with 9:00 left. Yasay finished with 90 yards on nine carries.

Shon Fujii's 13-yard TD pass to Ranson Tuitama cut the deficit to 27-9 with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion pass failed.

Ruiz added two touchdown runs of 6 and 23 yards in the fourth quarter, the last coming with 7.4 seconds left.

Kaua'i never trailed in the game. Trent Allianic's 73-yard TD run gave Kaua'i a 7-0 first-quarter lead with 5:26 left. On the play, the Kaua'i quarterback rolled right, cut back and sprinted down the left sideline.

Roosevelt cut the deficit to 7-3 in the second quarter when Tuitama's 71-yard run set up Alex Fowler's 25-yard field goal with 9:39 before intermission

This season, Kaua'i withstood a rocky coaching change to capture the KIF title.

First-year head coach Derek Borrero, the former JV skipper, replaced longtime coach Keli'i Morgado seven months ago.

"The school, the student body, the players, the boosters, the community were really patient during the spring," Borrero said. "It just proves these kids perseverance and focusing on the task at hand. A lot of credit to these boys."

Morgado publicly questioned the school administration's hiring procedures, and eventually filed an unsuccessful lawsuit.

ROOSEVELT (6-4-1) 0 3 0 6— 9

KAUA'I (8-1) 7 0 13 20—40

Kaua'i — Trent Allianic 73 run (Tyrus Ceria-Lux kick)

Roosevelt — FG 25 Alex Fowler

Kaua'i — Peleku Yasay 7 run (Ceria-Lux kick)

Kaua'i — Ceria-Lux 20 pass from Andrew Renaud (kick failed)

Kaua'i — Yasay 1 run (Ceria-Lux kick)

Roosevelt — Ranson Tuitama 13 pass from Shon Fujii (pass failed)

Kaua'i — Keli'i Ruiz 6 run (Ceria-Lux kick)

Kaua'i — Ruiz 23 run (kick failed) RUSHING — Roosevelt: Tuitama 13-78, Justy Kalilimoku 1-1, Lowen Kaho'oilihala 6-minus 7, Fujii 3-minus 12, Fowler 3-minus 13. Kaua'i: Ruiz 24-171, Yasay 9-90, Allianic 6-53, Donovan Refamonte 5-22, Renaud 2-minus 12.

PASSING — Roosevelt: Fujii 7-14-2-48, Kaho'oilihala 4-8-0-27, Tuitama 1-2-1-27. Kaua'i: Allianic 6-10-0-52, Renaud 1-3-1-20.

RECEIVING — Roosevelt: Tuitama 4-30, Fowler 3-23, Keenan Koizumi 2-40, Justin Otaguro 2-6, Lowen Furata-Harada 1-3. Kaua'i: Ceria-Lux 2-20. John Gebauer 1-19, Ruiz 1-13, Renaud 1-12, Joshua Kahanui 1-7, Dayne Murata 1-1.