Waimea’s ground game and Roosevelt’s aerial attack were locked in a stalemate for most of Saturday’s First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II semifinal matchup at Hanapepe Stadium on Kauai.

The foot of Shayden Ranis-Alameda Dela Cruz finally decided it, as his 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter sent the Menehune back to next Saturday’s championship game with a 13-10 victory over the Rough Riders.

Waimea (3-5) will meet Kamehameha-Maui (7-1), which dispatched Pac-Five 31-10 in Upcountry Maui on Saturday. The KIF and MIL champions will take the field at 4 p.m. at Mililani’s John Kauinana Stadium.

It is the seventh straight D-II final to be contested between Neighbor Island teams.

Roosevelt (9-4), the OIA champion, took a 10-3 lead into halftime on Keawe Davis’ 33-yard touchdown pass from Ioane Kamanao as the Rough Riders sought to reach their first state final. But Keona Tam responded with a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter to tie it up at 10, setting the stage for the kicker’s heroics.

Kamanao was 23-for-34 for 285 yards in the loss, with 104 yards going to Davis on six catches and Jahsiah Souza-Armstead True to its run-first, run-second, run-always style, Waimea did not complete a pass. Wesley Santiago led the Menehune with 90 yards on 19 carries and quarterback Kameron Apilado added 73 yards on 11 carries.

In the other semifinal in Upcountry Maui, KS-Maui gained 432 yards of offense to Pac-Five’s 161.

Quarterback Makana Kamaka-Brayce threw three touchdowns to one interception.

Running back Elijah Connell-Chavez led the de facto ILH champion Wolfpack (5-3) with 110 yards on 10 carries and the team’s lone touchdown, a 61-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Waimea broke through for its first football state championship last year, 45-6 over another MIL team, King Kekaulike. The Menehune can become the first D-II repeat champion since Lahainaluna won four straight from 2016 to 2019.

Kamehameha-Maui is going for its first state title. The Warriors were D-II runners-up in 2021.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.