After waiting half an hour for its game to begin, the Kamehameha boys soccer team made quick work with three first-half goals to return to the semifinals after a two-year absence from the state tournament.

The Warriors beat third-seeded Kealakehe, 4-0, in the quarterfinals of the JN Automotive Group/HHSAA Boys Soccer Division I State Championships tonight at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

"We didn't want to go by this day without playing," Kamehameha coach Andrew Ah New said of the 30-minute delay to the start of the game — the earlier game between Kamehameha-Maui and Roosevelt was postponed briefly — due to rain.

Kamehameha (10-2-2) plays second-seeded Kamehameha-Maui (15-0-2) tonight at 6.

The Warriors got on the board early on a goal by sophomore midfieler Ryan Ho in the eighth minute.

Senior forward Kimo Komomua scored in the 24th minute on a header off a corner kick by senior midfielder Zane Dydasco, which was headed first by midfielder Sheldon Costa before Komomua put it away.

Ho's second goal, in the 37th minute, came on another assist from Gareth Gomez, who sent a left-footed pass into the 18-yard box for Ho to run on to. Ho touched it to his left foot then shot into the far right post.

Kamehameha junior midfielder Casey Kusaka scored with about two minutes remaining after a shot off a Warriors free kick deflected off a Kealakehe defender to Kusaka's feet. He finished the play with a low shot to the right corner.

It was the first loss for Kealakehe (15-1-0), but captain Brandon Sawada said a slow first half plagued the Waveriders all season, "but on the Big Island teams aren't as good, so we could get away with it."

Kealakehe played without head coach Urs Leuenberger, who is serving the first year of a two-year suspension due to an incident at last year's state tournament.

"He coached us during the regular season, so we know what to do,"Sawada said. "It was up to the players if we were going to go hard or not."

Other quarterfinal games

No. 1 'Iolani 2, Kaiser 0: The Raiders received first-half goals from senior midfielder Eric Fitzmaurice in the 24th minute and sophomore forward Nicholas Goo in the 35th minute to lift the Inerscholastic League of Honolulu champion into the semifinals.

No. 2 Kamehameha-Maui 1, Roosevelt 0: Junior midfielder Kody Ganiko scored in the sixth minute to propel the second-seeded Warriors, the Maui Interscholastic League champion, into the state semifinals for the first time.

Consolation

Baldwin 3, Waiakea 2: Tommy Barber scored in the fifth and 58th minutes and Micheal Marrs added another in the 12th minute for the Bears.

Waiakea scored on goals by Jonathan Torigeo and Ian Watanabe.

Castle 3, Moanalua 2: Shane Ihara (30th minute), Blayne Muraoka (39th) and Sean Lomont (44th) scored to lift the Knights past OIA Eastern Division foe Moanalua.

Sean Nicholson (55th) and Keenan Lee (62nd) scored second-half goals for Moanalua.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.