LIHU’E – Despite enduring a scoreless preseason opener last week at King Kekauliki, Kapa’a coaches stopped short of expressing concern about their offense. But it sure would have been nice to get on the board, they said. Dustin Maglinti wasted
LIHU’E – Despite enduring a scoreless preseason opener last week at King Kekauliki, Kapa’a coaches stopped short of expressing concern about their offense.
But it sure would have been nice to get on the board, they said.
Dustin Maglinti wasted just 15 seconds putting the Warriors’ minds at ease.
The senior defensive back returned the opening kickoff of Friday night’s preseason contest 95 yards for a touchdown in Kapa’a’s 35-2 rout of Honoka’a at Vidinha Stadium.
From there, the Warriors (1-1) seemed to find some of the groove that last year made them a threat to score each time they took possession.
Later in the first quarter, quarterback Dustin Mundon fooled nearly everyone on the field, and the 1,000 in attendance, with a fake pitch on the option. The junior showed the ball to the Dragons’ defense, then tucked it into his chest and scampered 41 yards for the score. Tyler Wakuta added one of his five successful extra points to up Kapa’a’s lead to 14-0.
In the third quarter, senior tailback Dahson Gonzales got on the scoreboard with touchdown runs of four and two yards. Though running for 75 of his game-high 99 yards in the first half, it wasn’t until Kapa’a penetrated deep into the red zone that he could punch one into the end zone.
Wakuta capped the Warriors’ points production with a four-yard sprint into the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.
Even with a ground game that racked up 223 yards, Kapa’a wasn’t as sharp as it would’ve like offensively. The passing attack, vital if the Warriors are to make a run at the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation title, was shaky. Mundon completed just 3-of-9 passes for 43 yards. He tossed one interception – a first-half ending hail mary.
With that, the Dragons, and their suspect defense, were just what Kapa’a needed.
The problems were harder to detect defensively. The Warriors held Honoka’a to 155 total yards and hounded Dragons quarterback Keola Nobriga all night. Even if Nobriga managed to scramble away from the likes of Tommy Navalta, Kaulana Poe, John Freepartner, Isaiah Sarsona and JR Davis, another Warrior seemed poised to pounce.
In fairness, Nobriga didn’t get much help from his offensive line, and still scampered for 63 hard-fought yards. But Honoka’a (0-1) had few weapons and no answer for the Warriors’ swarming defense.
The Dragons’ two points came on a safety with less than 50 seconds remaining in the game.
The Big Island-Kaua’i challenge continues Saturday at 2 p.m. when Kaua’i High hosts Hawai’i Prepatory Academy. It concludes at 7:30, when Hilo travels to Hanapepe to face defending KIF champion Waimea.
