The Warriors started off the season shaky with a preseason loss to the Lunas.
They will run it back this weekend, and this time for the state title.
Kapaa High School’s varsity football team will play against Lahainaluna High School, of the Maui Interscholastic League, in the championship game of the 2018 First Hawaiian Bank Football Championships–Division II state tournament.
The Division II game between the No. 2 seeded Warriors and the No. 1 seeded Lunas is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
Lahainaluna played Kapaa in the first game of the preseason in early August at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue. Lahainaluna won, 30-10.
For as long as I’ve been the sports reporter for The Garden Island, it’s just so happened that Kapaa and Lahainaluna shared the football field a fair number of times.
Outside of the high school teams from the Kauai Interscholastic Federation, I would say Lahainaluna has been the team I’ve seen the most from one of the neighbor islands in the last few years.
It was especially so in 2016. The two teams played in the preseason that year — the Warriors won that game, 21-0.
Kapaa earned the No. 1 seed going into the state tournament. Kapaa and Lahainaluna ended up facing each other again in the Division II state championship game.
The Lunas got the ultimate revenge on the Warriors. Lahainaluna won to clinch the state title, 21-14.
This time around, however, the two teams have taken different paths to Aloha Stadium.
The Lunas are this year’s No. 1 seed in Division II after running the table to go into Saturday’s game unbeaten at 10-0. If Lahainaluna wins Saturday, the Lunas will three-peat as Division II state champs.
On the other hand, Kapaa had tripped up earlier in the year. After the loss to Lahainaluna to end the preseason 1-1, the team lost to Kauai High School in the team’s KIF season opener in September, 13-3.
But since then, the Warriors recovered and went on an eight-game win streak to clinch its third KIF title in four years and made their way back to the Division II championship game.
In 2016, the Warriors were favored. In 2018, they’re the underdogs.
As Warriors head coach Philip Rapozo said earlier this week, Lahainaluna is “the standard in Division II.”
But like in 2016, when the Lunas got their revenge on the Warriors with the title on the line, can the Warriors do the same to the Lunas?
This time, can the Warriors avenge their preseason loss to the Lunas and win the KIF’s first football state championship in its history?
Only one way to find out.
Enjoy the game, everyone. I wish safe travels for those of you who will make the trip to Honolulu this weekend.
Also tapped for Saturday at Aloha Stadium, No. 1 Hilo of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation will play against No. 2 Waipahu of the Oahu Interscholastic Association for the Division I championship at 4:30 p.m.
No. 1 Saint Louis of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu will face No. 2 Mililani of the OIA for the Division I-Open championship at 7:30 p.m.
Best of luck to all the teams at Aloha Stadium. And, I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
