LIHUE — With less than a minute showing on the regulation game clock, Kapaa High School defender Conner Payomo plucked a Kamehameha Warrior pass and ran it back 25 yards for touchdown, Saturday afternoon during a Kauai Interscholastic Federation football game at Vidinha Stadium.
The score that was graced by a point-after kick from La‘akea Gonsalves, settled the scoreboard at 47-0 with a few seconds remaining in the football game that was listed in the preseason section of KIF football as the Kapaa Warriors hosting the Warriors from Kamehameha-Hawaii island. It is also the first of four contests taking place in the afternoons because of the endangered seabirds fledging season.
Kapaa struck early, forcing a turnover on Kamehameha’s first possession. Kapaa recovered the errant ball on the Kamehameha 18-yard line to set up the day’s first score when Kapaa QB Kahanu Davis carried the ball in from seven yards out, Gonalves doing the PAT honor for the 7-0 bulge.
The score stood until the second quarter when Kapaa dumped the Kamehameha signal caller in the end zone for a safety after Kapaa was forced to punt to the Kamehameha four-yard line after being called for a personal foul during a field goal attempt.
The afternoon crowd swelled to several hundred before the 9-0 Kapaa advantage and the Kapaa possession following kickoff from the Kamehameha 20-yard line.
Fielding the ball on its own 38-yard line, the Kapaa Warriors wrapped that drive when Davis broke out for a 62-yard score, Gonsalves doing the PAT boot for the 16-0 margin with 8:59 remaining in the first half.
Following an unsuccessful Kamehameha possession, Kapaa found the end zone, again — this time, Davis peeling off 82 yards for the score following Baba Na-O’s punt return that had a blocking penalty assessed. Gonsalves’ boot brought the lead to 23-0 at 4:46.
Jeffery Brown set up the next Kapaa score when he pounced on a fumble recovery on the Kamehameha 30-yard line with 54 ticks showing in the half. After driving to the 12-yard line, Kapaa reversed roles and Cody Relacion found Davis in the end zone on a scoring pass. Gonsalves’ PAT brought the break on with a 30-0 Kapaa lead.
Na-O got the nod for Kapaa’s next score that came following defensive exchanges through most of the third quarter. Kaiola Lingaton returned a punt to the Kamehameha 12-yard line, and Na-O drove 11 yards for the score that came with 1:43 showing in the period. Gonsalves’ PAT was errant, but a penalty against Kamehameha gave him a retry that split the uprights for a 37-0 reading, and by then they had the non-conference game well in hand.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
