In sports, there is a flip side to everything.
The Kapaa Warriors secured the No. 2 seed in the 2019 First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division11 Football State Championships.
Getting top seed allows your team to rest, and be completely healthy when they prepare to battle Kaimuki November 23 at Vidhinha Stadium.
The Kapaa Warriors should enter the contest against the third-seeded Kaimuki Bulldogs with a healthy roster.
Kapaa has another advantage that can’t be quantified on a stat sheet — home-field advantage. The Warriors get to host a playoff game, which gives the crowd an added boost the Bulldogs won’t have.
Now for the flip side.
The Warriors secured the Kauai Interscholastic Federation title so quickly their starters haven’t played in a meaningful game since they defeated Waimea High School 31-19 on Oct. 26.
Nearly one month elapsed between meaningful real-time snaps for the Warriors.
Time off can lead to rust, especially when they are playing against two Bulldogs players who are statistical double-takes.
On paper, the third-seeded Kaimuki Bulldogs have three players with eye-popping numbers.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for over 3,013 yards and 36 touchdown passes with only six interceptions.
The Bulldogs’ top running back Naomas Asuega-Fualaau has 1321 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Then there is wideout Koby Moananu, who, according to scoringlive.com, has caught 19 of the 36 touchdown passes Maiava has thrown.
There is a silver lining amidst the statistical double-takes, and nearly a month away from real-time snaps.
The Warriors have an excellent coaching staff in place, who have no doubt ensured their team is adequately prepared with the layoff.
Kapaa, with so much time off, won’t have your typical nagging injuries that are a by-product of a long and competitive season.
The Warriors won’t endure the attrition of traveling off-island and will get a chance to follow their routines to get ready for their upcoming opponent.
The players and coaching staff will get an opportunity to watch the countless amount of film on their upcoming opponent.
This will give them ample opportunities to exploit several weaknesses of their opponents, and they will need it in their attempt to win one game to qualify for the championship game.
Overcoming their opponent will be tough, and winning will catapult them into the championship game the next week.
One game, one opponent, but the Bulldogs look to provide them a challenge every step of the way.
Making it the title game won’t be easy, and there will be a flip side every step of the way.
Mr Blasco,
Did you just write this article because you were bored? It seems like you only did half the research. If you didn’t know, the Bulldogs played their last game the same day our beloved Warriors did. So you pretty much could’ve switched the 2 schools names and it would be the same article. They had to endure the same things. What about Kapa’a’s stats and their players? Anyways, Go Warriors!