LIHU‘E — So much for a shoot-out. The Kapa‘a Warriors’ first playoff game in 22 years was supposed to be an offensive show. Up against a Pearl City team averaging 31 points per game, Kapa‘a’s offense was going to have
LIHU‘E — So much for a shoot-out.
The Kapa‘a Warriors’ first playoff game in 22 years was supposed to be an offensive show. Up against a Pearl City team averaging 31 points per game, Kapa‘a’s offense was going to have to do its best to keep up with the high flying Chargers. Instead, the Warriors won a defensive battle of attrition and are now headed to Honolulu.
Led by their defense, the Warriors shut out Pearl City’s top-ranked offense and used a 3-yard touchdown run by Corey Somera-Payomo to beat the Chargers, 7-0, Saturday night at Vidinha Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II state playoffs.
The Warriors advance to the semifinals where they will face ‘Iolani, Saturday on O‘ahu.
The Warriors’ gameplan was to shut down the Chargers’ passing game. Kapa‘a kept pressure on quarterback Jesse-Lawrence Paredes all four quarters and limited him to 128 yards through the air.
“It was all about the pressure up front tonight,” Kapa‘a head coach Keli‘i Morgado said. “We wanted to get to the quarterback and make him tuck it and run. The defense did enough to get a shutout and it was a beautiful thing.”
Morgado said the Warriors were able to focus on limiting big gains through the air because the Chargers don’t rely on their run game. Pearl City finished the game with only 21 rushing yards compared to the Warriors’ 194.
“This team hung its hat on the pass,” Morgado said. “We got after them and took away their strength.”
Kapa‘a’s aggressive front-line put on a display late in the second quarter.
Following a bad punt by the Warriors, the Chargers gained possession on the Kapa‘a 38 with just under two minutes left in the half.
It was great field position for the Chargers who were looking to go into halftime with the lead. But three plays, three sacks and 22 yards lost later, the Warriors forced the Chargers to punt, ending the scoring threat.
“The defense played lights out tonight,” Morgado said.
The Warriors won the time of possession battle by nearly 15 minutes, with much of that credit belonging to Bronson Aiwohi. The speedy senior filled in at the end of the first quarter when starting running back Syndreck D’Sio left the game with a leg injury.
Aiwohi wasn’t flashy, but he kept drives moving and held onto the ball.
“As a captain I have to step up when someone goes down,” Aiwohi said. “The goal was to take control and make sustainable drives as a team.”
Aiwohi finished the game with 71 yards on 14 carries. Somera-Payomo added 32 yards on 10 carries.
The Warriors now advance to play the top-seeded Raiders. ‘Iolani will be a tough opponent, Aiwohi said, but the Warriors are playing pressure-free for the first time in decades.
“Since we won the championship over Waimea, that was 22 years coming off our shoulders,” he said. “Everything is pretty fun after that. As a team we found each other and are trusting each other very well.”
The Warriors take on the Raiders, at 2 p.m. Saturday at ‘Iolani High School.
