HANAPEPE — Turnovers and big plays led the Kapa‘a Warriors to a 26-6 victory over the Waimea Menehune, Friday night at Hanapepe Stadium.
The Warrior defense tallied five takeaways and stopped two fourth-down attempts to remain in control throughout the contest.
Running back Darren Taylor did most of his damage in the first half, piling up 148 yards and a touchdown, including a huge play to start the scoring.
On 1st and 10 from their own 13-yard line, the Warriors ran Taylor off tackle to the left side. The 5-foot 8-inch back broke three tackles and bounced to the outside, using his speed to get to the edge, where one final stiff arm got him in the clear with nobody left to beat. The explosive 87-yard touchdown run got Kapa‘a on the board, and the extra point made it 7-0 with 1:40 to play in the first quarter.
The Warriors continued their strong defensive play, forcing a three-and-out early in the second quarter that gave them the ball on their own 24-yard line. Quarterback Brehdan Kamibayashi connected on three straight passes to three different receivers, bringing his offense into Menehune territory.
Taylor then busted another run for 33 yards, getting Kapa‘a into the red zone. On 1st and Goal from the 7-yard line, Kamibayashi dropped back and saw no open receivers. He looked left, saw plenty of open field, and sprinted to the pylon for the touchdown, giving Kapa‘a a 14-0 lead with six minutes to play in the half.
The Menehune moved into Warrior territory thanks to an 18-yard pass from James Dupree to Chyson Soares. But two plays later, Kapa‘a linebacker Davin Chong stepped in front of a Dupree pass and took it all the way to paydirt, swinging the momentum securely in Kapa‘a’s favor with a 21-0 lead with 5:18 to play in the second quarter.
Waimea again began to move the ball on the ground behind the running of Alex Palacio, but the turnover again hurt their cause. On 1st and 10 at the Kapa‘a 27, Palacio was hit and fumbled the ball, with Chong pouncing on it for his second takeaway of the night.
The defenses combined for three interceptions in the final few minutes of a half that produced six total, but with none creating points, Kapa‘a went to the locker room leading by three scores.
Late in the third quarter, the Warriors faced a 4th and 9 at the Menehune 27-yard line. Kicker Gabrielle Aloi trotted out in his green cleats and boomed the 44-yard field goal through the uprights, making it 24-0 with 1:15 remaining in the third.
A late punt backed the Menehune inside their own 10. On 2nd and 11 from the 6-yard line, Kapa‘a’s B.J. Aiwohi tracked down running back Christian Tangalin in the end zone, resulting in a safety.
The final play of the game was a nice pass from Waalani-Arroyo to Soares on a 19-yard slant, resulting in a touchdown and getting the Menehune on the board.
The Waimea offense ended a number of drives with turnovers, but was able to move the ball on the ground with Waalani-Arroyo (90 yards) and Ikaika Rapacon (seven carries, 28 yards) doing much of the work. Soares (four catches, 77 yards) was the main target on the outside.
Kamibayashi was impressive for Kapa‘a (15-for-34, 142 yards) and wide receiver Awai Dejos (four catches, 49 yards) had some spectacular runs after the catch in the Warriors’ best offensive output of the season.
The win improves Kapa‘a to 2-2 in KIF regular-season action, while Waimea drops to 0-4.
Earlier in the evening, the young Waimea JV squad added another win with a 28-0 topping of the Kapa‘a JV.
