LIHUE — The Kapaa Warriors’ defense was key to holding the Westside Pride to just a touchdown Friday night at Vidinha Stadium. Lanakila Pagtolingan provided the margin of victory for Kapaa, sealing the Warriors’ touchdown with a point-after boot while
LIHUE — The Kapaa Warriors’ defense was key to holding the Westside Pride to just a touchdown Friday night at Vidinha Stadium.
Lanakila Pagtolingan provided the margin of victory for Kapaa, sealing the Warriors’ touchdown with a point-after boot while the Warrior defense blocked Aka Wisneski’s attempt for the 8-6 edge.
The win was redemption for the Warriors who suffered opening losses at the hands of both the Westside Pride and the Kauai Bulldogs in the Kauai Youth Football league for intermediate students in grades six through eight.
“Those games were wake-up calls,” said Kapaa coach Reed Pagtolingan. “Hopefully, the boys know what it feels like and we move forward from here.”
Kapaa struck early in the game, taking its first possession to pay dirt when Nakela Snyder opened the scorebooks on a 12-yard touchdown run.
Lanakila sealed the deal at the 5:50 mark in the first quarter with his PAT boot for the 8-0 margin which stood at the break.
The Westside Pride, stricken by the flu bug which kept several players at home, relied on its defense to stay in the game.
Lacin Montemayor started the defensive stand by plucking a Kapaa pass in the second quarter and running it back to the Westside 26-yard line, effectively breaking up a Kapaa drive in the red zone.
The defensive snatch did not stop the Warriors from taking to the airways and on its next possession, Westside’s Ryan Emayo-Schmidt plucked a Teili Fonua pass in the red zone, stifling the drive on the Pride’s 17-yard stripe, snuffing another Warrior drive.
The Westside got its first sniff at the end zone with 2:09 remaining in the half when Kapaa, on a fourth and 5, could not convert, giving Westside the ball on its own 31-yard line.
The drive got some help when Kapaa was called for illegal helmet contact, resting the ball on the Warrior 27-yard line with the clock stopping on the long side of 35 seconds to the half.
Montemayor hit Spanky Simao for a nine-yard pickup, and followed that with a long connection to Ransen Pasion in the end zone.
But the aerial went wide as the buzzer sounded on an 8-0 Kapaa lead.
Montemayor’s second interception of the night set the stage for Westside’s score in the third quarter, the ball coming to rest on the Pride’s 49-yard line with 8:46 showing in the third quarter.
Kapaa’s defense rose to the occasion, pushing the Pride to a fourth-and-14 situation, but a costly Warrior miscue moved the ball to a fourth and 1, Montemayor getting the first down on a keeper with 4:41 showing.
Lanakila Gushiken-Banquel went left to the Kapaa 9-yard line for a first-and-goal with 4:11 showing.
From there, Westside turned to big Harrison Kanahele who bulled to the Kapaa 1-yard line before icing the drive on the final yard charge with 3:25 showing.
Wisneski’s PAT boot to tie was blocked by heavy Kapaa traffic leaving Westside looking at an 8-6 deficit.
Westside had another opportunity in the fourth quarter when the Pride recovered a muffed punt on its own 40-yard line with 5:26 remaining in the match.
The short drive was snuffed when Kapaa’s Alii Brown intercepted a Montemayor pass, running it out of bounds at the Kapaa 34-yard line
Following a break Saturday, the Bulldogs return to Vidinha Stadium on Mother’s Day for a meeting with the Kapaa Warriors starting at 10 a.m.
