LIHUE — Warriors senior starting quarterback Kurt Napoleon accounted for two scores to help the team stay unbeaten. Kapaa High School’s varsity football team (5-0, 3-0 KIF) defeated Kauai High, 22-0, Saturday afternoon at Vidinha Stadium. “The W counts. That’s
LIHUE — Warriors senior starting quarterback Kurt Napoleon accounted for two scores to help the team stay unbeaten.
Kapaa High School’s varsity football team (5-0, 3-0 KIF) defeated Kauai High, 22-0, Saturday afternoon at Vidinha Stadium.
“The W counts. That’s good. That’s what we’re here to do,” said Kapaa head coach Philip Rapozo.
Napoleon’s first score was through the air — a 21-yard pass to senior receiver Makena Tabura in the first quarter.
It was, however, the only points scored by the Warriors in the first half.
“The defense had been stellar for us all year long. It’s tough to play defense, play as hard as they did, then they look at the scoreboard and there’s nothing backing them up,” said Kauai head coach Derek Borrero. “Again, we didn’t get on the board. It’s a nightmare for us, but the kids will continue to work.”
Rapozo said of being held to seven points in the first half: “I’m going to give all the credit to Kauai High. They came out, had a good game plan and did their jobs. We made mistakes, and they did, too. It’s part of the game. They played a lot better than the first time we met, and we knew that was going to happen.”
The Warriors special teams came up big in the second half.
In the third quarter, a 76-yard kickoff return by senior receiver Gabe Keener set up Napoleon’s second score — this time a 10-yard reception from junior backup QB Teili Fonua.
Later in the period, the Warriors blocked a Red Raiders punt deep in Kauai territory — senior linebacker Mana Kupihea got the block, and senior linebacker Daniel Asotasi got the recovery. The play set up a made field goal by senior Clifton Oliver.
“It’s good to get points always when you get in there,” Rapozo said. “I think we left a lot points on the board, again, due to them and some from us. But I’m not going to take anything away from these Red Raiders, man. They came here to play, and they did a good job.”
Kauai High (0-5, 0-3 KIF) was knocking on the door in the fourth quarter and threatened to end the shutout.
The Red Raiders drove into Warriors territory, leading into a pair of field goal attempts by Red Raiders senior Kamuela Numazawa.
His first attempt from 40 yards sailed low, and his second attempt from 45 yards was just short.
“We had a chance, twice, to give our kicker an opportunity,” Borrero said. “And we had a chance, towards the end of the game, to get some of the other guys in to play and compete at this level. They also work hard.”
The Red Raiders caught the injury bug as a handful of them went down during the game.
Kauai offensive linemen, sophomore Quin Hoover and senior Keileb Albarado Planas, both got injured in consecutive plays during the final period.
“You’re thinking about who’s going to be able to step up. You hate to have those injuries, and those things do happen,” Borrero said. “Again, it gives other kids opportunity — an opportunity to prove that they can do it, too. That’s what I said during the postgame talk with the boys. I said, ‘We’re going to have some chances, and some of our guys are going to have to step up and I hope you’re ready for that.’ I was really proud of how they played.”
Kapaa also won the junior varsity game, 42-7.
Kapaa will play Waimea (2-2, 1-1 KIF) on Saturday at Vidinha Stadium. The JV game will begin at noon and the varsity will follow.
Kauai next plays on Oct. 1 against Waimea at Vidinha Stadium.
1st quarter
02:43 KAPAA Makena Tabura 21-yard reception from Kurt Napoleon, Clifton Oliver PAT good, 7-0 Kapaa
3rd quarter
11:06 KAPAA Kurt Napoleon 10-yard reception from Teili Fonua, Clifton Oliver PAT no good (Keanu Camalliri block), 13-0 Kapaa
09:10 Leighton Moniz 3-yard run, Clifton Oliver PAT no good, 19-0 Kapaa
06:01 Clifton Oliver 26-yard field goal, 22-0 Kapaa
Kapaa
Passing: Kurt Napoleon, 10-18, 109 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Rushing: Leighton Moniz, 11 carries, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
Receiving: Nakela Snyder, 4 receptions, 35 yards
Defense: Ikona Fernandez, 4 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 pass deflection
Kauai
Passing: Christian Manera, 11-29, 81 yards, 1 interception
Rushing: Christian Manera, 3 carries, 35 yards, 1 fumble
Receiving: Anthony Akau, 4 receptions, 33 yards
Defense: Zachary Hee, 7 tackles, 1 sack
