KAPAA — Kapaa High School defender Amanaki Tuulangavalu put an end to Kauai High School’s day under the the record-breaking temperatures at Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex on Saturday.
With about a minute showing on the game clock, Tuulangavalu plucked a Red Raiders aerial to put a period to Kapaa’s 64-0 victory in a Kauai Interscholastic Federation football game in Kapaa.
Kapaa running back Nainoa Simmons led the Warriors attack by scoring three touchdowns in the contest, where Kapaa showed a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, sparked by Simmons’ breakout 53-yard touchdown on the Warriors’ second touch of the match.
Earlier, Warriors kicker Micah Rapozo broke the ice with a field goal from inside the Kauai 10-yard line.
Nash Burkart, Kapaa’s special teams standout throughout the KIF season, added to the lead on a 75-yard punt return for touchdown before Kapaa QB Evan Daligdig peeled off a 50-plus yard pass to Kaimana Chong to set up Simmons’ second score, a 1-yard plunge into the end zone. Rapozo’s point after attempt boot stopped the scoreboard with a 24-0 Warrior lead.
With 16 ticks showing in the opening frame, Kapaa signal caller Daligdig hit Kamalei Gonsalves in the end zone for a touchdown that was called back on an infraction. On the second attempt to score, Daligdig found the end zone on a keeper play only to have that score nullified.
The third attempt overflowed into the second quarter and upped the Kapaa lead when Simmons found the end zone following a 5-yard run through traffic.
Kapaa defender Brayden Bermoy set up the next Kapaa score following a pass interception inside the Kauai 20-yard stripe. Simmons capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown that gave Kapaa a 38-0 lead at the break.
Coming off the break, Kapaa continued to score, adding a touchdown in the third quarter, and three more scores in the fourth quarter before the interception that was the last gasp for the Red Raiders.
Daligdig hit Chong for a 38-yard score in the third frame, and connected with Gonsalves for a 13-yard strike in the fourth quarter.
The final two scores came on Warrior breakouts in the final quarter when Kaitin Mundon found the end zone following a 45-yard run and Keanu Na-O peeled off 55 yards for Kapaa’s final score.
With the win, Kapaa picked up its fourth consecutive victory with two contests remaining for the KIF Division I representative to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state football championships.
Kauai High School finished with two wins and two losses in the season and will face Waimea High School, no wins, four losses, on Saturday at Hanapepe Stadium.
The junior varsity contest kicks off starting at noon with the varsity matchup taking place 30 minutes following the completion of the JV game.
