Waimea and Kapaʻa high school football teams go down fighting in state championship games

Two teams from the Kauaʻi Interscholastic Federation made it to the Hawaiʻi State football championship games on Saturday on Oʻahu, but Kapa’a High School lost a dramatic 13-9 game to Oʻahu’s Kailua High School in Division I and Waimea High School fell 42-24 to Kamehameha Maui in Division II.

In the Division I game, Kailua took a 6-0 lead on the first play of the game when Micah Sua returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. 

Kapa’a, the No. 1 seed and defending Division I state champions, took a 9-6 lead on three field goals by Yair Antonio, a 26-yarder late in the first quarter, a 35-yarder three minutes into the second quarter and a 22-yarder with 11:14 left in the game.

No. 3 seed Kailua then went on a methodical drive and scored it’s only offensive touchdown on a 23-yard pass from Isaiah Keaunui-Demello to Tayvin Kahele with 3:31 to go in the game. The drive lasted 14 plays, covered 95 yards and took 7:35 off the clock.

The crowd of about 4,000 was buzzing at John Kauinana Stadium at Mililani High School when Kapa’a responded with a drive that reached the Kailua 9-yard line. That’s when the Warriors called their final timeout with 20 seconds to go.

But their bid for a second straight championship ended when linebacker Keoki Cypriano intercepted a pass by quarterback Kaitin Mundon.

“It was open,” Kapa’a coach Mike Tresler said. “We coached it to throw the ball to the back of the end zone where no one else can be there, nobody else was. Throw it a little short, and the linebacker made a great play, he’s a great player.”

Cypriano said: “I was really thinking that we knew they were a run-first team, but it was a championship game and they had to bring out everything they had. We were just awake and whatever they ran we were just ready to make the play. It was insane.”

Kapa’a was limited to 110 yards rushing on 39 attempts, while Mundon passed for 85 yards, completing 6 of 12 attempts. 

Cyrpriano said Kapa’a was a tough opponent.

“Those guys were unreal,” he said. “They were strong. You look at them and they’re maybe a little small, maybe not the tallest guys, not the biggest guys, but man, those guys get after it brah.”

Tresler said mistakes caught up to his team. Kapa’a ran 51 offensives plays in the game to 40 for Kailua, but the Warriors committed two turnovers and took the ball away from the Surfriders just once. 

Kapa’a slightly out-gained Kailua 195 yards to 189.

“We pride ourselves on being disciplined, but who makes more mistakes loses the game, right?” Tresler said. “We weren’t as disciplined. We made more mistakes than they did, so hats off to them. And they won the championship.” 

Tresler said he was pleased with the fight his team showed throughout its 8-2 season.

“Our kids played tough all year round,” he said. “Our feeling was we drag it deep into the fourth quarter, we would have that advantage. And they came out with a really nice (touchdown) drive.”

Tresler lamented the first play of the game when Sua returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

“That’s the difference, special teams” Tresler said. “You can’t do that in this big of a  game. Again, all the credit to Kailua.”

In the Division II title game, No. 2 seeded Waimea scored first on a 25-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Kolby Correa to sophomore receiver Nash Schaefer. But the Menehunes were doomed by five turnovers against top seed Kamehameha Maui.

Waimea fell behind 13-6 and 20-12, but answered with touchdowns each time. The Menehunes pulled within 13-12 on a 48-yard touchdown pass connection between sophomores Correa and Schaefer and made it 20-18 on another Correa touchdown pass, this time an 8-yarder to junior Kaulana Makua with 8:46 left in the third quarter.

Correa was 14 for 27 passing for 218 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. 

After the Menehunes drew within 20-18, Kamehameha Maui scored the next four touchdowns to blow the game open. 

The young Menehunes, who finished the season 4-6, clearly have something to build on. Of their 46-player roster, 20 were seniors, but of the 15 starters listed in the official statistics sheet, only five were seniors.

“Of course, losses aren’t great,” Waimea coach Kyle Linoz said. “Got a lot to learn from this one, but we’re a little bit ahead of schedule with this group.”

The bottom line for the Menehunes was their five turnovers that led to 20 Kamehameha Maui points. 

“Not a great result, but I think we shot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Linoz said. “But (Kamehameha Maui) is an awesome team. Great team that we played tonight.”

Kamehameha Maui ran for 196 yards in the game as Zedekaiah Campbell had 181 all-purpose yards, 146 on the ground and 35 receiving. Backup running back Xander Pagan had 221 all-purpose yards, including a 92-yard kickoff return that gave Kamehameha Maui a 20-12 lead at halftime.

“Those guys were exactly what we thought they were,” Linoz said of the running backs who both went over 1,000 yards for the season in the game. “We knew they were that good.”

Kamehameha Maui sophomore quarterback Kekoa Keau-Davis passed for 76 yards and two touchdowns as well.

“He keeps everything honest with his keeps and inside runs also,” Linoz said. “Exactly as advertised. Got them bottled up for a while, but can’t keep good backs down forever.”

Linoz was proud of his young team for advancing past Roosevelt High School of O’ahu in a dramatic 27-26 victory in the semifinals on Nov. 22.

“Roosevelt is an amazing football team, too,” Linoz said. “That was a bit of a small miracle for us. To get past that one, things had to go our way. We got the turnovers instead of gave them in that one. But we look forward to regrouping and getting back at it.”

Waimea sophomore running back Kaikea Miyashiro ran for 39 yards to lead the rushing attack. Waimea had more first downs than Kamehameha Maui 14-12 and the Menehunes out-gained the Warriors 288 yards to 272.