CJ Caraang | SL

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A little rain wasn't about to stop eight-year-old Nainoa Simmons from watching his beloved Kapaa Warriors play Friday night.

Simmons, a defensive end on one of three Kapaa Eagles Pop Warner teams on Oahu for a goodwill tournament at Leilehua's Hugh Yoshida Stadium Sunday, was among the 300-or-so green-clad fans in the mauka sideline bleachers cheering on the Warriors against Radford in the Division II state final.

The Warriors ended up losing the game, 30-16 — the first time they tasted defeat this year — but it likely mattered little to Simmons, who was beaming with a smile from ear to ear.

"It's pretty awesome," said Simmons, who had never been to Aloha Stadium previously. "It's really exciting."

Simmons, whose favorite Kapaa player is senior linebacker Mosese Fifita, plays for his father, Jamie, the head coach of the Eagles.

The Simmons family finalized their travel plans shortly after Kapaa's 24-0 semifinal win over Lahainaluna last Saturday.

"We were hoping that they won their semifinal so that we could enjoy this while we're here," Jamie Simmons said. "We're going to watch the San Jose State-Hawaii game, too."

Not far away from the Simmons, Kamaka and Amparo Fernandez watched anxiously as their son, Ikona — a junior defensive lineman — and his teammates battled the Rams.

"It's exciting, really exciting. The excitement has been building every day," said Kamaka Fernandez, a 1990 graduate of Kapaa. "The boys worked hard for this. They deserve this."

Another Warrior alumnus, Joel Pahukula, took in the game from a different vantage point: the press box. Pahukula, a 1986 graduate of the school, has been the radio voice of the Kauai Interscholastic Federation sporting events since 1999 on Jamz 98.1.

"The fans are anxious and there's a feeling that this is way overdue," Pahukula said while preparing for his broadcast. "Kapaa has had really good players in the past, but they just couldn't put it together."

Pahukula said the Warriors' success this season has been years in the making, but was further sparked by the way 2014 ended — a 29-24 semifinal loss at eventual-state champion Iolani.

"I think a lot of fans felt like last year could have been their year, but Kapaa let it slip away," Pahukula said.

Kamaka Fernandez agreed: "That loss really fueled all the boys, (but) they're all together now and they all work together."

Kapaa principal Daniel Hamada, who took in Friday's game high above the south end zone from the skybox, said the players never let the loss to Iolani stray too far from their minds.

"When I saw the kids after the game, when they came back, you could tell there was a hunger in them and I could see it the whole season — even in the preseason and the way they practiced — so it's like an appetite that they had to feed and I think that's one of the drives that got them here," Hamada said.

Hamada, a 1970 Kapaa graduate, has a long-running history with the KIF, previously serving as complex area superintendent and is currently the league president.

"I've seen Kapaa athletics grow and develop over the years," said Hamada, who played tennis and baseball in high school. "Coming from a country environment, you see the sports develop over the years, even the way they execute. I think the strength of Kapaa is the community and the support for the kids and the dedication of the kids. I think the one strength of this team that I've seen is they play together; there's no lone rangers on this team."

For those fans who were unable to make the trip to Oahu, the school provided a live video feed of the game at its own Bernice Hundley Gym.

"That gym is going to be packed, for sure," Hamada said. "I was so thankful for all of our legislators — our senators and representatives and the community — for making this happen."

Hamada reiterated the tremendous amount of support the team and school felt in the days leading up to the championship game.

"I think sports brings it all kind of full circle," Hamada said. "It just creates a stronger sense of pride and community and confidence and it's even stronger now in our community. Even though we're playing the game at our gym, you know people from the west side, people from the Lihue area will also support. It's a big thing for Kauai."

Fernandez summed it up like this: "This is for Kauai. It's awesome and it's something good for Kauai. It's not only for Kapaa; this is for Kauai."