Kapaa and Lahainaluna meet again almost three months later, this time in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II Football State Championships semifinals at Vidinha Stadium. Glen Pascual | Special to SL

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11111542_chase_advkapalah.jpg - Glen Pascual | Special to SL

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Almost three months later, Kapaa and Lahainaluna meet again, this time in the semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II Football State Championships at Vidinha Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14.

The Warriors are ranked second in the Hawaiian Electric/ScoringLive Division II Power Rankings, while the Lunas are ranked ninth. Both teams met earlier in a preseason game back on Aug. 15 where the Warriors won, 14-10. Since then, Kapaa and Lahainaluna evolved throughout the course of the season.

"I told my team afterwards to be prepared and expect to see them in the playoffs at some point. We struggled in that game, and credit to them they made us struggle," said Kapaa coach Phillip Rapozo. "They (Lahainaluna) are a powerhouse and they set the standard for Division 2. They have a great staff and their young players are coming along."

"They shut us down offensively and we had to rely on our defense," said Lahainaluna coach Garret Tihada. "What they bring to the table is experience, they are well-coached, have good athletes, and they are the total package."

Lahainaluna had to outlast Kaimuki, 7-0 in the opening round of the state tournament on Nov. 7 to advance. Grinding out a tough win taught the young Lunas valuable lessons, especially when it got tight down the stretch.

The Lunas had 190 yards of net offense--all on the ground and Elijah Ragudo scored the game's only touchdown. Kaimuki drove all the way to the 5-yard line, but the Luna defense bent, but didn't break as Siale Hafoka's interception in the end zone helped seal the game against the Bulldogs.

"Our offense gave up the ball with like three minutes left, but our defense stepped up and prevented them from getting into the end zone," said Tihada.

Kapaa, the Kauai Interscholastic Federation champions, has an 8-0 overall record and in return they received the tournament's top seed and first round bye. The Warriors played their last game on Oct. 24.

"We've been treating it like business as usual. We keep practicing as if we have a game each week. We focus on the mental reps," said Rapozo, on how he keeps the team focused.

Not too many people outside of Kauai know much about the Warriors. Players to look out for, according to coach Rapozo, on offense is quarterback Kurt Napoleon, who has thrown for 972 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. Running back Kekoa Kaluahine-Cacal leads the team in rushing with 329 yards. Justin DeForge and Gabriel Keener lead the team with four receiving touchdowns each.

"If we execute, control the tempo to keep drives going, we should be alright," said Rapozo.

Kapaa shut out their Garden Isle opponents, which is no easy feat. On defense, be on the lookout for Mosese Fifita, Mana Kupihea and Ola Tatofi. As for preparing for the Lunas, Rapozo said his squad has to stick to the ball, play disciplined, assignment football.

The Warriors are seeking its first-ever state title appearance after going 0-2 in the semifinals while the Lunas hope to return to the title game for the second year in a row. The winner of this game meets the winner of Konawaena/Radford at Aloha Stadium on Nov. 20 for the championship.

Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.