Top-ranked Nanakuli will take on second-ranked Kapaa in a highly-anticipated non-league matchup at Kapolei Stadium. ScoringLive photo illustration

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It's not often that a game in early August could have postseason implications, but that's just the case when Kapaa meets Nanakuli Saturday night.

The non-league game — which will be played at Kapolei Stadium because of ongoing work being done on Nanakuli's home field — features the reigning league champions from the Kauai Interscholastic League, in Kapaa, and the Oahu Interscholastic Association, in Nanakuli.

The Warriors and Golden Hawks are also the second- and top-ranked teams, respectively, in the Hawaiian Electric Division II Preseason Power Rankings. It's a fact that is not lost upon the two head coaches.

"If I said that we don't care, I would be lying to you," Kapaa second-year coach Phillip Rapozo said. "Yeah, it does matter, especially with the playoffs. A win right off the bat and our chances of getting a good seed for the state tournament — if we can keep it up throughout the season — are pretty good."

Watson, who is in his third year in charge at Nanakuli, said he is taking the preseason rankings in stride.

"I'm trying hard not to let it get to me because there's a small part of me that wanted to jump for joy just because we're finally proving we belong and gaining respect, but there's also a calmer side of me that wants to ignore that and do what we do best," Watson said. "I'm definitely grateful for all the recognition that our guys get, at the same time we're keeping things in perspective that we still need to go and do the work."

The Golden Hawks are coming off a season in which they went 10-1 and captured their first OIA championship in more than 31 years. They qualified for the D2 state tournament, but saw their season end with a 42-20 opening-round loss at Kamehameha-Hawaii.

"I think one of the things that I see out of our team is they're picking right up where they left off last year as far as progressing as a defense and as an offense," Watson said. "We have enough returners where they could come right in and pick up at the same level as far as physicality and mentality. They've been able to build off of that and improve ourselves even more this year. Not to sound overconfident, but I think our guys are ready to get out there and show what we've got."

Nanakuli will take the field without several players who will miss the game due to either injury or academics, including receivers Brandon Sevelino and Keanu Momoa.

Watson, who noted that his roster of about 50 players is the largest that he can recall in recent history, said he would like to use the opportunity to further develop depth.

"I think the most important thing is getting the cobwebs off," Watson said. "It's been a few months since the last time we played, so getting back into the swing of a full-fledged game will be nice and it's an opportunity to get guys in, it's an opportunity for our offense and defense to work out some new things that we worked on this summer and it should be a great measuring stick to see where we stack up and where we need to improve."

The Warriors, meanwhile, are playing to win.

"We're treating this game as a championship game and we've done that all season last year; that's our outlook on football and I thought it worked for us last year," Rapozo said. "We're going in there to win, not to see what we've got. We want to go in with respect for Nanakuli, play a clean football game and play hart and try to come back with the win."

Kapaa went 7-2 last year — Rapozo's first at the controls — and its first KIF crown since 2011, just the sixth in school history. A run to the D2 state semifinals started back in August with a two-point loss to powerhouse Lahainaluna in non-league play.

"The Lahainaluna game last year, even though we lost, it gave us momentum throughout the year," Rapozo said. "It was my first year, nobody expected us to hang with them, they were No. 1 at the time and we had lost to them the year before, so I think that really gave us some confidence going into our (regular) season and I expect this Nanakuli game to work out the same way for us this year. Hopefully we can build off a win and have a good season."

It was the Warriors' only loss of the year until a season-ending 29-24 loss at Iolani, leaving them one win away from an appearance in the state final.

"I'm not ashamed to say that we got beat by a better team," said Rapozo, whose team will host Lahainaluna once again next week. "One thing I'm happy about is I see them coming together. We're jelling now, we're getting our leaders stepping up, so that's great and I'm excited about that. I knew we were a young, talented team, but I was just worried about the leadership."

Rapozo's team is eager, to be sure, but has been hit by the flu bug the past week.

"We had camp and I guess the kids were sick and it just spread like wildfire, so we're battling the flu right now," Rapozo said. "We have about seven guys down right now with that and we have some minor injuries, but it's nothing major; they'll play Saturday."

The early-season meeting could be a sneak peek at a potential state-tournament matchup come November.

"Playing the best team in the state gives our kids some drive and motivates us, so I kind of like being number two in a one-versus-two matchup," Rapozo said. "It puts a lot of pressure on both teams and that's a good thing because we'll see how we can handle pressure right off the bat. I know the boys are tired of hitting each other and they're hungry to go up against somebody else. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

Watson had high praise for Kapaa.

"They're a good team, you can't doubt that," Watson said. "They've got athletes at all positions, they've got depth, they run a good offensive system, their defense plays lights-out football … they're everything you could ask for from a D2 team. We have to make sure we do our jobs correctly and are ready for whatever they throw at us. There's a lot of hype leading into this game and both sides are amped and ready to play. It'll be a good opportunity for our guys to test where we stand."

Kickoff between the Warriors and Golden Hawks is set for 7 p.m. Saturday.