In his very first season as a varsity head coach, Phillip Rapozo won a league championship and his team made it to the semifinals of the Division II state tournament last year.

Not too shabby for a rookie, but Rapozo is no spring chicken. His background is an interesting one.

Rapozo never played football while he was a student at Kapaa High School, where he graduated from in 1985, but got involved when his son started playing in a Pop Warner league some years later. He spent five years coaching on the youth level, even coaching some Little League baseball when his son, Brenton, played on the diamond.

It wasn't until a former neighbor and good friend asked Rapozo to help out at his alma mater that he started coaching at the prep level.

"When (former coach) Kelii Morgado got the job here, he needed an equipment guy, so I did that," Rapozo said. "I was the varsity equipment manager and then I became the JV head coach, but after a year I thought it wasn't for me, so I left."

Morgado urged Rapozo to return to Kapaa a year later.

"He knew that he could trust me and that I would buy into what he was doing, so I came back," Rapozo said.

When Morgado resigned following the end of the 2013 season, he endorsed Rapozo to take over the varsity program and the rest is history.

In 2014, the Warriors went 7-2 overall and claimed their first Kauai Interscholastic Federation crown since 2011. The offense averaged better than 314 yards and 29 points per game, while the defense surrendered an average of just over 10 points per game.

The success of the program helped build support from the rest of the school and the community as a whole.

"If I go out into the community, everybody wants to talk about football and they're all excited," Rapozo said. "In Kapaa, we're not a winning program in the past. We don't pile up championships like some of the powerhouses in the state or even on this island. On this island, if you go by championships, we're the bottom of the barrel, so we're trying to change that. We're trying to change the culture, which I think we already did and we're trying to be the powerhouse now."

Kapaa took down Oahu Interscholastic Association runner-up Pearl City, 30-22, in the opening round of the state tournament, before suffering a 29-24 loss at eventual-champion Iolani last year.

"This year we have higher expectations with our team and commitment with our teammates," senior linebacker Mosese Fifita said. "Last year it was a devastating loss, but we have to pick up where we left off."

With a taste of success in 2014, the Warriors have their eyes on the big prize this season, but aren't looking past the KIF season.

"I'm not overlooking the KIF," Rapozo said. "People don't understand that just because we only have three teams so they think it's easy, but we play three times so everybody knows everything about each other and it's a tough league. I think the KIF has proven that in the past."

Rapozo is optimistic about his team's chances in 2015.

"If we're going to do it, this is the year," he said. "We'll just treat every game like how we did last year: as a championship game from the preseason. That's how we try to do things around here. We know there's high expectations, so we'll see how we handle that. It's always easier to get on top than to stay on top and that's what I've been preaching to them."

Kapaa will be tested right off the bat with a pair of teams that qualified for the state tournament last year in Nanakuli and Lahainaluna.

"I think it's a good measuring stick," Rapozo said of his non-league slate. "I think we're playing two of the best teams in the state in our division. I mean, you can't lay your hat on it if you win, you can't say ‘we got ‘em.' If you lose, you can't say ‘we're out,' but I think it's a good measuring stick to see what kind of a season we're going to have."

Make no mistake, the Warriors are not treating those games lightly.

"We talk about it all the time. This is my eighth year in the program and in the past we'd say, ‘Let's see what we've got, let's see who is going to play where and how they can contribute to the team.' I think now you've got to look at it like there's (state tournament) seeding at stake."

Fifita said he shares a special bond with his head coach.

"It's a pleasure for me to play for him," Fifita said. "He's inspired me a lot since I played for him on JV and moved up with me."

Rapozo said the feeling is mutual.

"For sure, because I've coached them two years in JV and then two years at varsity, so this is a special class," Rapozo said. "Last year was special, too, because those kids, as far as commitment and focus, that's what these guys have got to top. If they can do that — we're a lot more talented with depth this year than we were last year — if they get that, then we'll be fine."