Perhaps the biggest "statement win" for any team this weekend came on the mainland when Kamehameha upset reigning California Interscholastic Federation Division I state runner-up Del Oro on the Golden Eagles' home field Friday night. However, the victory proved costly for the Warriors, who lost two key players in their offensive backfield with injuries sustained during the game.

Quarterback Noah "Fatu" Sua-Godinet and running back Kaulana Apelu both were unable to finish the game. Sua-Godinet, a junior, suffered what was initially thought to be a fractured jaw, and Apelu, a senior, sustained a leg injury.

"Apelu had a knee problem and Fatu got hit late in the head," Kamehameha coach Doug Cosbie explained. "Fatu is OK. They thought the jaw was broken at the stadium or at the hospital, but the X-rays were negative, so he should be fine. His jaw was really sore, but he was feeling good about 48 hours after."

For now, the news isn't as optimistic for Apelu, who missed nearly all of last season with a torn ACL.

"They thought that Apelu strained a ligament, but we're still waiting for confirmation on that."

Apelu carried 10 times for 79 yards before he left the game. He also had a team-high 42 receiving yards. Sua-Godinet was 7-of-20 passing for 66 yards with a touchdown and 14 rushes for 69 yards before he was injured. He was also intercepted twice.

Cosbie said on Tuesday that it was still too early to determine either player's availability for the Warriors' Interscholastic League of Honolulu-opener against Saint Francis Friday. The list of injured players continues to grow for Kamehameha, which was already playing without cornerback Dylan Kane, who is dealing with a forearm injury.

"We weren't executing extremely well on offense late in the third quarter, early in the fourth quarter — but we were playing with our backup quarterback and our fullback (Kaysan Nakatsu) was playing running back — so it was a good team effort," Cosbie said. of the 25-17 win.

Kamehameha held a 13-0 lead after the first quarter, but Del Oro scored 17 straight to pull ahead heading into the fourth quarter. Nakatsu scored on a 1-yard run to give the Warriors a 2-point lead and the defense sealed the win with a sack and consequent fumble, which linebacker Tainoa Foster recovered in the end zone.

"Our running back stepped up and made plays and the defense stepped up and made played which turned the momentum of the game for us," Cosbie said. "We kind of preach the team approach and that's really how we won last year and that's how we plan on doing it this year. Our defense creates a lot of havoc and makes it tough on quarterbacks."

The Warriors' offense rushed for 212 yards (4.8 per carry), but threw for just 83 yards, leaving much room for improvement, according to Cosbie.

"We made some first-game mistakes, but we competed really well and we overcame some adversity," Cosbie said. "this was a big win for us. It's tough to travel that far the day before the game, get everybody ready and go play, but all-in-all it was a good experience."