Kapaa scores in all three phases to upend Damien

Brian Bautista | SL

For the first time in school history, the Warriors' are in the Division I state final.

Kapaa scored in all three phases, returning a kickoff for a score and an interception for another while piling up 329 rushing yards and five TDs in a signature 55-33 win over Damien.

Nainoa Simmons rushed for an absurd 261 yards on 33 carries, three of them for scores, to pace the Warriors' ground game, and QB Evan Daligdig added 57 yards and two scores of his own.

"He is just a special kid, and we're lucky he came home (from Kamehameha)," said Kapaa head coach Mike Tresler. "All year him and Evan and the offensive line, they we're banged up and we were missing guys, I couldn't be prouder of them, for lettting them (Simmons and Daligdig) do their thing."

The two teams traded scores for much of the first half, with the highlight of the first half being an 82 yard kickoff return by Nash Burkhart for a score in immediate response to a Monarchs' TD literally seconds before.

Locked up at 21-all, the Warriors jumped back in front in the final minute of the second on a 42 yard pass play from Daligdig to Kamalei Gonsalves to make it 28-21 Kapaa at the break.

Kapaa would stretch the lead to 14 on a 10 yard keeper by Daligdig, only to see the margin slip back to single digits on an 18 yard rumble to the end zone by Sylas Alaimalo at the 5:37 mark of the third.

From there, it would be all Kapaa, as Simmons broke free for a 47 yard score at the 4:47 marlk of the third to extend the margin back to 14 and a huge pick-six taken by 30 yards by Ryan Peters made the lead 22.

The finishing touch came late in the fourth, when Simmons bursted up the gut and raced past the Monarchs' defense for a game-sealing 73 yard scamper.

"It feels great, but I don't really care about records," said Simmons of his performance ranking second all-time. "I'm just here to win games and play with my family."

AJ Tuifua capped the evening's scoring with a 24 yard pass play to Alaimalo, with 3:27 to go, but it was too little too late.

Damien outgained Kapaa, 485 to 396, but four interceptions and two lost fumbles ultimately led to 35 points for the Warriors.

Tuifua completed 28 of 44 passes for 412 and four TDs, and Alaimalo had 204 yards from scrimmage, 77 rushing and 127 receiving on 12 receptions. Dayton Savea had 7 grabs for 82 yards with two TDs and Wyatt Ho-Williams 68 yards and a score.

Defensively, Kapaa was led by Brayden Bermoy, who regisered 13 total tackles and added a fumble recovery and an interception. Freshman Takazee Thomas chipped in eight tackles and a recovered fumble of his own, and Syren Burley had two sacks.

"They stepped up big tonight," said Tresler. "We told them do whatever it takes to find a couple of stops in the second half and they exceeded expectations. Not only did we get a bunch of stops, but even a score on defense."

Kapaa is making its first appearance in a championship game since winning it all at the Division II level in 2021.