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A new champion will be crowned at the First Hawaiian Bank Division II state football tournament Friday when Lahainaluna takes on Kapaa 4:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.

This is the first all-Neighbor Islands finale since King Kekaulike beat Kauai, 33-20, in 2006. Lahainaluna has finished second three times (2007, 2012 and 2014, all losses to Iolani), while Kapaa has placed second once when it made its state championship debut last year.

While No. 3 Lahainaluna (8-4) and No. 5 Kapaa (8-1) are seeking their first state crowns, the Lunas did win the now-defunct Neighbor Island Championship Series in 1997 by beating Waimea, 42-14. Kapaa represented the Kauai Interscholastic Federation from 1987 to 1989, but lost all those NICS appearances in the first round to Maui teams. The NICS was the Neighbor Islands' version of the Oahu Prep Bowl.

Needless to say, the Lunas and Warriors are hungry for title.

Kapaa lost to Radford, 30-16, in last year's title game and did not like that taste.

"We know the feeling," Kapaa coach Philip Rapozo said. "It's not a great feeling. They didn't want to come out of the house for about a month, but somebody's got to win and Radford did a good job…We can't let that happen to us again."

As for the Lunas, they're very familiar with their foe. In the past two seasons, Kapaa has defeated Lahainaluna in three meetings, twice in preseason and in last year's state semifinals. Kapaa has outscored Lahainaluna, 59-10, in those meetings. Kapaa has closed in on the lifetime series to 6-7 against Lahainaluna. In preseason, Kapaa beat Lahainaluna, 21-0 on Maui.

"They beat us three times in a row," Lahainaluna co-coach Garret Tihada said. "The kids know what they're up against, the coaches know what we're up against. It's just a matter of everyday working hard."

The Lunas primarily runs the ball. Of their 247.6 yards of offense per game average, 200.9 is from rushing. The ball is distributed among a number of rushers. Elijah Ragudo leads the team with 366 yards on 48 rushes, but close behind are Joshua and Justice Tihada with 267 and 263 yards, respectively, and Donovan Defang with 257 yards.

Quarterbacks Enele Scanlan and Etuati Storer have combined for 71 pass attempts in 12 games.

Lahainaluna will have to deal with one of the best defenses in Division II. Kapaa has shutout opponents five times this season, including Lahainaluna. The Warriors held a strong Damien offense to 14 points, shutting out the Monarchs the first half.

Kapaa is a little more balanced. Its offense averages 239.3 yards per game with 132.9 rushing and 106.4 passing.

Quarterback Kurt Napoleon has been adequate with 580 passing yards with six TDs to six interceptions, but has been moved to slot. Telii Fonua has assumed QB duties. Leighton Moniz has been the primary rusher with 423 yards on 91 carries, including two TDs. Gabe Keener has 334 yards receiving and three TDs.

Lahainaluna's defense allows an average of 160.8 yards per game (82.9 passing, 77.9 rushing).

What helps the Lunas this season is there are fewer two-way players.

"Three kids go ways," Tihada said. "This is the least amount of kids we had go both sides of the ball, so we're happy about that."

Kapaa's quest for a perfect season came to half when it lost to Kauai, 20-17, on Oct. 8. The loss also snapped the Warriors' 11-game shutout streak in KIF play dating to 2014.

For the Warriors, a win is important because the program has not won anything beyond a league championship.

"Being from Kapaa, we're a team that hasn't done a lot through the years," Rapozo said. "I think we really need this. It's great to be back, but I think we need to win it."