KEALAKEKUA — Sometimes it feels so good to do something you need to do it twice.
That exact sentiment rang true for Konawaena football Saturday night in its state semifinal matchup. In front of thousands at Julian R. Yates Field, the No. 7 Wildcats advanced to the HHSAA Division I Football Championship for the second straight year after beating No. 9 Kapaa 37-19.
The Wildcats will play No. 10 Waipahu this weekend for state glory.
“We’re blessed, man,” coach Brad Uemoto said postgame. “We got a great group of kids, and to pull out a win against a good team like this is amazing for our school.
“We’re now just gonna get back to work and focus on defending our state title.”
Konawaena quarterback Keoki Alani finished with 234 passing yards and two touchdowns — one to Austin Takaki and the other to Abraham Ogata. Running back Keawe Navas Loa rushed for 67 yards and three scores.
The Wildcats defense was the biggest story of the game, however — forcing multiple turnovers. Navas Loa forced two fumbles, while Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio sealed two picks.
“They play tough and rally to the ball,” Uemoto said of the team’s defensive performance. “We worked on it all week.”
But the Warriors managed to put up a fight in the beginning. The team established itself defensively and kept pace with Konawaena in the second quarter, forcing two straight Wildcats punts to set up a touchdown drive led by quarterback Kapono Na-O, making plays with his legs and finishing with a touchdown run, but failing to convert the 2-point conversion to take the lead near the end of the half.
Konawaena followed with marching down the field but fumbling on the Warriors’ 1-yard line. However, after forcing a 3-and-out in the ensuing possession, the Wildcats found life by catching a piece of Kapaa’s punt to put themselves on the Warriors’ 3. Navas Loa then punched the ball in between the pylons for the 3-yard rushing score — putting Konawaena up 21-13, and never looking back.
“We made some adjustments on offense a little bit,” Uemoto said. “They changed the fronts on us, so we moved away from the RPO game and adjusted our run. We tried to mix it up.”
To close the first half, the Wildcats made another defensive stop to give the offense one more chance. Following a big Anahu-Ambrosio gain, Ogata caught a 23-yard pass for the final points of the first two quarters. Anahu-Ambrosio picked off Na-O to end the half.
“He made plays,” Uemoto said of Anahu-Ambrosio. “That’s just who he is.”
The game started with Navas Loa forcing a fumble in the red zone in Kapaa’s opening drive, and Konawaena followed with a five-play, 60-yard drive sparked by an Alani slant-route pass to Takaki and a couple big rushes from Navas Loa — setting up the first score of the night.
Navas Loa forced another fumble in the first quarter — this time in Kapaa territory — to set up an Alani-to-Takaki touchdown throw over the middle to put the Wildcats up two possessions.
Just before the conclusion of Quarter 1, receiver Evan Daligdig hauled in a 48-yard laser down the seam to put the Warriors on the board with a receiving touchdown.
The second half was in general a quieter one, as another Navas Loa forced fumble gave the Wildcats an opportunity to add to the scoreboard in the third quarter. Konawaena then converted a field goal for the only points scored in frame.
But once Kapaa had the ball in the next possession to start the fourth, the green and white forced another Warriors’ fumble at midfield. Once Alani completed big passes to Takaki and Ogata, Navas Loa scored his third rushing touchdown to extend the big lead.
Kapaa tried to spark its offense towards the end of regulation. Following another Anahu-Ambrosio interception, the Warriors got the ball back and earned their first points since the second quarter off a Waikahekili Makepa 6-yard rushing touchdown — but it was ultimately not enough to overcome the defending state champions.
What’s next?
Following No. 10 Waipahu’s thrilling 21-20 victory over No. 11 Farrington in the opposing DI semifinal, the Wildcats will face the Marauders in the state championship for the second consecutive season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mililani High School on Oahu.
When the two schools faced off in the DI Championship a season ago, Konawaena prevailed in the 38-28 win.
“We know they will be more physical and tougher,” Uemoto said. “But for us, it’s taking this experience (against Kapaa) into next week.
“It’s an amazing honor for us to have the opportunity to win back-to-back state titles. This is amazing for our community and program.”