KEALAKEKUA — Kapaa used a second quarter surge to stun Konawaena and come away with a 37-0 victory in the battle of green and white at a muddy Julian Yates Field on Saturday night.
Kapaa (1-1) quarterback Kahanu Davis managed the wet conditions effectively, going 13 of 26 on his passes for 203 yards and a score. He added another touchdown on the ground and totalled 63 yards rushing.
Kapaa’s sophomore back Baba Nao carried the load in the run game, racking up 141 yards on 16 carries — a solid 8.8 yard average. However, 111 of his yards came on two plays.
The Wildcats finished with 239 yards of total offense and fell to 0-2.
“A loss like this gives you a sense of urgency,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “That being said, I’m confident that my staff is going to coach these boys up and we will continue to get better as a team. It’s going to take hard work, it’s going to be a grind and they have to be willing to step up to the plate.”
It’s the first time Konawaena has been shut out at home in just over three seasons under Uemoto. The only other time the Wildcats were held off the scoreboard was a road game at Kamehameha-Hawaii in 2015.
Freshman quarterback Sheynen Nahale played just over two quarters before exiting with an injury. He posted a 10 of 22 performance for 131 yards and an interception, but was battling an injured finger on his throwing hand that carried over from the Kahuku game.
The most successful rusher for Konawaena was Orion Smith with 35 yards.
Kapaa scored its first two touchdowns of the game less than 15 seconds apart. The first came on a 44-yard sprint from running back Baba Nao down the visitor’s sideline.
On Konawaena’s first play following the ensuing kickoff, the ball slipped out of Nahale’s hands on a throw and Raiden Kurisu picked it up and returned it 14 yards to make it 17-0 early in the second quarter.
The Warriors added a late first half score when protection broke down for Davis, but he found a lane on the left side of the line. The junior QB scooted 55 yards, giving Kapaa a 24-0 halftime cushion.
Nao chugged away with short gains before finding a large hole on third and short, rumbling 67 yards for his second score of the game.
When Nahale exited with an injury in the third quarter and Jaimison Medeiros took over at quarterback. He finished 4 of 14 for 55 yards.
Davis put a cap on his night with a 39-yard pass to Lanakila Pagtolingan to start the fourth quarter. Pagtolingan had just three catches in the game but racked up 118 yards.
Konawaena has a week off before facing Kealakehe in the BIIF season opener at Julian Yates Field on Aug. 24.