After his squad fell to eventual champion ‘Iolani in the semifinals of the Division II state championship tournament last year, Kapaa coach Philip Rapozo vowed that his resilient team would be back.

The Warriors made their visit to Oahu this time around one to celebrate after posting a convincing 20-2 victory over a depleted Nanakuli squad in a nonconference game at Kapolei High School.

Kapaa’s energetic defensive unit held the Golden Hawks without a touchdown and allowed just 214 yards of total offense, including only 15 yards rushing. Nanakuli was missing nearly 20 players — many of whom were projected starters — due to injuries and poor grades.

Warriors linebacker Moses Fifita scooped and scored on a 25-yard fumble recovery with eight minutes remaining in the game to put Kapaa ahead by a 12-point margin. The linebacker was presented with the golden opportunity after Nanakuli quarterback Nainoa Banks could not handle a high snap as he stood in the backfield on fourth down as a punter, perhaps poised for a trick play.

"It was really big — we work on fumble recoveries and call it ‘scoop-and-score’ in practice," a beaming Fifita said. "Our coaches have taught us pretty well."

Kapaa running back Justin DeForge plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:28 left in the game to ice the victory. DeForge ended the game with a team-high 79 yards on the ground on 13 carries. Warriors quarterback Kurt Napoleon also added 52 rushing yards on 16 carries and threw for a score in the victory.

"Nanakuli is a heck of a team — they’re physical and very athletic. I felt like we were playing ourselves at one point, like we were looking in a mirror," Rapozo said. "We were fortunate to make some big plays. We made some mistakes, but so did they … I thought ‘Oh boy, it’s gonna be a long night.’ "

Kapaa (1-0), the defending Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion, put together an impressive opening drive as Napoleon helped engineer the squad’s run-based attack. However, with the Warriors positioned on Nanakuli’s 5-yard line, the 220-pound Fifita fumbled the ball to Nanakuli linebacker Casey Delima to end the threat.

Nanakuli (0-1), the defending Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II regular-season and playoff champion, also displayed a case of fumble-itis early on. The Golden Hawks took advantage of the previous Warriors turnover and drove 89 yards to Kapaa’s 1-yard line, but running back Sunshine Anuenue fumbled and ended the once-promising possession.

After receiving the ball back, Golden Hawks kicker Clifford Cunningham’s 37-yard field-goal attempt had the distance but sailed wide right as the first-quarter clock expired. The squads traded punts twice and Kapaa kicker Clifton Oliver missed a 43-yard field goal with 1:23 to play in the opening half. Nanakuli failed to gain any ground on its next turn on offense and punted again.

This time, the Warriors responded right away, as Napoleon found a streaking Gabe Keener along the sideline for a 36-yard touchdown strike with 31 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The 7-0 advantage would hold up at intermission.

Nanakuli narrowed the deficit to 7-2 nearly four minutes into the third frame when Napoleon, who also serves as his team’s punter, could not corral a high snap on a would-be punt play. The versatile field general kicked the ball out of the back of his own end zone to keep the Golden Hawks from recovering the loose football for a touchdown.

"The final score was 20-2, but it felt like 20-20," Rapozo said. "It’s great to come up here and get a win and hopefully we can build off of this."

Nanakuli was the designated home team Saturday night as its on-campus track and field is undergoing extensive renovations. The Golden Hawks will play as visitors until the field is deemed ready for use. Coach Keala Watson noted that he is "hopeful" that the team will return home to play its Oct. 2 homecoming game with Radford.