‘You can beat a team, but it’s hard to beat a family’: Kapaa still buzzing over historic win

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Micah Rapozo’s 33-yard field goal in overtime marked the exclamation point on a thrilling season as Kapaa defeated Konawaena to win its first Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division 1 state football championship in school history.

“It means the world to me and to everyone,” said Kapaa head football coach Mike Tresler. “I know Kauai is so proud. It’s huge for Kapaa and our whole fanbase, support network, especially the kids and our football family of coaches.”

Both Kapaa and Konawaena entered the matchup averaging at least 45 points a game, yet a meeting of two turbo-charged offenses turned into a defensive slog filled with turnovers and tied at 7 at the end of regulation.

Then in O-T, Rapozo, a senior kicker got his chance for a kick he’s since watched back over a thousand times.

“It felt perfect, the contact felt amazing,” Rapozo said. “I already knew it was going to go in when I kicked it. The work that we put in every week just goes to show how much we wanted it. It feels awesome.”

The Warriors’ win is the culmination of a mission that’s been years in the making.

Kapaa transferred to D1 after winning a D2 crown in 2021, a move that Tresler says many did not support.

But after a year that saw them go undefeated in league play and win three playoff games for their first D1 title, it seems they’ve settled in nicely.

“These guys are a special group,” Tresler said. “They’re families allowing the time to all stick together. You can beat a team, but it’s hard to beat a family. I don’t think you can beat a family.”

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