HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – When teams suit up against the Kapa’a Warriors, more often than not, they’re in for a grind in the Kauai heat.
“We work them hard,” said Warriors head coach Mike Tresler. “We take pride in being in great physical condition and playing a physical ball game, so they never complain about running and what we ask them to do.”
A tough, disciplined style of play that Tresler grew up with as a defensive playmaker for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the late 1980s under Dick Tomey and Bob Wagner.
“In today’s game, you need to put up points, but man there’s no substitute for great defense and special teams because you control the field position and you give your offense as much opportunities as you need,” Tresler said.
When he’s not coaching, Tresler is the fiscal management officer for Kauai County’s Department of Public Works and for a guy that works with numbers, his team has put some impressive stats.
The four-time defending Kauai Interscholastic Federation champions haven’t lost to a KIF opponent in two years and through six conference games, their defense held teams scoreless in three of them.
“It’s a big deal, we take pride in that,” Tresler said. “That’s donuts. that’s a zero. We celebrate by eating donuts on Monday and the kids really love that, so we get excited with that, but it’s a team thing.”
Last season, Kapaa played two of its state tournament games on Maui and Hawaii Island, but this time, they’re thankful for the chance to open at home when they host the Kailua Surfriders.
It’s the start of a run they hope ends with their second state championship in four years.
“We’re a balanced team now,” said senior running back Nainoa Simmons-Kaohelaulii. “We used to be run heavy, but we got a great quarterback and we can throw the ball. I think they’re gonna have problems with that.”
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