The redemption tour of Konawaena and Kapaa High Schools rolled right on in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I football semifinals on Friday night.

With resounding wins over Oahu teams Leilehua and Damien, the BIIF and KIF champions made it an all-Neighbor Island affair in next Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game at Mililani High School.

While the state Division II championship has been contested between Neighbor Island teams for seven straight editions, it will be the first time that the D-I final will have that distinction.

Kapaa workhorse running back Nainoa Simmons carried the ball 33 times for 261 yards — 1 yard short of tying the state D-I record — and three touchdowns while quarterback Evan Daligdig ran for two scores and passed for another in the Warriors' 55-33 victory over Damien at Skippa Diaz Stadium.

"We're just going to go out there and give it our all," Simmons told Spectrum OC16's Jimmy Bender of facing Konawaena.

Konawaena beat Kapaa 37-19 in last year’s D-I semifinals, but the Wildcats’ bid for back-to-back championships was thwarted by Waipahu in the final. Now Brad Uemoto’s team will go for the school’s second koa trophy in three years.

The passing attack is clearly alive and well for the Wildcats (10-2) after the graduation of state touchdown record-holder Keoki Alani from last year’s team. Alani’s cousin, sophomore Keenan Alani, tossed five touchdowns — three to receiver Aliimalu Tan — in a 45-20 defeat of visiting OIA champion Leilehua at Julian R. Yates Field.

Alani went 20-for-36 for 359 yards without an interception. Tan caught nine of the balls for 191 yards, including a 40-yard TD strike in the first quarter that made it 24-0.

The lead grew to 38-7 in the fourth quarter before Leilehua (10-4) got two TD passes from quarterback Bennett Strobel. Mules running back Cameron Keeve, who scored four rushing touchdowns in a road win over Lahainaluna last week, was held without a score. Receiver Romeo Tubon was Leilehua's best option as he caught nine balls for 104 yards and a touchdown. Strobel was 20-for-37 with three TDs to one interception.

Kapaa, led by coach Mike Tresler, seeks its first state title at the D-I level after breaking through in D-II in 2021.

Behind Simmons, the ground-and-pound-oriented Warriors outperformed ILH champion Damien in a shootout. Kapaa (8-2) posted two touchdowns in each quarter to make ILH champion Damien (8-2) a one-and-done state performer in Kalihi.

The Warriors intercepted standout Damien quarterback AJ Tuifua four times to offset Tuifua’s four touchdown passes. Tuifua was 28-for-44 for 412 yards.

The Monarchs’ all-purpose standout back Sylas Alaimalo caught 12 passes for 127 yards and a score and carried the ball 14 times for 77 yards and another TD.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.