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Aloha and Welcome to the Island Warriors Website.
The Island Warriors is a non-profit organization committed to providing an organized, quality athletic program to the Las Vegas community. Our program trains and fosters young athletes to provide them with the skills needed for a competitive edge. We incorporate island traditions and family values into our program and stress the importance of discipline and respect.
Our goal is to provide our young athletes with the tools necessary to advance and excel to higher levels of competition.
Please sign our guestbook and visit this site often to check for updates on our various programs and upcoming events. Or Contact us at IslandwarriorsLV@aol.com We'd love to hear from you!
Mahalo & Faafetai Lava
Saturday, July 12
Island Warriors Youth Football Club Join Middle School League
The Island Warriors Youth Football Club will be joining the SNYSA (Middle School League) this fall. We will have 2 teams, one team of 7th and 8th graders and one for players in grades 4, 5 & 6. Practices will begin on Wednesday July 16th at Liberty High School from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Please wear your football cleats and bring lots of water. Registration is $160
Sunday, July 6
Island Warriors Youth Win USFLL Championships in 2 Divisions
Island Warriors youth teams added 2 more Championships to their resume this spring as they won the USFLL Championship in both the Reggie White and Sam Mills Divisions. Congratulations to the players, Coach Johnny Alapai, Coach Conrad Waialae and their coaching staffs.
Special thanks to the team managers Cindy Tauanuu, Penina Nacua, Chris Waialae and all the parent volunteers!!
We look forward to continuing our winning tradition as we move forward with our plans to begin fall football.
Tuesday, July 10
Island Warrior Junior Division, Back 2 Back Champions!!
The Island Warrior Junior Division Under the direction of Coach Johnny Alapai won the NYL Junior Division Championship on June 16, 2007. Last year this team won the Championship in the Stars Division.
The High School & Elite (White) Division ended the season as runner-up Champions. The other Divisions all proceeded to the playoffs this year. Congratulations to all the Island Warrior teams.We look forward to another great season next year.
Sunday, March 30
Island Warriors Defeat NFE All-Stars in Casino Bow XIIl 44-7
The Island Warriors proved why they are ranked #1 in the country when they easily defeated the NFE All-Stars in the Casino Bowl 44-7 on March 29th at Valley High School stadium. The Warriors started off strong and scored their first touchdown within the first 3 plays of the game and continued to gain momentum and score at will making it 21-0 at halftime. Brooks Brown ran in 2 touchdowns. Epi Hernandez caught 2 touchdown passes from Ted Kennedy. Boobie and Corey both picked passes and ran them back for touchdowns. Brad Faunce added a 45 yard field goal and 2 touchbacks.The All-Star offense just could not get their game on as the Island Warrior defense held the all stars to minimal yardage and gave up only 1 touchdown to the All Stars.
Game MVPs included Brooks Brown offense, Corey Synagogue and Boobie McNeal-Defense, and the entire Island Warrior O-Line, Pat Kesi(Farrington HS), Randy Asinsin (Nanakuli HS), Chris Boyd (Kaiser HS), Tala Toalei(Kahuku HS) & Kila Hackbarth (Pearl City HS) & Alex Alvarez (Valley HS).
This win improves the Island Warrior Adult team's overall record to an amazing 91-3 since 2003.
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Saturday, December 8
Island Warriors Romp Inglewood Blackhawks in Far West Football Championship
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Source: Mesquite Local News;
by Morris Workman 08.DEC.07
To find an NFL offensive line, you usually have to wait for Sunday.On Friday night, you could have found one at the local football field.
The Island Warriors, a semi-pro team from Las Vegas, manhandled the Inglewood Blackhawks with a massive offensive line in their 28-6 win.
The game was the opening matchup of the Far West Football Association’s Hall of Fame weekend, a lineup of four football games featuring some of the best amateur players from this continent. Friday night’s game was the Zone 2 championship.
The Island Warriors, a 45-member team comprised mostly of Hawaiians or those of Polynesian descent, came into the game with a perfect record. They left the game the same way, running their mark to 14-0.
The team’s large and talented front line opened enormous holes for average of six yards per carry. He also scored a nine-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Brown, who grew up in Wheeler, Texas, bounced around college football for several years. His sojourn included stints at Division II colleges Oklahoma Panhandle State and Northwest Oklahoma State, before winding up as a safety at Oklahoma State University. This is the first year with the Island Warriors for the 25-year-old, who like his teammates continues to play football simply for the love of the game.“We don’t get paid for this, I just love playing football,” Brown said on Friday. Surprisingly, with a football pedigree that includes a high school championship and several years of playing Division II and Division I football, this is his favorite. “College and all, this is the best team I ever played on,” Brown said.One of his best friends on the team, J.T. Taylor, is the epitome of someone whose love and enthusiasm for football never seems to wane.
Taylor is 44 years old, and still tried repeatedly to sneak into the game when the coach wasn’t looking, like a kid trying to sneak into the movies.With his helmet off, he might still have problems getting into R-rated movies, thanks to his extraordinarily youthful looks that belie his nearly half-century on the planet.
Brown is joined in the backfield by Chad Kapanui, a bruising all-purpose back that was as comfortable throwing the ball as he was throwing a block, using a direct-snap passing attack toward the end of the first half. Kapanui was also sensational carrying the ball, scoring three rushing touchdowns while gaining 47 yards on 12 touches from the fullback position.
The Island Warriors dominated from the first snap, forcing the Blackhawks to use up four quarterbacks before finding a keeper on their fifth incarnation, former Idaho State player Kinte Haynes.
On their first possession, the Blackhawks fumbled the ball on their own 33-yard line.After the ball was recovered by the Warriors’ Marlon McNeil, the Las Vegas team used just five plays to find the end zone, a 10-yard dash by Kapanui.
Fans were then treated to an extra point from a guy who could easily get a job with NASA, since his booming kicks both for conversions and kickoffs frequently reached the upper stratosphere. On his first PAT attempt, Brad Faunce nearly hit the Virgin Valley High School scoreboard with his powerful kick.On the ensuing kickoff, he easily sent the ball through the end zone for a touchback. The two teams then traded punts to finish off the first quarter. The Island Warriors scored their second TD in their first possession of the second.
The two teams then traded punts to finish off the first quarter.
The Island Warriors scored their second TD in their first possession of the second period on a five-yard run by Kapanui, followed by another sonic boomer by Faunce for the extra point.Inglewood’s first possession of the second quarter was cut short when defensive lineman Barry Williams recovered a fumble on the Blackhawk 29-yard line.
It took just three plays for Brown to reach the end zone on a nine-yard run, a play which was set up by an impressive 10-yard gain on a reverse by Epi Hernandez, Jr. Hernandez was also the top receiver for the ground-intensive Warriors, with two catches for 32 yards during the game.Following Faunce’s kick, the Island Warriors settled back with a 21-0 lead that they carried into halftime.
On the second-half kickoff, Faunce intentionally kicked short.
A pair of Blackhawks returners ran into each other trying to field the kick, allowing Cory Synague to recover the fumble for the Warriors on the Inglewood 36.This time, instead of a quick strike, the Las Vegas team took their time with an eight-play drive that was capped by Kapanui’s one-yard touchdown plow.
The Blackhawks finally got on the board in the 4th quarter with a strong drive that ended on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Haynes to Rodney Connor.Connor was also the top running back for the Blackhawks. The extra point snap was low and fumbled, leaving Inglewood at a 28-6 disadvantage.
Toward the end of the game, one of the scariest hits came when a Blackhawk went up for a desperation pass.With his cleats barely returning to earth, he was clobbered by an Island Warriors player.According to one report, the unidentified Inglewood player was temporarily unconscious, and was unable to return to the game.The clock mercifully expired around 10:20 p.m., three hours and 20 minutes after the kickoff, handing the Island Warriors their 14th win and the Zone 2 championship.
“Not all of our players are Polynesians,” head coach Nua Agatonu said following the game,” but they’re all Polynesians at heart.”
In addition to coaching the team, the charismatic Agatonu also owns the Island Warriors, a squad he started seven years ago.
He started the team after his own playing career ended, a career which included playing college at Baker University in Kansas, where his roommate was current Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
In 1999, he moved to Nevada. After playing for two years with several other Polynesian teammates in a local arena league, he started the Island Warriors with the idea of filling the team with other Polynesians.Since then, Agatonu’s squad has been on a tear, winning the West Coast League title earlier this year before capturing the Far West Zone 2 crown on Friday night .
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Saturday, December 1
Youth Island Warriors Bring Home Second Straight National Pigskin Tournament Title
The Youth Island Warrior Team of players 14 & under participated in the Annual National Pigskin Tournament Held in Las Vegas over the Thanksgiving Holiday. The team, who normally plays in the spring league, got together just a few weeks prior to the tournament and had only a handful of practices. The team went undefeated winning over teams from Colorado and California. This is the second straight year Island Warriors teams have gone Undefeated in this tournament.
Congratulations players and coaches!
Tuesday, July 10
Olin Kruetz Foundation Makes Donation to Youth Island Warriors
The Olin Kruetz Foundation has made a donation to the Island Warrior Youth Program. We are so fortunate to have Olin's support. There are so many other youth football programs that he could have donated to and he choose the Island Warriors.
Olin Kruetz is a local boy from Hawaii. He attended St. Louis High School where he earned All State and All-American Superprep honors. He then went on to play as a Husky for the University of Washington where he received All Pac-10 honors every season. Olin was then drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1998 during his Junior year of College. Olin is currently the starting Center for the Chicago Bears and 6 time Pro-Bowl selected player.
Mahalo Olin!!!
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