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Tuesday, July 10
Warriors Win Las Vegas City Bowl
The Warriors concluded their 2007 undefeated Spring season with a 26-24 win against the Henderson Wolverines in the Las Vegas City Bowl on June 3, 2007. The game was won with less than 2 minutes left in play with a 20 yard field goal by Brad Faunce. Congratulations to the Warriors on their 5th Championship title.
The Island Warriors are the 2005 National Minor League Champions.
2005 WWFL Champions
2003 & 2004 USIFL Undefeated Champions.
Thursday, June 2
Warriors Win "Triple Crown" In 2005
The Warriors concluded their best season ever by taking the WWFL League Championship as well as the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament Titles. This makes 2005 a triple crown year for the Warriors
The Warriors easily defeated the Henderson Wolverines to take the WWFL Championship title on May 14, 2005.
The Warriors won the Las Vegas Invitaional Minor League Arena Football Tournament held at the Las Vegas Indoor Arena in Summerlin on May 28, 2005 by defeating the Las Vegas Express 42-14 and the Utah Sting 34-40. Thanks to all the players and fans that came out to the tournament. The Warriors remain undefeated in Arena Football for the past 3 seasons.
Congratulations Island Warriors!!!
Warriors Win National Minor League Arena Football Championship
The First game of the tournament was the Utah Sting against the Englewood Blackhawks of California. The Utah Sting defeated the Blackhawks which gave them a bid for the Championship. In the second game of the tournament the Warriors easily won Illinois Outlawz 24-6. The Warriors faced the tough Utah Sting in the Championship game. The game was a close match up. Every score was matched by the opposing team. In the final minute of the game, Quarterback Steve Pak scored the winning touchdown by faking a handoff to running back Dovan Spaight and slipping up the middle into the endzone making the score 23-19. The Utah Sting took over with less than a minute to go and began to move the football toward Warrior territory. Then with less than 20 seconds left, Tumua Vitale intercepted the ball in the endzone to secure the Championship. It was a great game, it was definitely the toughest competition the Warriors had ever played against. Thank you to Mike Curran of the UIFL for sponsoring the well organized event.We look forward to defending the title in the 2006 Tournament. Also, Special Thanks to Sim and Esperanza Tiatia and family for their hard work and gracious hospitality.
Click Below to view a photo slide show of the 2005 Championship
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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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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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