Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 | 6 a.m.
It is no surprise to Nua Agatonu that Liberty's middle school football team is leading the Southern Nevada Youth Sports Association this season.
Most of the team, made up of seventh and eighth graders zoned to attend Liberty, have been playing together for years in Agatonu's Island Warriors youth football program.
Liberty won nine straight games, including a 39-26 victory against Chaparral on Nov. 1, to close the regular season undefeated. It defeated its closest contenders, second place Silverado 42-18 on Oct. 11.
"This team has been playing together since the fourth grade," Agatonu said. "When they get on they field, they have the composure that makes them stand out. We have come close to losing, but they always find a way to pull it out."
Liberty looks to continue the momentum Nov. 15 against Chaparral in the first round of the playoffs.
"We just need to keep building and keep getting better," quarterback Anu Solomon said.
The association's middle school division is comprised of 13 teams that function as feeder programs for a high school.
Liberty has been led by running back Niko Kapelli, who Agatonu said is averaging four touchdowns a game. Kapelli said the offensive line has been the secret to his success.
"I feel like we have a pretty good chance to win the championship," he said.
Agatonu will take the team on the road over Thanksgiving weekend to a tournament in Seattle.
"The key is surrounding the team with good coaching," he said. "It's from quality coaching and bringing in a style of football and family that reflects where we come from. You're not just on the field to make a tackle. You're there representing your family first."
The Island Warriors originated in 2005 as a city-wide football program based on Samoan culture.
Agatonu moved the program to southern Henderson last year to as a feeder program for Liberty, where his son play's in the high school program.
The effects have already started to show, Agatonu said, as a pair of Island Warrior alums — freshmen Jordan Kapelli and P.J. Tauanuu — started for Liberty's varsity team this year. The Patriots went 4-5, the best in the school's six years.
Agatonu said the addition of Niko Kapelli in high school with his brother, Jordan, will make a difference.
"There's going to be some magic in the backfield when those brothers get up to varsity together," he said.
Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].
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