So many tales, so many hopes.

And only one championship trophy. The Kapaa Warriors and Lahainaluna Lunas have come close to winning the Division II crown at the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships. Neither has hoisted the championship koa trophy yet, though.

Kapaa (8-1), which fought off ILH champion Damien last week, 21-14, at Vidinha Stadium, could smell a crown last year. Radford denied the Warriors, 30-16.

Lahainaluna (6-4) has been close three times, coming up just short each time to then D-II dynasty ‘Iolani. While ‘Iolani plays for the D-I title on Friday night, Lahainaluna will meet Kapaa for the 2016 D-II championship.

The Lunas, to be clear, have been a small-school juggernaut for decades. There have been seasons when they beat D-I and D-II foes alike in the Maui Interscholastic League and won outright titles.

The Warriors have emerged within the past decade after underachieving for ages in a tough Kauai Interscholastic Federation.

Now, they are both counting on superb defense and special teams. In fact, the two teams combined for zero pass completions in their semifinal wins last week.

A crown would mean the world to Lahainaluna, which has an enrollment of 900. Co-head coach Garrett Tihada has been part of the program since he was a player, and the tradition of discipline, gratitude and toughness has never wanted. He understands, though, that even back home, there are some doubters.

“After losing three,” he said. “Some might get the feeling ‘Are they going to actually do it this time?’ ”

Kapaa is in dynasty mode when it comes to KIF football. They blanked the Lunas 21-0 at Lahainaluna’s field in preseason, one of five shutouts in a row. They entered the state tourney as the No. 1 seed, but have not lacked focus.

“It’s going to take a lot more work than ever. We know what we have to do to be successful,” Warriors coach Philip Rapozo said. “I told Coach Tihada, ‘We’ll see you in the postseason.’ Not being cocky or disrespecting our league, but just that feeling, you know if you make it to states, you’re going to see Lahainaluna.”

Lahainaluna was 0-for-5 in passing with three picks in a 28-14 win at Konawaena. They got by with 298 rushing yards, including 103 by freshman Justice Tihada and a stellar ironman performance by Donovan Defang.

“We completed three passes, just to the other team,” Tihada joked.

The Lunas get the job done defensively. They came up with five takeaways in the win over Konawaena, but Tihada says Kapaa is unlikely to give the pigskin away as often. Rapozo is expecting a defensive battle.

“Lahaina runs the ball so well, that’s their passing game,” Rapozo said. “They’re so disciplined, all that misdirection. Lahaina never panics. They believe in themselves and in their system.”

RB Leighton Rosa is a do-almost-everything utility player, handling returns and as the holder on special teams. His ability to grind out tough carries between the tackles is key. Brothers Marcus and Eli Unutoa are two key blockers, both near 300 pounds with college scholarships on the table.

“They’re going to have some wrinkles, a trick play here and there, but there’s not going to be a lot of surprises,” Tihada said. “They’ve been doing what they do for years.”