It’s a plan that worked wonders for Kamehameha during the Big Island Interscholastic Federation season. ADVERTISING It’s a plan that worked wonders for Kamehameha during the Big Island Interscholastic Federation season. The Warriors came out Saturday against Mid-Pacific, packed it
It’s a plan that worked wonders for Kamehameha during the Big Island Interscholastic Federation season.
The Warriors came out Saturday against Mid-Pacific, packed it in defensively in a one-forward formation and looked for chances to counter-attack.
Except Kamehameha quickly learned the Owls are on a another level from what the Warriors are used to playing. Kainoa Behler scored in the 10th minute, Kohei Tomita followed suit two minutes later, and top-seeded Mid-Pacific went on to repeat its HHSAA Division II boys soccer championship with a 7-1 victory at Oahu’s Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
In their final game in D-II, the Owls ended the BIIF champion Warriors’ 10-game winning streak.
“This is a Division I program. They are moving up next year and this was their bon voyage,” Kamehameha coach Mario Patino said.
“We received a clinic. We made some basic mistakes, and they capitalized.”
Kamehameha had allowed only three goals in five postseason matches entering Saturday, but Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Mid-Pacific (10-2-2) led 3-0 by the 23rd minute and took a 4-0 lead at halftime.
The state semifinals included three BIIF teams, but Hawaii Prep coach Rich Braithwaite said nothing his squad saw in conference prepared Ka Makani for the Owls, who beat HPA 3-1 in Friday’s semifinals.
“Those guys are playing at a completely different level,” Braithwaite said. “They had plays where they were trying to string together 15 passes. It’s a completely different game than what you see on the Big Island.”
Tyler Allen tacked on two goals for Mid-Pacific, which won its fourth title since 2008. It previously beat Honokaa in the final in 2010 and 2014.
As Dragons coach Maurice Miranda watched the Owls dissect the field with passes in the first half against Kamehameha, he said he would have tried to keep the score close by employing the same strategy that Patino did.
But once Behler scored the game’s first goal, the Warriors had to adjust and couldn’t keep up.
“(Mid-Pacific) does not belong in D-II,” Miranda said.
Riley Siemann scored in the 73rd minute as second-seeded Kamehameha (13-5) avoided a shutout.
BIIF champion for the first time, the Warriors must find a away to place senior striker Dominik Pajimola and his 22 goals next season.
“This one game doesn’t define us,” Patino said. “This is part of the game and we’ll learn from it.
“We’re on the right course.”
Hawaii Prep 1, Honokaa 0: Braden Kojima scored on a laser from about 15 yards out in the second half, and Ka Makani took third for the second consecutive season.
Finn Simmersbach collected the shutout for BIIF runner-up HPA (11-5-1).
With Mid-Pacific’s move to Division I, perhaps Ka Makani can try to fill the void.
HPA loses only three seniors, and the returning pieces include forwards Justin Perry (22 goals) and Austin Schneider, midfielders Kojima and Ghar Pautz, fullbacks Zen Simone and Alex Brost, and goalkeepers Trent Wise and Simmersbach.
“I hear we have three of four pretty good eighth-graders ready to come up as well,” Braithwaite said. “I don’t want to look too far ahead, but if the boys keep working hard, we could be very impressive.”
The Dragons (9-8-1), the BIIF’s No. 3 seed, added a fourth-place finish to the two state titles and two runners-up they’ve enjoyed the past six years under Miranda.
“We would have liked to have done better, but I don’t think anybody was going to beat Mid-Pac,” he said.
