To the victor go the spoils but not when there’s a game-changer like Kekai Wong Yuen standing in the way.
To the victor go the spoils but not when there’s a game-changer like Kekai Wong Yuen standing in the way.
Wong Yuen, a senior forward, and her Kamehameha teammates were unable to stop the express train known as Hawaii Prep girls soccer.
The resourceful Ka Makani defeated the Warriors 2-1 for their seventh consecutive BIIF Division II title, relegating Kamehameha to its fifth straight runner-up finish.
Then HPA, which won 2-0 in the regular season, made it a clean sweep with a 1-0 victory over Kamehameha at the HHSAA state championship, for its third crown in a row.
But all streaks, well, depending on the sport, eventually come to an end. (No one will break Cy Young’s 511 wins, a reason the award is named after the broom-age Hall of Famer.)
Wong Yuen was selected the BIIF Division II Player of the Year, in a vote by the league’s coaches, breaking HPA’s string of four straight POY honors.
“It’s amazing. I found out when I was in Japan. I got the message, and I didn’t believe it,” she said. “I couldn’t have gotten the player of the year without my teammates.
“It’s because of the support from my teammates, friends, and family that I’m the player and person I am today.”
More on Wong Yuen’s Japan trip in a minute. That’s sort of an interesting Griswold family bond tidbit with parents Haddon and Donna Wong Yuen, brother Kauila, and sisters Babes (a sophomore forward) and Nansz.
Sometimes, stats don’t tell a whole story, and that’s certainly the case with Wong Yuen, considering coach Gene Okamura pulled her in lopsided games to give others playing time.
That’s a reason he’s unsure of her goal total because that was salad dressing to her value as a main course game-changer.
“She was a game-changer with her athleticism and ability to finish,” he said. “A lot of our success came off of her because of her ability to change a game and be an impact full-on player.
“The last two years she carried our team. If we don’t have her, we don’t get to BIIFs. I thought she should have been in the running for player of the year last season, but she only got honorable mention.”
“All of her technical abilities are spot on. She has an aggressive mindset,” Okamura said. “She’s always willing to do extra, do whatever it takes to get results, and she had the ability to break a defender down one-on-one and was able to finish.”
Okamura and his Kamehameha assistant Lance Thompson, who happens to be the UHH director of soccer, made a recruiting pitch to Wong Yuen for good reason, besides those technical skills.
“She’s easy to get along with, and all the girls get along with her. She’s easy to work with,” said Coach Gene. “She’s a role-model student-athlete. When we recruit players to our college, we’re looking for players like her.”
One reason Wong Yuen is so grounded is because she only needs to look at her dad to see the labor of hard work.
Her dad Haddon works at Waikoloa Hilton, so long days are the norm for him. Her mom Donna is a Keaau High counselor.
“I appreciate how much they give to us. My brother, sisters and I always say that we have it really good,” Wong Yuen said. “They give us so much, even if we ask for a lot, and they don’t ask for anything in return.”
Wong Yuen has a 3.8 grade-point average and is thinking about Colorado College.
The women’s soccer team is in the Mountain West Conference. Wong Yuen is looking to walk on. She doesn’t know what she’ll major in yet.
Her brother Kauila, a 2015 Kamehameha graduate, will head to Pacific University in Oregon, the college home of so many locals.
“It’s a strong liberal arts school, and I wanted to try a new experience,” said Wong Yuen, who after a 30-minute interview on Monday still couldn’t figure out what Goofy is.
The most well-known Wong Yuen is her cousin, Rob Wong Yuen. He’s a kayak fisherman and on the TV show Pacific Warriors.
Cousin Rob is tall and so is her dad, who’s 5 feet 10. Her brother is 6-1 and she’s 5-8. Nansz, a sixth grader at Kamehameha, is 5-2, and mom Donna is 5-4.
“It was fun playing my last year with Babes because we always teased her,” said Kekai, who’s 5-8. “She’s the only Wong Yuen who isn’t tall. My youngest sister is taller than Babes (listed at 5-2).)”
Wong Yuen is the school’s National Honor Society vice president. She has volunteered at Hale Anuenue and for the Salvation Army, which softens her heart.
“I do the feeding program, and you create bonds with the people there,” she said. “You get to know them on Sundays and recognize them. They’re trying to give the best to their children.”
Her favorite BIIF memory is with her fellow Warriors playing World Cup soccer.
Wait, what?
As Wong Yuen explains, it’s a 3-on-3 contest, and teams pick their countries. It’s not about scoring the most goals or getting the most wins.
“It’s really about the bonding,” she said. “It brings out the best in people, at least on our team. We had a team saying from Coach Gene, ‘One team, one dream.’ We would put our hearts on the line for each other. That’s what really matters.”
Sometimes, the most valuable things can’t be measured by stats, especially in the case of Kamehameha’s game-changer.