KAILUA-KONA — There is a feeling floating around the Makua Lani campus that this is the year for the boys soccer team. It has to be. With 15 seniors, a rebuild is only inevitable after the season wraps up.
KAILUA-KONA — There is a feeling floating around the Makua Lani campus that this is the year for the boys soccer team. It has to be. With 15 seniors, a rebuild is only inevitable after the season wraps up.
“After just missing the state playoffs the last two years, the atmosphere is this has to be the year,” said Lions head coach Alex Dong, who’s team lost the third place game in the BIIF Division II playoffs last season in overtime to Kamehameha. “We have one of the biggest squads in school history with 30 players. We have a JV team for the first time, and this is one of the most talented senior classes I have seen.”
The team draws high praise from its coach, which is to be expected. On the pitch, Makua Lani is 2-0 in the regular season after dominating Pahoa last week and Kohala on Wednesday. The Lions won both games 9-0.
Makua Lani had seven different scorers in the game against the Daggers. Six players scored in the game versus the Cowboys.
“In an ideal game we can get a lot of players scoring and not have to run every play through DJ (Madigan),” Dong said. “DJ is a good enough player, we can run the plays through him if we need to, but we want to make sure we are using the full team.”
Madigan is just one of many returning starters and will help captain the team along with Taylor Mabuni, Taylor Warnecke and Reid Murphy.
Madigan is the top offensive threat for the Lions and will have many opportunities to score or set up scoring plays.
“DJ will be allowed to play a free attacking position, which will free him up from some of the defensive duties so he can float a little higher up the line,” Dong said. “He is the creative force on the team and a good finisher. He is good with the ball at his feet.”
Mabuni and Murphy solidify a very talented defense at center-back.
“Taylor (Mabuni) is Mr. Diligence. He has a super good work ethic and is always on time, always running, always pushing to get to the front of the pack,” Dong said. “He is not the biggest guy but character-wise he plays like a giant, always trying to win tackles and directing the team.
“Reid is actually a giant. He is the tallest player on the team,” Dong added. “It is impossible to move through him and he wins everything in the air.”
Warnecke is one of the best ball handlers on the team.
“He has sticky feet,” Dong said. “He doesn’t really lose control of the ball. He is comfortable with his skill and has no problem playing people through in front of him.”
Those four players are only the tip of the iceberg as far as returning starters go for the Lions. Also returning are Riley Pries, Sean Vidana, Michael Christensen, Emmett Alcos, Jonah Marks and Nico Kimmich.
According to Dong, Pries is a “silky smooth player” who knows how to slow a play down. Christensen, normally a defender, is moving up to the wing this year. Dong calls him the “Energizer Bunny” because he “never stops moving.”
Vidana moves out of the back and up to midfield where he will provide an extra shield for the backline. Marks takes over the keeper role, moving Alcos, who played in the net last year, to left-back. Kimmich provides craftiness at the wing, according to Dong.
Along with the returning starters, three newcomers will also play a major role at the varsity level this season. Tim Catanzaro, who plays club ball, will play on defense, while twin brothers Dominic Perrino and Stevan Perrino also take up spots on the varsity team. Dominic will be the understudy to Marks at keeper and Stevan will find time at wing.
“I am really looking forward to this season, but at the same time it is hard not to feel bummed because I will be losing a lot of these players,” said Dong, who started coaching and teaching at Makua Lani when his current crop of seniors were freshmen. “It already feels nostalgic even though we have only played two games.”
Makua Lani will play in the second tier of the new three tier format for the BIIF regular season.
“I think it is probably good since we will be able to get a higher level of play going for the upper teams,” Dong said. “We can hopefully avoid some of the 12-0 shutouts, through some are unavoidable. We are in the middle bracket and that works for us, though our pride wants us to be in the upper bracket.”
Dong believes that Hawaii Preparatory Academy is the team to beat in Division II, and he gave a lot of praise to Ka Makani and their coach Richard Braithwaite.
“I just watched them play at Honokaa and it is unreal how they move the ball,” Dong said. “You can see he has them moving so well that he is barely shouting on the sideline. He has his captains directing the plays on the field.”
Makua Lani will play Hawaii Prep on Jan. 10 at Kealakehe High School. The Lions’ next game will be at Ka’u on Saturday.