At least one opposing coach saw Pahoa defensive lineman Kealen Kamakeeaina, No. 10 in green in white, as a throwback from a slightly more dignified era, and in more ways than one.
With offenses from Ka’u and Kohala repeatedly trying to test the Daggers’ manhood in the run game, Kamakeeaina stood strong at the point of attack for a short-handed defense that spurred Pahoa to a breakthrough season.
“He was just constantly active in the backfield,” Kohala defensive coordinator Chad Atkins said. “Pahoa had a pretty good line, but we tried to run away from No. 10.”
Kamakeeaina is the BIIF eight-man Defensive Player of Year, as selected by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and West Hawaii Today, a choice that received Atkins’ seal of approval – and not just because Kamakeeaina wore a jersey number for which team’s had include in their game plan.
The Pahoa senior also had an attitude to admire, even as he played in front of fans who sometimes got hot under the collar.
“We saw some bad attitudes, but (Kealen) had a great attitude,” said Atkins, a 1997 Kohala graduate. “He stayed very humble and just played the game. He reminded me of players back in my day.”
Atkins played against some of the last Pahoa teams the school fielded before shutting down the program in 2001.
After a 13-year hiatus, Kamakeeaina was a sophomore when the Daggers resurrected the program under coach Chris Midel. After two winless seasons and two losses to open 2016, the revival was complete when Pahoa pitched a shutout in the second half to come back and beat Ka’u 18-14 on Sept. 17, and the Daggers followed that up with a victory at Kohala.
“Just giving it our all, I knew we were finally going to get a win,” Kamakeeaina said. “But Player of the Year, I never really thought I would get it.”
“It was good to see the boys finally be able to smile,” Midel said of the win at Ka’u.
Kamakeeaina played Pop Warner football with the Puna Panthers for a number of years, spending a lot of time on the defensive line, and he said he likely would have transferred to Keaau High if Pahoa hadn’t reintroduced football.
“He came a long way and every year he got better,” said Midel, the Coach of the Year. “He’s got leadership, skill, and he likes to have fun and lift everyone’s spirits.”
But not too much fun. Kamakeeaina makes it a point to stay humble.
“Always,” he said. “We worked hard, and I never wanted to get too ahead of myself.”
His contributions up front were doubly important for Pahoa since athletic linebacker William Stinnett was lost for a large portion of the season with an injury.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Pahoa finally revitalized itself. Building things is in Midel’s blood, and Kamakeeaina is ready to follow suit. Midel teaches construction at Pahoa, and Kamakeeaina said he wants to enter the field after high school.
“I like the defensive line, because it takes a lot of work, but you’re in on the action and make an impact,” said Kamakeeaina, who is also on the Daggers’ boys volleyball team.
League champion Ka’u had a strong presence on the all-BIIF defensive team with four selections, all of whom helped the Trojans on both sides of the ball. Two picks came on the line – sophomores Manu Kalau-Keliikoa and Kanoa Kailiawa – as well as defensive backs Kainalu Dancel-Medeiros and Brandon Ecalas. Dancel-Medeiros also excelled as a returner and Ecalas was a jack of all trades who filled in admirably at quarterback during the first half of the title-clinching win against Kohala.
“Manu was the unreal one for us on defense,”
Ka’u coach DuWayne Ke said.
Kohala had a representative at each level of the defense: lineman DJ Gusman, linebacker Jsean Giron and defensive back Stylez Alvarez, also a standout at running back.
“He was a shutdown corner for us,” Atkins said.
