KEALAKEKUA — For so long, the story around Konawaena has revolved around the Wildcats’ explosive offense. The defense — while typically stout — has been an afterthought.
KEALAKEKUA — For so long, the story around Konawaena has revolved around the Wildcats’ explosive offense. The defense — while typically stout — has been an afterthought.
That wasn’t the case on Friday night against Hilo.
Behind a smothering performance for its defense, Konawaena (4-2 overall, 4-0 BIIF D-II) pulled off a 24-14 upset of Hilo (4-1, 3-1 BIIF D-I) at Julian Yates Field in front of a standing room only, homecoming crowd.
“I think as a unit, the defense won the game for us,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “Coach Sam Papalii and the staff had a great game plan and that whole defense stepped up. I can’t give them enough credit for what they did.”
Shortly the game ended, a smile on the face of Konawaena senior Paka Cacoulidis, peaking out from behind a mountain of lei, said it all.
“Even though it was raining, so many people came out for what could be our last home game. It was a once in a lifetime type feeling,” Cacoulidis said. “We just have to live it up.”
After allowing a long touchdown drive and 118 yards in just over a quarter, Konawaena clamped down. In the second half, Hilo — a team that had averaged 63.5 points per game coming in — managed just 90 yards of offense.
Even more impressively, the Wildcats were able to limit explosive Hilo running back Kahale Huddleston to just 64 yards on 22 carries. He did, however, throw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, moving his season total to 19 — adding to 12 rushing, four on kick returns and two receiving.
“We had to keep everything inside. Once (Huddleston) hits the outside, that’s where he does his work,” Cacoulidis said. “It was frustrating. They ran the ball to my side maybe two times all game. But we had to be responsible, play through it and stay home, looking for anything that might come back the other way.”
When asked to grade how he felt the defense did during the game, Cacoulidis didn’t have to think long.
“It’s got to be an A,” he said. “Guaranteed, with the plus.”
The 12th man on defense for the Wildcats was not only a raucous home crowd, but also an extremely muddy field that was tough to walk on, let alone make quick cuts.
“Honestly, playing on this wet, muddy field helped,” Uemoto said. “In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise to practice in rain all week.”
The Wildcats offense found its footing after a slow start, with quarterback Austin Ewing and running back Chauncey Mariani-Louis leading the way. Ewing finished with 211 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Mariani-Louis racked up 162 total yards (104 rushing, 58 receiving) on 29 touches.
A lot of the yards Ewing ran for won’t show up in the box score. Hilo brought pressure — and lots of it — nearly every play, and Ewing had to dip, duck and juke his way to open space on the field.
“We expected some pressure, but not that much pressure,” Uemoto said. “It confused us a little up front. They gave us a lot of different looks, but we were able to establish the running game which opened up some passing lanes.”
Since taking over the lead back role, Mariani-Louis has given the offense a new dimension, and his ability as a pass-catcher adds yet another weapon to the Wildcats’ arsenal.
“I just love getting the ball, seeing a wide open hole and running for those pylons,” Mariani-Louis said. “Everything about the position — I love it.”
“He’s the wild card,” Uemoto added. “He’s making the offense much more dynamic with what he brings to the table.”
In a quest for a D-II title, the victory over the four-time defending DI champs doesn’t lock up anything for the Wildcats. A Sept. 29 road contest at Kamehameha-Hawaii is likely the game that will decide if Julian Yates Field sees another game this season.
But in terms of statement games, it means a whole lot, sending a message to anyone that might have had the ill-advised thought to write the Wildcats off after a 0-2 start.
“I thought this game could be a launching pad into the rest of our season,” Uemoto said. “How we performed really showed us a lot of things about who we are. Kaeo (Drummondo) and his staff run a terrific program. To be able to beat a team of that caliber is something we can’t take for granted. It’s huge. We have to enjoy it, but this win essentially doesn’t do anything for us in terms of our goal of winning Division II. We still have to beat Kamehameha-Hawaii at their place or this game means nothing.”
As for Hilo, the explanation was simple from head coach Kaeo Drummondo.
“It was sloppy,” he said. “There were way too many mistakes and I’ve been saying it for three weeks. It came back to haunt us tonight. It’s simple.”
The Viks had three offensive turnovers — two interceptions and one fumble — and also turned the ball over on the kick return after Konawaena’s first score. Those, combined with some untimely penalties, were just too much to overcome on the road.
“This is a little humble pie we have to eat,” Drummondo said. “We are at a fork in the road. We have to see who answers the bell when we get back to work on Monday.”