SOUTH KONA — No. 8 Konawaena football is beginning to find rhythm in the 2023 season.
Although the Wildcats boast a 3-1 overall record while being undefeated in Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) play, the defending state champions’ intentions have remained the same: never stay satisfied.
“I don’t think we’re even close to our full potential,” Konawaena coach Brad Uemoto said during practice Wednesday. “But we need to start putting some things together to play even better football.”
“We work harder than everybody,” junior defensive end Elias Malapit added. “We have a lot of work to do, but we can definitely improve.”
While the Wildcats are starting the year strong with three straight wins, improvement in taking the next step toward defending their state title is paramount. Last week against No. 11 Leilehua on Oahu, Konawaena turned the ball over six times — leaning on its defense to help carry the torch in the 28-19 victory.
The Wildcats took care of a top Hawaii Division-I opponent on the road, but some things need to be cleaned up if they want to get to the level they were at a year ago. Uemoto emphasized the importance of ball security and good decision-making during this week’s preparation for No. 25 Kea‘au at 6 p.m. Saturday at Julian R. Yates Field.
“Anytime you turn the ball over that much, more often than not you’ll lose that game,” Uemoto said of Konawaena’s woes against Leilehua. “(Against Kea‘au) we need to take care of the ball and execute well.”
Aside from the Wildcats’ rare slew of turnovers in Week 4, their offense has been humming. Konawaena’s unit has averaged 46.3 points per game, including two outings of at least 55 points scored. As of Thursday afternoon, star quarterback Keoki Alani leads Division I in passing touchdowns with 17 and passing yards with 1,519 (per Scoring Live).
While Alani is widely known to fill up the stat sheet with his premier throwing ability, Uemoto wants his senior quarterback to continue to play with a more veteran demeanor for the remainder of his final season. This starts with reading defenses that give different looks at an elite level and performing under pressure in big moments.
“It’s hard to replicate the numbers he put up last season,” Uemoto explained. “So now, I want to see his game evolve more on the field itself than in the stat book.”
“(I’ve been) more intense in practice,” Alani said of his early senior-season approach. “I always want to be ready to be better.”
While Alani has been impressive thus far, he hasn’t done it all alone. His top weapon, former All-State wideout Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, currently sits first in Division I in receiving yards (443) and touchdowns (seven) — per Scoring Live. Receiver Austin Takaki leads Division I in receptions with 28 and is second in receiving yards with 426. Wideout Abraham Ogata is fourth in receiving yards (314) and second in touchdowns (five).
“Since our offense is built around speed and athleticism, we are really fortunate to have the talent at these positions,” Uemoto said of the receiving weapons.
Kea‘au’s (2-2) offense is similar to Konawaena, which will pose a tall task for the Wildcats’ defense this weekend. Averaging 33 points per game, the Cougars are led by junior quarterback Diego Pettypool — who sits right behind Alani in traditional Division-I passing statistics. Pettypool is second in the league in passing yards (927) and touchdowns (13) through three games. The dual-threat thrower also makes plays with his legs, as he is currently ranked fourth in rushing yards with 274.
Pettypool’s favorite weapon, wide receiver Sean Randall, will be a circled assignment for Konawaena’s defense. The senior is fifth in Division-I receiving yards (296) and third in touchdowns (four). Kea‘au’s backfield is additionally complimented by freshman running back Charleston Salazar, who is second in Division-I rushing yards with 305.
Containing the Cougars’ offense won’t be easy, and neither will be winning — but Uemoto’s trust in the Wildcats’ progress has grown in this week’s practices through honing in on defense and ball control.
If Konawaena can continue to focus on those elements, Uemoto is confident in what his team can bring this weekend.
“It was a quick turnaround coming off a trip (to Leilehua), so we can’t get complacent and we have to keep our minds sharp,” he said. “Coming back the next week after a trip like that is sometimes tough.
“But we’ve been putting in a lot of work this week — we put in a lot of time in the weight room. So we’ll try to come out and have energy to start the game.”
Prior to the varsity kickoff at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Konawaena’s junior varsity will face KSH at 3:30 p.m. at Julian R. Yates Field.