KAILUA-KONA — An entire season of work, dedication and resilience comes down to this weekend in the Central Pacific Bank/Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division I Football Championship.
Konawaena and Kea‘au have been island powerhouses from start to finish — facing off for the third time this season on Saturday at Julian R. Yates Field. The schools are the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in Division I, posting 9-1 and 5-4 overall records, respectively.
The winner this weekend? A spot in the HHSAA state tournament.
“We want to execute as usual, set the tone and come up with a victory,” Wildcats coach Brad Uemoto said. “At this point (in the season), nothing is given, so we have to go out there and get a win. Otherwise everything (we did this season) was for nothing.”
“It’s a big game; they’re the defending state champions,” Cougars coach David Murray added. “We have our work cut out, but I think we will be prepared having these two weeks off.”
Konawaena has been on a tear all season in its state title defense, boasting the No. 1 scoring offense and defense in BIIF Div. I. Quarterback Keoki Alani has been instrumental in the Wildcats’ passing attack, as the top Hawaii Division-I thrower completed his second consecutive regular season with 50 touchdown passes — surpassing Timmy Chang’s all-time state record of 113 career touchdown throws. Alani also led Division I in passing yards with 3,495. The senior’s superb play has helped Konawaena average over 57 points per game.
Alani has had a variety of support from his receivers, too. Austin Takaki (1,046 yards) and Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio (1,033 yards) lead all of Division I in receiving yards, along with Abraham Ogata being fifth overall on the list with 820. Anahu-Ambrosio and Ogata additionally lead the state in touchdown receptions with 18 and 16, respectively.
On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats have been quietly dominant, allowing just 10 points a week — consistently setting up the offense with great field position. The unit is led with playmakers such as lineman Elias Malapit and defensive back Armenio Blanco, who have wrecked havoc in forcing turnovers all season.
With Konawaena now in survial mode, the demeanor in recent practices has drastically changed. While the Wildcats are vastly famaliar with the challenges the postseason can present, the group is confident it can recreate its 2022 playoff magic.
“We’re definitely in playoff mode now,” Uemoto said. “We know what we accomplished was special last year, and we have that same kind of feeling this year. They look sharp, there’s good energy and they’re healthy.”
However, Konawaena will be tested against Kea‘au’s high-powered offense once again, which has averaged nearly 30 points per game. The Cougars’ attack is led by quarterback Diego Pettypool, who ranks No. 2 in Division I in most traditional passing statistics with nearly 2,000 yards and 26 scores. The star has made plays with his legs, too — totaling 475 yards on the ground.
Pettypool’s top weapons are receiver Sean Randall — who has tallied 763 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches — and running back Charleston Salazar, who has 685 yards on the ground. While the Kea‘au’s defense has been a weaker point, the group has competed hard in Murray’s first season as head coach. With a plethora of youth on both sides of the ball, the Cougars’ future holds a lot of promise.
“We just try to make sure we have a good structure in place,” Murray said. “If we have a young athlete who understands the game well, we give them a shot.”
The last time Konawaena and Kea‘au faced off was on Oct. 13, when the Wildcats won 61-0. The pair also matched up Sept. 9, when Konawaena won in shutout fashion again by score of 64-0.
While both schools look forward to part three of this season’s rivalry, Uemoto noted the challenges of playing a team thrice in a season — as each opponent already knows the ins and outs of one another.
“I sometimes lose sleep over playing a team three times, just for the fact that you get to really test what works and what doesn’t work,” he said. “We’ll be on our toes, and we have to be ready for them.”
Murray agreed with Uemoto’s sentiment, noting that he is fully prepared for an energetic Wildcats’ crowd.
“We didn’t take care of business in our first two games (against Konawaena), so we have the challenge of going back to their house,” he said. “But it’s going to be a fun game and a great experience for our program.”
Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.