KAILUA-KONA — The BIIF soccer playoffs are rapidly approaching, as the girls Div.-I and Div.-II semifinals are slated for Monday (Jan. 22).
A tiebreaker play-in is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, but will most likely not be necessary — as there are currently no ties.
The girls BIIF championship will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24 at Waiakea High.
Boys BIIF playoffs begin the next week, with semifinals kicking off on Jan. 29. The championship is scheduled for Jan. 31, also at WHS. That same day, girls HHSAA state playoffs will begin on O‘ahu.
The boys state tournament kicks off Feb. 8, also on O‘ahu.
BOYS: HPA 3, KONA 0
Hawaii Prep boys soccer achieved shutout status Tuesday afternoon against Konawaena at Julian R. Yates Field.
Ka Makani won 3-0 — notching its third BIIF victory of the season at 3-4-0. The Wildcats dropped to 1-6-0.
Kena Craven, Zach Montgomery and Miron Amanai all scored a goal apiece for HPA.
Ka Makani will next host Honoka‘a at 4 p.m. Friday in Waimea. Kona will travel to Kea‘au to play the Cougars at 4 p.m. Saturday on the east side of the island.
GIRLS: HPA 1, KONA 0
Prior to the boys match, HPA girls soccer additonally handled business against Konawaena — edging the Wildcats out 1-0 and improving to over .500 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF). Kona dropped to 2-6-1.
Tae Detwiler scored the lone goal of the match to ensure the victory.
Nearing the conclusion of the regular season, Ka Makani (4-3-0) next takes the pitch against Honoka‘a at 2 p.m. Friday in Waimea. The Wildcats will host Kealakehe at 3 p.m. today at Julian R. Yates Field.
BOYS: KEALAKEHE 2, KEA‘AU 1
Kealakehe remained undefeated in BIIF Div.-I play, edging Kea‘au High to win 2-1 on Tuesday afternoon in Puna.
The Waveriders took the lead in the first half as Aukele Paikuli-Campbell scored a goal. Coming into the second half, Rayden Handy scored a goal for Kea‘au to tie the score. Paikuli-Campbell scored the go-ahead goal for Kealakehe late in the second half.
The win effectively secured the Waveriders’ No. 1 standing in BIIF DI. This was good news for Kealakehe, which dropped out of ScoringLive’s statewide top-ten rankings after a 4-0 loss to KS-Hawai‘i last week.
The Waveriders were ranked No. 7 entering last week, but are now below the cutoff at No. 12 and have been surpassed by KSH — ranked No.8.
The Waveriders will play their final regular season outing against Parker School (0-5-1) at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Waimea.
Though the Cougars lost, Tuesday’s close score bodes well for Kea‘au. Currently standing at No. 4 in BIIF DI, the Cougars are just within BIIF playoff territory — and will likely face Kealakehe in the BIIF semifinals if both teams maintain their standings.
Now 4-3-1, Kea‘au will wrap up the regular season with its final BIIF DI test, 4 p.m. Saturday at home against Konawaena High (1-6-0)
GIRLS: KEALAKEHE 8, KEA‘AU 0
Kealakehe’s girls soccer team took down Kea‘au High 8-0 via second-half mercy rule on Tuesday in Puna.
The Waveriders are now 4-5-1, with their cross-Kona rivalry and final regular season outing approaching — today at 3 p.m. in Kealakekua against Konawaena High (2-6-1).
Kealakehe stands in BIIF playoff territory, at No. 3 of BIIF DI’s five teams.
Now 0-9-0 and in the cellar of the BIIF Div.-I standings, the Cougars will also end their season with a matchup against Konawaena — 2 p.m. on Saturday in Puna. Kea‘au has surpassed the point of playoff potential, and will look to end the season with one win.