The BIIF girls soccer postseason came to an explosive end, as Hilo High defeated Waiakea High 3-1 and Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i beat Hawaii Prep 3-1 in the Central Pacific Bank BIIF championship on Wednesday afternoon at Ken Yamase Memorial Stadium.
All four teams have qualified for the HHSAA state championship tournament, which begins next week.
DIVISION II
The Warriors and Ka Makani clashed in the BIIF DII title match for the third straight time, and KSH won its third straight title.
“I’m happy for the girls,” KSH head coach Steven Cootey said. “I’m excited for the way we performed. It was a tougher match than I thought it would be. But it helps us prepare for the state tournament, and I’m thankful for that.”
KSH gained an early lead, and maintained it all the way through — but were never out of reach, leading by one goal until late in the second half.
The Warriors stayed aggressive on offense and possessed the ball as much as they could, giving HPA few chances to strike at their goal. KSH entered the match with a grand scheme developed over the course of the whole season
“All season we’ve been experimenting with lineups, style of play and tactics for this game,” Cootey said. “We made changes that didn’t help us in games, and then we learned a lot. So, this was everything combined.”
The Warriors’ goals were scored by Alyssa Hudman, Alohi Marquin-Kalaola and Mia Chow. Tae Detwiler scored Ka Makani’s lone goal.
HPA and KSH will now gear up for the state tournament, which will begin Wednesday (Jan. 31) at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex on O‘ahu.
Ka Makani and the Warriors could meet again, like they did in the 2018 state championship title round.
DIVISION I
Hilo and Waiakea’s back-and-forth rivalry was finally settled, as the Vikings denied their rivals a three-peat and snatched the title on WHS’ home pitch.
The match was lightning fast and boiling with emotion — as constant possession changes, plenty of pentalies and some unexpected goals kept both the players and the audience on their toes.
“I think because Waiakea is so quick with their explosive plays, that we just had to match that quickness,” first-year Hilo head coach Kari Hock said. “Our goal was just to first get the ball, then do something with it. It was inevitably going to be a quick game.”
Winning the title was a long-awaited accomplishment for the Vikings — especially their seniors — who entered high school during the pandemic, then spent the last two seasons losing the BIIF title to Waiakea.
“Every game, the girls write something on athletic tape around their wrists,” Hock said. “For this game, it said ‘our time.’ I just loved that.”
Senior Kryslynn Nabarro scored Hilo’s first two goals, both during the first half period — elevating her season total to 17 goals. Hilo’s third goal came courtesy of Maiya Kepo‘o-DeConte early in the second half of the game.
Waiakea’s Kau‘ionalani Mahi-Murray rallied to score a goal just three minutes after Hilo’s last, helping her team avoid the shutout.
The Vikings had not won a title since 2018 — which was the tail end of a three-peat that started in 2016. Now, they will enter the state tournament in a good position — most likely receiving a first-round bye.
Though they suffered a heartbreaking loss, the Warriors are not done yet. Not only will they get to play in the state tournament, they will host their first-round game on Monday.