Rosa Ohana Leads The Way To Bulldogs’ Soccer Success
By Jack Danilewicz
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You know your program has turned the corner when the next priority is learning to handle your success. Such is the case for Kainoa Rosa and the Waialua boys soccer team.
The Bulldogs enter this week’s Division II State Soccer Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park as the media darlings of the prep soccer community after an undefeated regular season and their ensuing run to the OIA Division II Tournament title.
If anyone is suited to help them stay the course amid the added distractions of the post-season, it’s Rosa, who drove Waialua across the finish line in their 1-0 win over Kailua Jan. 29 on a penalty shot. His tally represents plainly the biggest goal in the history of the school, which has but 600 students in grades 7-12.
“It was a crucial game, and it was nerve-wracking,” admitted the senior forward. “It’s just you and the goalie. There are a lot of distractions. It’s the highlight of my soccer career.”
Rosa’s leadership has figured equally big in Waialua’s riveting run of late, becoming the team’s coach on the field and an extension of his father, head coach John Rosa, who is in his 30th year of coaching the sport.
“He’s guiding everyone on the field,” John Rosa said of his son. “We’ve seen a lot of leadership from him. He knows what I expect individually from the boys, and my expectations are always high.”
It was business as usual last week when the Bulldogs (12-0) returned to practice Monday in preparation for the state tourney.
“It seemed like a normal day, although everyone was still thinking about it,” said the younger Rosa, who also works part time serving up shave ice at Matsumoto’s in Haleiwa. “We have accomplished one goal, and we have one left (a state title). We have to start over and work ourselves up again. We want to go all the way. It’s my senior year, and I want to go out with a big bang.”
Soccer has been a fixture in the Rosa family since Kainoa can remember, first in AYSO and later on in club play. Younger brother Kamalei is a sophomore and a key member of the team, while stepmother Lori Avilla-Rosa is an assistant coach at the school.
“I’ve played since I was 5,” Kainoa said. “Soccer is my life. I dream about soccer, and I play soccer, of course. It’s the one sport I’m good at. My dad has been coaching for 30 years now, and he’s taught me everything. It’s amazing how much he loves soccer. He’s a great father and a great coach. He helps us develop as people and as players. He knows what I need to do, and he knows that I can lead the team.”
John Rosa is in his 10th season at Waialua, and his current team is clearly his best. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 51-4, and also have proved their mettle in big games, producing 2-1 and 1-0 wins over Kailua, the OIA’s DII runner-up, as well as a state tournament qualifier for the second straight year. Waialua trailed 1-0 at the half in the first meeting between the teams in December before rallying for the win.
“We were really stoked,” Kainoa Rosa said of that win. “We had talked among ourselves at the half, and then we went out and scored one, and then we got another one. Kailua is just a great team, and they work as one. Both teams were even. We knew we’d have a challenge with them.”
A third meeting between them is a possibility, depending on the pairings for this week’s tournament. Coach Rosa is less concerned with whom Waialua plays this week. While the Bulldogs prepare specifically for opponents, the emphasis remains all on themselves, he said. “It’s more about what our team does. Any school can compete at the state tournament. We have to focus on us and correct our mistakes.”
Pairings for the state tournament, which will run Wednesday through Saturday, were to be announced late Sunday afternoon.
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