Hard-working Mustangs Face Stiff D-1 Competition
By Jack Danilewicz
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The search for good leaders can be a never-ending process for a coach,but Kalaheo’s John Nakagawa considers himself more fortunate than most.
The head boys soccer coach has four veteran leaders in the fold this early winter, each of them an impact player in his own right.
“These guys are great people and outstanding leaders,“he said of mid-fielders Nate Johnson,Kirby Kojima, Kord Walls and defender Garrett Ferguson.“Each brings something special to the team in terms of his leadership. They epitomize what we’re trying to do.More than a team, this is a program.”
The Mustangs also have been a pretty good team lately, going 7-3-4 last year in OIA encounters en route to a second straight state tournament appearance. But while they’ve been on the plus side of the won-lost ledger recently, Nakagawa measures the success of his players largely by their off-the-field life.
“We let them know that when they get here,they no longer just represent themselves,they represent the school and community, and giving back to the community is important. They carry that beyond high school.”
On the field, a competitive season looms ahead.With the OIA having divided into two classes during the off-season, the Division I Mustangs will now meet each league team twice in a home-and-home format. Because won-loss records are taken into account in the separation of classes, Kalaheo is assured of playing the best.
“It is difficult to play any team twice,“Nakagawa admitted.“It will be very competitive and challenging.”
Another change will see the OIA’s soccer season begin two weeks earlier than before.“There’s less time to prepare,but I think we’re in pretty good shape,” said Nakagawa, whose team opens its OIA slate Nov. 24 at home against Roosevelt. “We have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball.We’re always striving to continuously get better, but we’re coming together.”
The Mustangs’ workmanlike mentality has been one of the highlights of preseason camp, he said. “They don’t shy away from hard work. They’re very serious, very hard-working and they demand a lot of themselves.”
Kalaheo was one of the top defensive teams last year, yielding only 12 goals in 10 games. “We’re trying to get our system of play (in place) and build on that. Each year is a new year. Soccer is a game of transition, much like basketball. What we’re working on is being able to apply high pressure as soon as we switch (from offense) to defense. Offensively, we like to play a possession game with quick passing.
“They’ve been giving their maximum effort in practice,“he added. “If we don’t win a game, they’re not losers because they’ve done everything they could (in preparation).”
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