Mustangs Get It Done On Courts With Only Three Seniors
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe mission of the Kalaheo boys soccer team this week is to get into position to get into position - for the post-season, that is.
The Mustangs play at Kalani at 4 p.m.Wednesday and at home versus Castle at 2 p.m. Saturday to close out their OIA Red East season.
Those games will determine the seedings for next week’s conference tournament. The team is hoping to hold either the No. 1 or 2 spot in the East, which would guarantee them a first-round bye and give them an opportunity to scout their second-round opponent.
“A bye would be nice - everything is so close that it will all come down to the last day,“Kalaheo coach John Nakagawa said of the East race.
If anything, Kalaheo has been in the so-called “post-season mode” for the entire Red East season.“Every game is a big game,“said Nakagawa, noting that each conference school plays a home and away series under the OIA’s new format. “It’s so competitive. (Close games) speak to the (strength of the) league.It seems like everyone is beating everyone. It will definitely be a plus for all of us (Red East schools) if we can make the state, which is the ultimate goal.”
Amid the balance that exists within the East, perhaps no school has played closer encounters than the Mustangs, who had outscored their opponents by a scant four goals (13-9) through their first nine games, despite a league-best 6-2-1 mark. A 3-1 win over Moanalua last Wednesday upped their record to 7-2-1 heading into the weekend.
Kalaheo’s game with Kalani Wednesday marks the second between the schools in only eight days, as the teams played to a 1-all tie last Tuesday in a rescheduled game. Nakagawa expects little room for error this time.
Kalaheo scored inside of the game’s final minute to earn its tie in last Tuesday’s battle with the Falcons.“We seem to bring out the best in each other - not in a rivalry sense, but it’s just a good game,” Nakagawa said.“Kalani, historically - and it’s that way again this year - is very skillful, and they’re very quick. They know the game, and they’re very well-coached. That keeps them disciplined.”
Saturday’s opponent, Castle, has struggled to a 1-6-3 record through its first 10 games, meanwhile, but the Knights’ lone win heading into last weekend had come, ironically, against the Mustangs, 1-0, on Dec. 30.
“They’ve played everybody tough, so it could go either way,“Nakagawa said of the Castle game.
Kalaheo’s regular-season run is impressive given the huge losses the Mustangs suffered to graduation last May. Only three seniors on Nakagawa’s 25-man roster are back from last year’s team.“We’ve really gone back to the fundamentals and basics and really emphasizing ‘team play.‘Last year, that was already there because of our senior leaders. What we’re preaching is to work hard, play with character and sportsmanship, and the success will take care of itself.”
Pairings for the OIA tournament, which begins Jan. 27, will be finalized this weekend. Kalaheo has made the league playoffs each of the last three seasons in addition to one state tournament appearance.
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