Hurricanes Head To State Tourney
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kapolei High’s forward/halfback Keoki
Haole. Photo by Nathalie Walker,
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Celebration is on hold at the moment for the Kapolei boys soccer team.
Indeed, when the Hurricanes returned to practice last week, having captured a first-ever Oahu Interscholastic Association championship that weekend, their work ethic resembled a preseason work-out.
“It was ‘back to business,’ ” said Kapolei coach Bryce Kaneshiro.“It was a milestone for our program - we felt like we’d gotten the monkey off of our back after thinking we had a chance last year ... It was refreshing to win (the OIA title), but they’re not satisfied yet.They’re looking at the next thing.”
That would be the State Championships, which will run Wednesday through Saturday at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. In winning the OIA, the Hurricanes (12-2) will receive a first-round bye, an advantage for a team that has been nagged with injuries the second half of the season. Kapolei had anything but an easy road within its own OIA format, entering the post-season as a No. 3 seed out of the West. Kapolei won four games in four days to position itself nicely for the state tournament.
Not lost on the Hurricanes is a 1-0 loss to Punahou in last year’s state semifinals. The Buffanblu went on to defeat Iolani in the title game, and Kapolei finished fourth, losing to Mililani in the third-place game.
“That has stuck with us,” Kaneshiro said. “The winner is always the team that makes the fewest mistakes and the one that can capitalize on the other team’s mistakes.”
Past state tournaments have been defined by close games with 31 of 54 encounters decided by a goal since 2003. Kaneshiro says Kapolei is playing its best defense of the season,which could bode well for tournament play this week.
Sweeper R. J.Agulub, outside full-backs Mychal Malachi and Dean Stensrud, and center-fullback Kevin Tanaka have all figured big for the Hurricanes on the defensive side, while goalkeeper Austin Healy has been one of the best players in the state at his position over the past month.
“The improvement of Austin has made us a lot better,“the coach said. “He’s gained a lot more confidence, and we’re much better now, defensively.A big reason why is that we’ve been shifting guys around.”
Offensively, the Hurricanes have a roster heavy with athleticism,highlighted by fullback/halfback Keoki Haole and center/halfback Curtis Kiyabu (team-high 19 goals). Forward Aaron Santiago (four goals in his last five games), outside halfback Justin Malvar and halfback Kainoa Bryant have also had stellar seasons this year for Kapolei.
“Keoki and Curtis are still our 1-2 punch, but we have a lot of guys who can score. All of our seniors are stepping up for us.
“Aaron has really come around,” he added of Santiago, who will attend the Naval Academy on a football scholarship.
Although several players missed practice last week due to injuries, Kaneshiro expects to have his full roster at his disposal on Thursday.
“The week (off from competition) gave us a chance to heal,” he said.
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