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Kehano Playing Both Sides Well

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These footballers won’t let a little rain stop them. Daniel Dias of Kailua dribbles down a muddy field in a friendly soccer match he and the rest of his buddies, who are all 50 and older, like to play at Central Oahu Regional Park. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Among the Castle High football team’s top priorities this past season was to get playmaker Shaydon Kehano on the field as much as possible - not that the junior slot back/free safety needed to step on the field, necessarily, to have an impact. Indeed, in a program that coaches attitude as well as athletic ability, Kehano was the poster boy for doing the right things.

“He exemplifies the type of kid we want,” said coach Nelson Maeda.“He sets the standard. He’s a role model for everyone in our program.”

Kehano was recently named the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Offensive Player of the Year for his efforts this past fall.All-Star selections are made by the league coaches, who all agreed that Kehano was a force on both sides of the ball, naming him to the First Team defense as a defensive back. Offensively, he averaged an OIA-best 22.9 yards per catch on 38 receptions with nine touch-downs. He added another two scores as well as a two-point conversion to rank among the state’s scoring leaders at season’s end.

“He was the backbone of our offense and our ‘big play’ guy,” said Maeda.“He can turn a little 6-yard gain into a 60-yard scamper. He’s elusive in space and a great open field runner. He’s talented enough that we had to use him on both sides of the ball, which has only reinforced our philosophy to try to put our best players on the field.”

With a year of eligibility remaining, Kehano’s stock may soon be on the rise among college recruiters. “He’s a good student,” said Maeda, whose team finished 3-3 in the OIA’s Red East this year.“His grades are such that he’d qualify at the Division I level, and his attitude is great.”

Kehano’s monster season was made possible in large part by the play of teammates quarterback Blake Rapoza and offensive line-man Joseph Kaahu. Both players also were named to the First Team offense by Red East coaches.

“Blake came a long way,” Maeda said of Rapoza, who threw for more than 1,300 yards and 13 touch-downs.“He rotated as a junior and struggled at times, but his confidence grew and his success (rate) grew.

“Joe was a guy who loved to play,” Maeda added of Kaahu, who was one of several two-way standouts for the Knights.“It says a lot about him to be recognized by opposing teams.”

Defensive lineman Kevin Aipia Jr. and linebacker Kawehi Sablan also were First Team selections from the Castle defense, while line-backer Garrett Paredes and corner-back Hans Reppuhn made the Second Team. Maeda and the Castle staff were disappointed that linebacker Mitchell Lum was left off the First and Second Teams, but his contributions were well-known within the program.

“He was very underrated, an unsung hero and one of our co-captains,“Maeda said of Lum, who earned Honorable Mention. Aipia posted 15 sacks and 30 stops behind the line of scrimmage to lead the defense from his end position, while Sablan is a repeat selection despite missing a couple of games with an injury.

“Pound for pound, Kawehi was probably the most athletic player on our team,” Maeda said of Sablan. “He brought a lot to our defensive package.”

Kahuku also saw several players earn First Team honors including four from its much-vaunted defensive unit. Interior lineman Kona Schwenke, linebacker Kamalani Alo and defensive backs Aulola Tonga and Jray Galeai all were named to the First Team from the Red Raiders, who won their fifth OIA title in the last six years and their 11th since 1993.

Lineman Hauoli Jamora, line-backer Justin Afalava and defensive back Wilton Kekauoha Kailua made the Second Team defense from Kahuku. Senior St. John Lessary III was a First Team selection for team as both a utility player and a running back. He rushed for 711 yards and six touchdowns and also converted on seven field goals and 27 extra-point-kicks as the team’s place-kicker.

Running back Alapeti Magalei and offensive linemen Mafileo Lauhingoa, Jase Toomalatai, Harold Smith, Jamal Napeahi and Saili Saga were named to the Second Team offense from Kahuku.

Kailua, which finished 2-4 this fall, placed wide receiver Corey Lau and offensive lineman Chauncy Maikainai on the Red East’s First Team offense, while down lineman Manako Tuifua was chosen from the defense. Kailua safety Wilton Kekauoha made the Second Team defense.