Kamehameha seniors Micah Kanehailua and Pono Davis, and the rest of their football teammates stand alone in school history, after producing its most rewarding football season ever. ADVERTISING Kamehameha seniors Micah Kanehailua and Pono Davis, and the rest of their
Kamehameha seniors Micah Kanehailua and Pono Davis, and the rest of their football teammates stand alone in school history, after producing its most rewarding football season ever.
The Warriors won their first Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship since 2010. Then Team Imua went on to bigger things.
The other quarterbacks who piloted the Warriors to BIIF titles were Mana Silva, Nick Miyasato, Keoni Thompson and Warner Shaw. Kanehailua is now a member of that exclusive club.
Kamehameha took down old nemesis Konawaena, the three-time defending league champion, 35-13 in the BIIF championship, which turned into a personal highlight reel for Davis.
The 6-foot-1, 265-pound defensive lineman (he’s also a full-time O-lineman) recorded a sack, tackle for loss, and a half-dozen other stops, basically, tilting the field and terrorizing the Wildcats.
Then it was on to the first round of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II state tournament, also known as Dead End Street for Kamehameha in 2005, ’06, ’07, and ’10.
Kanehailua became an original QB charter member of a new club after Kamehameha walloped Nanakuli, whose signal-caller was Kale Kanehailua (Micah’s cousin), 42-20 at Paiea Stadium in the first round at states.
“I knew I had one more shot to join that exclusive QB club with Mana, Nick, Keoni and Warner,” Kanehailua said. “I knew our team wasn’t about to be done after we beat Kona. I wanted to take the team to the next level. That came with working hard every single day, and watching film relentlessly on Nanakuli to make school history.”
Davis was a nightmare for the Golden Hawks with four tackles and a sack. Kanehailua, the Warrior, ran for a touchdown and fired two scoring strikes.
It’s no surprise that Kanehailua was named the BIIF Division II Offensive Player of the Year, and Davis the Defensive Player of the Year, in a vote by the league’s coaches.
It was pretty much a slam dunk that both were the most dominant players at their offensive and defensive positions. That was confirmed by the coaches in a new voting process, which elevated both Kanehailua and Davis to another exclusive club.
For the first time, the BIIF coaches, both Division I and II, ranked players by position. And the players at the top of All-BIIF lists received the most votes.
Kanehailua is the only player in Division I or II to be voted as a unanimous selection while Davis is the first and only to be named as a two-way top vote-getter – at offensive and defensive line.
If there’s anything that defines Kanehailua during his tenure as a three-year starter, it’s his team-oriented mindset. Actually, his work ethic would ride shotgun because he punched the overtime clock to grab the QB job as a sophomore.
“It’s phenomenal to get that honor,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been working for the past three years. But it’s not an accomplishment for me, but more for my line and receivers and the whole offensive unit.
“I tried to bring leadership this year, being more vocal and trying to get the team all together on one page. I made sure we got everybody on the field during the summer. I prepared myself going to different camps to raise my football IQ, and make the right reads and decisions.”
His offensive unit was rewarded as well.
At offensive line, Davis was on the first team with the most votes while junior Kelii Montibon received the second-most votes.
Junior running back Kaeo Batacan, who’s on the Kamehameha basketball team along with Kanehailua, snagged the most votes.
Senior receiver Alapaki Iaea was on the first team with the second-most votes while junior Bayley Manliguis, another hoops player, was the fourth receiver on the first team.
Hawaii Prep senior Nicky Palleschi was the top vote-getter at receiver. He’s a repeat first-team pick, as is Konawaena senior running back Bubba Noa-Ellis, who was also a first-team receiver.
The other first-team O-linemen are HPA senior Isaiah Kamaka, Konawaena junior Markus Banagan, and HPA senior Jake Frogley.
Konawaena senior Kevin Medeiros and Honokaa senior Preston Branco tied for punter, and HPA junior Alex Brost was the first-team kicker.
Mana of Pono
Like Kanehailua, Davis has a defining characteristic: his non-stop motor, a tireless work ethic that never takes a coffee break.
“Pono is another one like me. He understood what we wanted from our teammates,” Kanehailua said. “We wanted to make it a memorable senior season, and were going to do everything we needed to do.
“On offense and defense during practice, people hated lining up against Pono because he gave 110 percent every single play in practice. He would be flying in to make a tackle, chasing down people from behind. He was relentless and gave everything he had at practice and games.”
While Kanehailua leaves a legacy as a stand-alone QB at Kamehameha with his first-round victory at states, Davis will be remembered as an all-the-time Warrior.
The Warriors averaged 80 to 90 offensive plays. Davis was on the field – all the time. When the defense took the field, Davis was still there – all the time.
“He was just outstanding for us. I don’t think there was anybody in the state who played that much, every offensive and defensive down,” Kamehameha coach Dan Lyons said. “He was impressive all the way through, from the first game to the last playoff game (semifinal loss to Lahainaluna 52-7).
“He gave everything he had every play. He’s a very tough kid and a hard worker. As many plays as we played, we couldn’t get him off the field. There are a lot of two-way players, but there is nobody who came close to the amount of effort he put in every play.”
Other Warriors on the first team were senior D-lineman Ryan Sanborn (second most votes), senior defensive backs Iaea (first place) and Preston Kalai (second place), and sophomore linebacker Wayne Dacalio (second place) and senior ’backer Isaiah Tauati, who tied for the third slot.
Iaea missed joining Davis as a two-way top vote-getter. Iaea was second to HPA’s Palleschi at receiver.
His brother Anthony Palleschi, a Ka Makani junior, made the first team at D-line along with Banagan, a two-way pick, and senior Akoni Gouveia-Medeiros.
HPA senior Koa Ellis and Konawaena junior Cameron Howes, who was also the kick returner, round out the first team at defensive back.
Brost, the first team kicker, was the top vote-getter at linebacker, beating out the talented Dacalio. Konawaena senior Tate Baba Hing tied Tauati for the third spot.
Belief becomes destiny
From the time he outworked the competition to win the QB job as a sophomore, Kanehailua believed Kamehameha would reclaim the BIIF title before his time was up.
He thought long about what needed to be done. Then he stepped up and spoke about teamwork and commitment, and jumped in the same canoe with the rest of his teammates.
Kanehailua had a permanent habit of focusing on his team and never himself. His favorite senior season quote was, “We all work together, to block for one another, to get into the end zone, and that’s where we all celebrate together. It’s not about one person. We work as a team.”
It’s no coincidence that what he valued most – teamwork and commitment – led to a BIIF championship, first-round win at states, and a completed destiny with an exclusive place in school history.
“I couldn’t ask anything more for my senior year. We gave everything we had,” Kanehailua said. “We built a bond that will carry on for many years to come. We created an idea at Kamehameha – go further, do more. That’s what we did.”
