It took some time this preseason for Alex Brost to become comfortable as the captain of Hawaii Prep’s defense.
It took some time this preseason for Alex Brost to become comfortable as the captain of Hawaii Prep’s defense.
“I thought it was going to be pretty difficult,” Brost said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t tell everyone what to do.’ “
And then it hit him.
“I’ve played these positions before, so I figured out I do know,” Brost said.
And therein lies the moral of the story: Ka Makani’s boys soccer team made its first small improvement, but likely not the last, because this group already has a history of figuring matters out.
It was blitzed by Christian Liberty 6-1 during the 2014 regular season, but by the playoffs Ka Makani were composed enough to edge the Canefire 1-0 to win their first Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II title since 2009.
“It took us all year to get ready,” coach Rich Braithwaite said.
HPA won its first game at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament to reach the stadium at Oahu’s Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. Ka Makani were humbled by eventual state champion Mid-Pacific in the semifinals en route to a third-place finish.
The experience has raised expectations.
“We have high goals this year,” Braithwaite said. “The goal to is see if we can get up to (Mid-Pacific’s) level.”
He’ll get a progress report this weekend going up against a loaded field at Ka Makani Soccer Classic that includes both of last year’s state champions.
Of the five Division I teams in the field, four went to the HHSAA tournament last season, including state champion Iolani, runner-up Punahou and three-time BIIF champion Kealakehe.
“We are the worst team in the tournament. It’s awesome,” said Braithwaite, who takes a long-term view. “The approach is we’re going to try guys all over the field until the middle of January.”
The bulk of HPA’s players are junior and sophomores, and it returns seven starters off a squad that needed only two goals to win its last two games at BIIFs.
With sophomore stopper Braden Kojima and Brost, a junior sweeper, leading the back line, Braithwaite thinks HPA can be as strong defensively as last season. With junior Justin Perry and sophomore Austin Schneider at forward, Braithwaite thinks Ka Makani will be more adept at scoring goals.
Kama Hurwitz led the team in scoring lastseason, but Braithwaite and Brost both said they feel there is better chemistry up top with Perry and Schneider, who moves up from midfield.
“I think those two are going to play really well together,” Braithwaite said. “In practice they are enjoying finding each other.
“Austin got lost in the middle last year. Skill guy. We’re going to see if he gets a little more run up top.”
The next matter that HPA must figure out is who’s going to play where in the midfield. That’s not necessarily an area of concern since Braithwaite likes his group 1-15, calling them star-less but reliable.
The depth extends to goalkeeper. Junior Trent Wise started the past two seasons, and as a sophomore he stood tall in penalty kicks against Honokaa in the BIIF semifinals before shutting out the Canefire in the final. But freshman Finn Simmersbach is also in the mix to win the starting job.
“A lot of us have been playing club, so we’re well-rounded players and balanced,” Brost said. “Hopefully we can possess the ball a little more and have a little more teamwork up top.”
His biggest takeaway from last season is one his coach would appreciate.
“We really need to keep our heads at states,” Brost said. “A few people lost it, and it cost us big.”