If you play a team sport at Kamehameha and you’re not competing for Big Island Interscholastic Federation championships, then you stand out, and not in the a positive way.
Dominik Pajimola took notice, but he never has to wince again when he visits Koaia Gym.
“I’d see all these BIIF championship and state championship flags, but none for boys soccer,” Pajimola said. “This year they didn’t tease us, they encouraged us, because we had a goal.”
Goals and Pajimola are synonymous, and he met almost all of his during his breakout senior season. A banner year by their best player helped the Warriors earn their own flag, and for his final act Pajimola beat out two other high-scoring strikers to earn BIIF Division II Player of the Year.
“It was more a feeling of accomplishment due to the fact it was the goal I set at the beginning for the year,” Pajimola said. “I want to thank my teammates for sticking through those first three games.”
And they can thank Pajimola for quite a ride.
Kamehameha’s season can be broken down into three parts. The Warriors were shut out in their first three games, a stretch coach Mario Patino shrugged off because his team wasn’t at full strength. In their final contest, Kamehameha was overmatched by Mid-Pacific in the HHSAA title game, a contest that Patino compared to a pro team taking on a JV squad.
In the games sandwiched in between, Pajimola dominated, scoring 23 goals as Kamehameha won 13 of 14 en route to their first BIIF title. A trip to states was its first since 2009.
“I felt like I really needed to take charge,” he said. “I think what improved the most was my confidence. Last year, there were seniors and I felt like in I couldn’t be in control.”
Pajimola not only scored big, but he scored in big games. He accounted for the only goals in Kamehameha’s 1-0 victories against Makua Lani in the BIIF semifinals and Hawaii Prep in BIIF final, and he netted two goals in the Warriors’ two-goal victory against Honokaa in the HHSAA semifinals.
“If he’s not on the field against Makua Lani and HPA,” Patino said, “I think we see different results. We wouldn’t have gotten as far at BIIFs and we wouldn’t have gone as far at states.”
“I would say at least half his goals he pretty much used his athletic ability to get through the defense.”
In his second stint at Kamehameha, Patino was honored as Coach of the Year after winning the BIIF title game in his third try.
“We’ve had guys here who might have scored more goals,” Patino said. “But as far as impact players who could get the ball at their feet and put it in the back of the net, Dominik was the one.”
What makes the honor more special, Patino said, is that the BIIF had a bumper crop of strikers in Division II this season. HPA junior Justin Perry and Makua Lani senior Aidan Alcos also surpassed 20 goals and made all-BIIF at forward. Also selected from Kamehameha were midfielders Liam Kenoi, Chance Aguiar-Chartrand and Ric Moke-Rabang, fullback Isiah Tauati and goalkeeper Sean Miday. Makua Lani midfielder Reid Murphy and fullback Kalani Alapai and HPA midfielder Braden Kojima also made the first team.
“It was one of those seasons where you really had to watch out for strikers and their ability to turn games around,” Patino said.
In the end, the BIIF was either unable or unwilling to adjust to Pajimola. Kamehameha utilized a defensive, counterattacking system to keep teams off-guard and provide Pajimola with help up top, but he and Patino were both surprised he didn’t garner more attention from defenders, especially late in the season.
“I’ll take those one-on-one opportunities,” said Pajimola, who has been playing soccer since he was 5.
He said he has received scholarships offers from a few schools on the mainland, but Pajimola is hopeful he can stay closer to home and play for the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
