If ever there was a game where the most valuable player came from the losing team, it might have come Saturday in Pahala as Kohala and Ka’u honored the memory of a friend, teammate and friendly rival.
If ever there was a game where the most valuable player came from the losing team, it might have come Saturday in Pahala as Kohala and Ka’u honored the memory of a friend, teammate and friendly rival.
During the latter stages of the Cowboys’ 24-14 victory, the BIIF eight-man football contest got chippy after a hard tackle and emotions escalated, Kohala assistant Chad Atkins said.
That’s when Trojans’ junior quarterback Zachary Kai had the presence of mind to point to the sky and calm nerves, saying, “Everyone stay humble.”
Both teams are mourning the passing of Evan Manoha, a 2016 Ka’u graduate who died unexpectedly in the middle of the week.
Kai’s gesture was poignant, Atkins said, adding: “That was great leadership. I have never seen anything like it.”
The Cowboys and Trojans both wore decals on their helmets with the No. 14 of Manoha, who was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and the Offensive Player of the Year in 2015.
Ka’u coach DuWayne Ke called the game a “blur.” He said the Trojans considered canceling the game.
“This was a rough one for us,” he said. “The news shocked the team, it hit close to home for everybody.”
Manoha’s true sports love was rodeo, which linked him to the communities in and around Kapaau as well.
“He was a cowboy, and a lot of people in Kohala knew him because they are cowboys,” Ke said.
In the past few days, numerous people have offered Ke their condolences for losing a player. But the loss cuts deeper than that, he said.
“For us coaches, we’re parents first,” he said. “On the field, off the field, these are my kids.”
Road warriors
Kai was a standout early in the game as well, rushing for two touchdowns as the Trojans (2-2) took a quick 14-0 lead.
The Cowboys (2-2) tightened up their run defense in coming back, riding a pair of rushing touchdowns from Maui Hook and another from Kobie Kaholoaa-Aguilar to reverse a recent trend of second-half sluggishness.
Another trend continued as the three eight-man teams are now a combined 0-6 at home this season. The Cowboys rebounded from a loss to Pahoa (2-2) forcing a three-way tie at the top of the league.
Parity was nonexistent during the first two years of eight-man. Ka’u dominated in 2014, and Kohala followed suit last year.
“It’s whoever gets up for the game the most,” Atkins said. “Pahoa is playing with that I-want-to-get-the-championship attitude.”