WAIMEA — It was wet, it was windy, and for more than half the game, Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Hilo played to a soggy, scoreless tie.
But like the many gusts of winds that propelled the sideways rain in Waimea, Ka Makani rode a second half rally to blow by the visiting Vikings 5-1 on Saturday afternoon.
It was the BIIF Division I debut for Hawaii Prep — which won the D-II state title the past two seasons. A win over Hilo — a team that has represented the BIIF in the state tournament every year since 2013 — was no small feat for an opening act.
“It was one of those games that was wet and ugly, but you just have to play through it. I’m proud of the result, especially against a strong team like Hilo,” Hawaii Prep head coach Richard Braithwaite said. “I think we can look back at this now and feel that we belong in Division I.”
Hawaii Prep was led by the offensive antics of Jake Schneider and Toby Balaam, who each notched a pair of goals. There was definitely a chance for more, but Hilo keeper Jyson Breitbarth kept the game close until exiting after absorbing a hard shot midway through the second half.
Ka Makani did just about everything right in the first half, holding an advantage in possession, shots on goal and just about every other statistical category. But Breitbarth was game for the challenge, turning away nearly a dozen chances by Ka Makani, including more than a few from point blank range from Schneider and Chris Whitfield.
The mud that formed around his box was evidence of his hard work.
That same theme rang true even in the final seconds of the half, when a trio of Hawaii Prep players had a chance to break the scoreless tie, but were turned away by a horde of Hilo defenders who sold out to stop the shots.
“I think our guys were a little frustrated, but they knew they were playing well,” Braithwaite said. “The game changed once their keeper, who had been fantastic, came out. Then we were able to get a few and ride that momentum.”
The Viks chances were few and far between, but most were orchestrated by the physical effort of Kainalu Lewis. The Viks football standout was able to gain position on his defenders and generate offensive chances. He finally found pay-dirt in the second half, tying the game at 1-1 on a long strike.
It could have been a demoralizing moment for Hawaii Prep, who had finally found a way to get an edge, but it wouldn’t take long for the offensive fireworks to begin.
In a top shelf individual effort, Balaam took the ball straight down the sideline and cut parallel near the backline, sneaking the ball in between the goal post and the keeper to make it 2-1.
Shortly after, Breitbarth left the game with an injury, and the Viks could do little to slow down Ka Makani’s attack.
Hawaii Prep made it 3-1 after a strong effort from Jevon Flippin off a corner kick, which was eventually knocked in the Hilo net as an own goal. Schneider added his second on an assist from Ilan Naibryf, and Balaam polished off the scoring with seven minutes left on a goal that looked nearly identical to his first.
Hilo will seek its first win of the season on Wednesday with a home game against Makua Lani. Hawaii Prep hosts Kamehameha-Hawaii for its next contest on Thursday.
Girls
Ka Makani 3, Vikings 1
The weather somehow got worse as the Hawaii Prep and Hilo girls took the field for a match between last year’s two BIIF champions. Ka Makani, which has won the Division II state title for four straight years, managed to fight through the blistering wind and steady rainfall to defeat the visiting Vikings — last year’s BIIF Division I champions — 3-1.
“The weather was as bad as it has been in a long time. The field started getting pretty soft and you couldn’t play anything in the air with any accuracy,” said HPA head coach Stephen Perry. “The deference was our backline of Julia Perry, Zoe Ganley, Malia Brost and Alianna West. They stayed in good shape, staying in position and keeping the Hilo players between them and the goal. They had to be in a place where they could handle a good or bad bounce, and they did that.”
Hawaii Prep jumped out to the early lead when Isabella Police sent in a cross to Jordan Zarate, who put the ball in the back of the net from inside the six. The goal came in the 18th minute.
However, with 12 minutes to play before the half, Hilo managed to tie the game on a goal by Miya Clarke.
Ka Makani took charge in the second half with goals from Emi Higgins and Jenna Perry.
Higgins found the back of the net off a cross in the 52nd minute, just beating the Hilo keeper to the ball and then tapping it in for an HPA 2-1 advantage. Higgins then assisted Perry on her goal, which came nine minutes later off a slot pass.
Stephen Perry said the key to the team’s success in the second half was the opportunity creating ability of Higgins, Zarate, Jenna Perry and Teah Van Bergen.
“That foursome was strong physically and controlled the middle. When that happens good stuff happens,” Stephen Perry said. “The girls worked hard under these conditions.”
Up next, the Hilo girls will travel to Kamehameha for a game on Monday, while the HPA girls will host Kamehameha on Thursday.