Nothing against West Oahu AYSO’s blue jerseys, but they were entirely more appetizing to Honokaa’s girls than the fluorescent yellow ones from Hilo High.
As morning turned to afternoon, unfamiliarity bred comfort Friday for the bunch from North Hawaii at the Volcano International Soccer Tournament at Hilo Bayfront.
Honokaa dug in after allowing an early goal, allowing coach Onipaa Coelho to go to work during a 2-1 loss.
“Come on, support her,” Coelho instructed as Andrea Manlapit rushed on goal alone.
“You have to get their. You got to go.”
Rebuilding the Dragons is a process, and summer isn’t the time to rest.
“No, no, you had time, girl,” Coelho said after a player took a shot too quickly for his taste.
“Find the line,” he said as another tried to clear a ball.
Manlapit was rewarded for her constant energy with a second-half goal, and Honokaa, also led by Sage Sagon, goalkeeper Kailana Langan, Sydni Abacar and Tasha Ohta, played more confidently in a turnaround effort after an 11-1 loss against Hilo to start the tournament.
Like many of the 19-and-under teams in the field, Coelho brought a young squad to Volcano – Langan is one two 12-year-olds on the roster – but the loss to Hilo followed a familiar script to what the Dragons go through against the BIIF elite during the high school season.
“They play against Hilo all the time, and when they see the girls they are intimidated and they back off,” Coelho said. “Too many mercy rule (losses).
“A team like (West Oahu), they don’t see them, and it’s a huge difference. They come in, and they want to take the game.”
In between his first and second seasons as Honokaa High’s coach, Coelho would like the Dragons to become color blind when they take on an opponent.
The makeover begins with mastering the mental aspects.
“Touches are important, but it’s the heart and drive that I need from the girls,” he said. “I’ve got to try and find it. They need to try and find it. They have to start to believe in themselves, because they’ve lost all of that.”
The blueprint for soccer success at Honokaa High is there, and Coelho has seen it work first-hand.
He played for coach Maurice Miranda from 1996-2000, then coached AYSO and formed a club team, Rahjah Dat, producing, among other players, his brother, Maika’i Coelho.
The younger Coelho played goalkeeper at Honokaa and hooked up with a core unit that included Robert Connors, Dylan Shiraki and Chayse Moniz – all of whom were brought up by Miranda through AYSO play – and together they claimed HHSAA tournament championships in 2011-12.
“I’m not thinking about state titles right now,” Onipaa Coelho said. “I just want to get there, then we’ll go from there.”
Goals, much less wins, were hard to come by for Honokaa in his debut season as coach. With Hawaii Prep dominating Division II statewide and Kamehameha playing a strong second, the Dragons haven’t reached the BIIF title game since 2011, and their last state tournament appearance came in 2015.
“We are still in the developmental stages,” Coelho said. “We’re still trying to build a stronger mindset so we can win games in Division II.”
Skee Saplan’s Hilo High summer league team also features a bevy of younger players, who he hopes can provide a second generation of talent for the three-time BIIF champion Vikings, who will be senior-heavy next season.
“The summer league was good because we had a bunch of incoming eighth- and ninth-graders playing almost all the games,” Saplan said. “They did really well.
“I want to create a sustainable product.”
Two-time BIIF Player of the Year Miya Clarke, fellow senior Hollie Saplan and recent graduate Alyeemomi Amaral all played in Hilo’s 8-3 win against Leeward (Oahu) AYSO as it improved to 2-0.
Matches on Saturday begin at at Bayfront and Amauulu at 8 a.m.
Results
19-under
Boys
Kamehameha High alum 3, Kamehameha High 0
Waiakea High 4, West Oahu AYSO 2
Kamehameha High 1, Honokaa High 0
West Oahu AYSO 1, Honokaa High 0
Kamehameha High alum 8, Waiakea High 0
Girls
Hilo High 11, Honokaa 1
Hilo High 8, Leeward AYSO 3
West Oahu AYSO 2, Honokaa 1
Diamond Head AYSO 5, Leeward AYSO 0
14-under
Boys
Surf Soccer Club BI 3, Hilo AYSO United 1
West Oahu AYSO-Viloria 6, North Hawaii AYSO 0
Na Hoa O Puna 11, West Oahu AYSO-Rivera 0
North Hawaii AYSO 5, Hilo AYSO Select 1
Surf Soccer Club BI 5, West Oahu AYSO-Rivera 0
West Oahu AYSO-Viloria 2, Na Hoa O Puna 0
Hilo AYSO United 4, Hilo AYSO Select 1
Girls
East Kauai AYSO 3, West Oahu AYSO 1
Hilo High 3, Tiger Sharks 1
12-under
Boys
Leeward AYSO United 7, North Hawaii AYSO 2
Hilo AYSO United-Hurricanes 6, North Hawaii AYSO 0
Leones Negros 9, Surf Soccer Club BI 1
Hilo AYSO United-Hurricanes 4, Hilo AYSO-Panthers 1
Leeward AYSO United 4, Catch a Fire 1
Leones Negros 11, Hilo AYSO-Panthers 1
Girls
Rush Ewa Beach 10, Hilo AYSO 1
Wolfpack 3, Chicas 1
Wolfpack 1, Rush Ewa Beach 1
10-under
Boys
Rush BI 7, Hilo AYSO 7
West Oahu Blue Titans 6, Wolfpack 3
Hilo AYSO 4, Na Hoa O Puna 0
Rush BI 12, Wolfpack 0
West Oahu Blue Titans 8, Na Hoa O Puna 0
Girls
Rush BI 1, Hilo AYSO 0
Maui Girls 4, Rush BI 0
Kona AYSO 2, Hilo AYSO 1