KEALAKEKUA — It’s easy for Konawaena’s players to act like they’ve been here before because, well, they have.
The Wildcats have played in every BIIF Division II title game since 2011 and enter Saturday’s championship matchup against Kamehameha with a chance to capture a fourth straight title and an seventh over a eight-year span.
But despite the historical significance and pressure to maintain the dominant dynasty, the mood around Julian Yates Field has been business as usual for the cool ‘Cats.
“When we play Kamehameha, it’s always fun, always a battle,” Konawaena wide receiver Hunter Wehrsig said. “But it’s just another game. That’s how we treat it. We just have to get out there and play our brand of football.”
“It’s the playoffs but the game plan doesn’t change,” defensive end Alex Muti added. “We try to keep it normal. If it’s working, why change it up.”
That kind of poise in win or go home territory only comes with experience, which the Wildcats have gained over the last few years with deep state tournament runs. That includes a trip to the state title game last season — the first for the program — which ended with a record-setting 75-69 seven-overtime loss to Lahainaluna.
“We know what it takes to win it. That has been passed on from team to team, year to year,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “It has shown in the boy’s preparation and how they are approaching this game.”
By the Wildcats’ lofty standard, the season has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, suffering back-to-back losses on two occasions — once in the preseason to Kapaa and Kahuku, and once in the regular season to Kamehameha and Hilo.
It was the first time since 2010 that the Wildcats had lost BIIF foes in consecutive weeks, but no one within Konawaena huddle pressed the panic button. With a youthful squad, taking a certain amount of lumps and learning from losses was expected.
“Coming into this season we felt that we were young at key positions and to get back to the title game we would have to overachieve in terms of what we had to work with,” Uemoto said. “We lost a few games, which we weren’t fully accustomed to during my tenure here. But we knew that was possible. We had to learn how to take losses and how to get better from them.”
Getting back on track was something the leaders on the team — like Muti and Wehrsig — took into their own hands, stressing accountability on the field.
“We needed to tighten up,” Muti said. “We still like to have fun playing this game, but if someone is slacking, we let them know.”
The 28-20 loss to Kamehameha back on Oct. 6 was obviously the most notable. The Warriors had not beat the Wildcats since to 2015, and it also ended the Konawaena’s 19-game winning streak against BIIF opponents.
It came during a sloppy, mud-filled affair in Kealakekua, where offense was hard to come by and the teams combined for double-digit turnovers — eight from Kamehameha and five for Konawaena.
The Wildcats’ proved the most costly, with Kamehameha scoring three of its four touchdowns on second half interception return TDs — all coming within a six minute span between the third and fourth quarter.
“We beat ourselves, we didn’t think they beat us,” Uemoto said. “If we go into this game and don’t beat ourselves, the game should be ours.”
Despite some teachable moments, Uemoto has not wavered in his faith in freshman quarterback Sheynen Nahale. It’s been a steady process and progression, but the Konawaena skipper especially liked what he saw from the frosh in the Wildcats’ 16-3 victory over west side rival Kealakehe last weekend.
“He managed the game very well and took advantage of opportunities. That’s all he needed at this point in the season to build that confidence,” Uemoto said. “Sheynen has put in a ton of work the past few weeks and the coaches have been pushing and preparing him, giving him more live reps and things that would mimic a game atmosphere against our defense, which we believe is one of the best on the island.”
Wehrsig, who has been one of Nahale’s favorite targets, has seen the improvement first-hand.
“In the beginning he had a tough time dealing with mistakes,” Wehrsig said. “But he knows we all have his back, so I think it’s helping him believe in himself and have that confidence.”
The Wildcats will be at home for the championship matchup, which is slated to kickoff at 7 p.m. Kamehameha was originally slated to host, but a forfeit last week to Hilo — which invoked a BIIF procedure nullifying the Warriors’ home field tiebreak – and Konawaena’s win over Kealakehe put the rematch in Kealakekua.
“That was the best thing that could have happened to us — having a good rivalry game and earning home field advantage in the last week of the season. It just couldn’t have played out better,” Uemoto said. “We are riding a wave of momentum and I think the boys are starting to believe in this final stretch. It has a familiar feel to last season, where we felt we were peaking at the right time.”
And this time, the Wildcats have an extra bit of motivation in the BIIF title game. They are hungry for revenge, this time when it matters most — in win or go home territory. For a fourth consecutive year, the Wildcats want to be the last ones standing.
“We have been doubted a lot, and people can doubt all they want.” Muti said. “But they don’t see all the work we put in. Let them doubt and we will prove them wrong.”
Konawaena Wildcats
5-2 BIIF, 5-4 overall
Offense
While tamer than years past under head coach/offensive coordinator Brad Uemoto, the Wildcats still managed just a shade under five touchdowns per BIIF contest at 33.1 points per game. Konawaena’s 62 points scored against Hawaii Prep on Sept. 20 was the highest total in the league this season.
Defense
Quick, tough and resilient, the Wildcats’ defense has been the rock for Konawaena, allowing just 83 points to Big Island foes. The Wildcats gave up only 3 offense TDs to teams not named Hilo and of 83 points given up to league opponents, 25 were to Hilo and five TDs were on interception returns.
Players to watch
On offense, Cyrus Jumalon: A two-way contributor, Jumalon won’t total a ton of carries pulling double-duty as a linebacker. But when he does get the ball, he makes it count. Jumalon leads the team in rushing TDs this season.
On defense, Alex Muti: The 6-foot-3,180-pound junior is Konawaena’s sack leader and a terror off the edge. He has a habit of disrupting plays in the backfield before they get started.
History on the line
The Wildcats are seeking a fourth title in a row and seventh in eight years.