KEAAU – Kamehameha gathered in July with a singular goal in mind, no shortcuts in sight and here the Warriors are.
After no fewer than 104 practices and 13 games, all roads lead to Saturday night’s HHSAA Division II first-round game against Roosevelt at Paiea Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m, and first-year coach Shaun Perry sees the 48 minutes that will follow as a reward and not the punishment some outsiders might be.
“We had a tough two weeks (of practice), this is what it’s all about. You got to be relaxed, you can’t be on edge,” Perry said. “All the uncomfortableness came in the preseason, summer camps, regular season. Right now we want to be clicking. This is where we want to be.”
Big Island teams are usually the underdog at the state tournament, and the BIIF champion Warriors (10-3) are no exception. The only one of four seeded teams not to get a bye to the semifinals, if they needed to be reminded of their underdog status it came in the form of a prediction by a popular web site that covers Hawaii high school sports: Roosevelt 55, Kamehameha 7.
“They said Roosevelt had too many offensive weapons,” senior linebacker Wilde Germano said. “I don’t take it personally, but I do take it as a challenge. I feel like we’re the type of team that welcomes challenges.”
Perry knows the game will come down to execution, but “55-7” did make its way the the bulletin board this week.
“We feel like we want to prove the opposition wrong,” junior defensive lineman Delson Dacalio said. “We feel like our defense won’t give up that many points.”
The OIA runner-up Rough Riders (9-2) lost twice only this season to Kaimuki, by a combined five points, and are led by senior quarterback Sky Ogata, an athletic passer who has thrown for more than 2,500 yards, firing 22 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
On film, Germano sees a mobile quarterback that Kamehameha has to contain in the pocket.
“He throws more accurate on the run,” he said.
“Their a big, athletic Oahu team that is seasoned,” Perry said. “They’ve been there before.”
So has Kamehameha.
Last season, the Warriors lost to Kaimuki 28-27 at home, missing a last-second extra point in the first round, falling 1-6 at the state tournament. Roosevelt won its first HHSAA tournament game in program history last season before losing to Lahainaluna, the eventual state champion. Saturday night’s winner advances to face the top-seeded Lunas next week.
Both defenses are stingy.
Roosevelt outscores teams, on average, by four touchdowns and allows 9.7 points per game.
Kamehameha cruised through nine BIIF games and allows two scores per game, most of its points allowed coming in three nonleague losses against high-caliber competition: Iolani (47-10 loss), Hilo (54-10), Kapaa (47-0).
Though those three brushes with fellow state qualifiers got away from them, the Warriors think their ready for the rise in D-II competition.
“I feel like this is going to be a test, and through the year the teams we played, we had to get ready for tests,” Dacalio said. “We have to be prepared and get ready for the show.”
Kamehameha is healthier than it was in the BIIF title game two weeks ago, when it was fueled by a stout defensive effort in beating Hawaii Prep 16-0.
Senior Apu Alfiche returns to give the Warriors a second running threat to go along with Micah Mahiai, and freshman Michael Perry is back to provide a another playmaking threat for quarterback Koby Tabuyo-Kahele. Perry could also see time at quarterback.
“We are expecting more from the offense,” Shaun Perry said. “We hope the weather and execution go our way.”
Germano remembers all to well how each of the past three seasons ended – two at Konawaena in BIIF title games, and last season’s state heartbreaker at Paiea Stadium.
“We’ve prepared accordingly (all year), so if everybody does their job, we can win,” he said.
He’d like nothing better than to be able to return Monday for practice No. 105.
“I been in this program for a pretty solid four years and going into my senior year, I don’t it want to end,” Germano said. “I’ve made some of my best memories playing high school football and knowing this could be my last game, it makes me sad.
“I’ll do anything that I can to make sure I’ll play one more game.”
