Konawaena is healthy, rested, relaxed and raring to go, coach Brad Uemoto said.
The last time he took the Wildcats to Oahu for the state football playoffs, they got two games in one. This time, they’d prefer to spread those two games out.
The first order of business for No. 4 Konawaena comes against top-seeded Lahainaluna in the HHSAA Division I semifinals, set for a 3 p.m. kickoff today at Farrington High School in Honolulu. The game will be televised on Spectrum OC16.
“I think this BIIF championship and state title experience is probably one of the least expected coming into the season,” Uemoto said. “Just the unknown. The expectation wasn’t to win a BIIF title and make a state title appearance.
“We just have to take it in stride. We’re excited. It’s a good experience for our program. It’s one of those feelings of no pressure, coming in with a loose feel and let the chips fall where they end up.”
Both teams are making their foray into the D-I tournament, and they are familiar with each other thanks to an instant classic four years ago.
The Maui Interscholastic champion Lunas (6-0) won four consecutive D-II titles before the pandemic canceled the 2020 season, and their 2017 triumph in the title game against the Wildcats (6-0) ranks among the best in the annals of the HHSAA. The teams matched each other score for score in a seemingly never-ending array of touchdowns at Aloha Stadium, with Lahainaluna coming out on top 75-59 in seven overtimes.
The players have all changed, but “we bring it up all the time, it’s one of the bright spots of our program,” Uemoto said. “We actually watch a ton of film off of that season and that particular game.
“They pretty much show the same scheme on both sides of the ball.”
Lahainaluna enters on a 13-day break and was tested in its past two games, a 26-9 win against Maui that clinched the MIL title and a 29-22 come-from-behind victory against Baldwin.
Sophomore quarterback Noa Gordon is a dual threat for the Lunas, passing for 601 yards and five touchdowns – with no interceptions – and rushing for eight more scores.
“From the small amount of film we’ve seen this season – I know preparation-wise with a shorter season – they haven’t been as diverse as they usually have been,” Uemoto said. “But they always have the potential to get into a bunch of different formations and show you different things.”
The Wildcats will try to become the second BIIF team to win a state D-I playoff game. Hilo was the first in 2017 en route to winning the title. The Vikings added a second HHSAA crown in 2019, but Konawaena bested Hilo 13-12 at home in the BIIF title game Dec. 3.
Uemoto said two wins against the Vikings as well as contests against Kealakehe and Keaau have prepared the Wildcats for the big stage.
Sophomore quarterback Keoki Alani leads the offense, throwing for 1,464 and 20 touchdowns, with seven interceptions, and running back Kawelu Kaiawe has posted 805 yards and nine scores. Defensively, the Wildcats allow fewer than 12 points a game.
The winner heads back to Farrington on Dec. 23 to face either Aiea or Iolani.
“I always tell these kids, once you get to the state level, the opponent is always going to be a good opponent,” Uemoto said. “Every snap, every play, every tackle, everything is just magnified. The focus has to be there throughout.”