Koa Akui was given a parting shot to encapsulate his journey, and he spoke from experience.
“Trust the process; to any athletes upcoming and in general, just trust the process,” Akui.
He’s put his personal touch on the often-used sports mantra.
The process turned Akui from a 5-foot-1, 102-pound Hilo High freshman to a 5-11, 170-pound senior standout.
The process vaulted Akui from merely following blue-chip recruit Travis Hunter from afar to sharing an all-star game roster spot with him.
The process took Akui all over the field for the Vikings in 2021 as a triple threat and landed him as the coaches’ BIIF Division I offensive player of the year for the runner-up Vikings (4-2).
“Kind of caught me off guard,” Akui said. “I thought I was going to win defensive player of the year.”
That honor went to his senior teammate Tysen Kaniaupio, a defensive lineman, who totaled 48 tackles, five for loss, 12 sacks and interception.
“He’s friend, and I’m definitely proud of him,” Akui said.
Coach of the year went to Brad Uemoto, who guided the Wildcats to the championship, ending Hilo’s seven-season run at the top. The last time the BIIF D-I champ failed have a player claim one of the top honors was 2015, when Kealakehe swept them.
However, the Wildcats dominated the first-team list, with 15 of 26 selections.
“Like I said at the beginning of the season, we might not have that star kid,” Uemoto said. “I felt the year was going to be more about the team and playing together as unit. I think this is reflective of that.
“Kind of makes it all the more rewarding.”
The Vikings had five first-teamers, with Akui doubling up at utility and defensive back. The utility role perhaps defines him best. He hauled in 14 catches for 360 yards and four touchdowns, ran for two more scores and intercepted five passes at safety, taking back two for touchdowns. For good measure, he had a kickoff return for touchdown and a pick-six called back.
It can be hard to pigeon-hole his role as player – jack of all trades? – but he can easily define his preferred position: defense.
He was hand-picked by former coach Kaeo Drummondo to play on that side of the ball, but pitched in on offense because the Vikings had so many holes to fill.
“More entertaining on defense, it’s where all the action is,” he said. “Defense wins championships.”
That mantra isn’t as popular at it once was, but it’s spot-on regarding the BIIF D-I this season. Konawaena edged Hilo 14-13 on Dec. 3 in the final.
“That Konawaena field, there was minute left, and I’m thinking to myself, we can still stop them,” Akui said. “But time kept on ticking down, and it came to five seconds, it just took a toll on me. This is the end.”
“I’ve already talked to returning teammates about leadership for next year,” he said. “Even missing one practice, it can come back at you.”
Akui and Kaniaupio ended up as award winners, but they were completely different specimens as freshmen. Kaniaupio was an impact player on the defensive line as a ninth-grader and likely would have been a four-time first-team selection if not for the pandemic, which wiped out the 2020 season. As a senior and the only returning player with varsity experience, he spearheaded a Hilo defense that allowed just 10 points a game.
Akui started playing Pop Warner with the Wailoa Razorbacks at age 6, but when he got to high school he was barely 105 pounds soaking wet.
“I didn’t really think about it,” he said “I just knew I had a lot of work to do to play at this level.”
He was up to 125 pounds as a sophomore contributor on junior varsity, and he began to sprout during the lost 2020 season. Akui didn’t just sit around when the pandemic limited school to online learning and made any thoughts of an upcoming junior season unlikely.
“Quarantine, I gained about 35 pounds and 8 to 10 inches,” he said. “I knew we weren’t going to have a team, but I kept on grinding.
“We had a lot of time to ourselves, and it made me discover what was out there, to see how I place.”
He began keeping tabs on certain players nationally in his recruiting class, including Hunter, a defensive back and the No. 1 ranked player in the 2022 class, according to the 247 Composite. Hunter surprised many in December when he signed with Jackson State (Miss.).
On Jan. 22 in Honolulu, Hunter and Akui were teammates at the Polynesian Bowl, an all-star game for high school seniors. Akui, who earned his roster post at a combine, finished the game with two tackles, all the while “taking notes” on other cornerbacks whose game he appreciated, such as Floridian Cam Miller, who signed with Penn State.
As for his recruitment?
“Right now I’m trying to be proactive, trying to get (in touch) with coaches,” Akui said. “UH is talking to me, but they haven’t offered a scholarship.”
No schools have offered yet, he said, but he will no doubt “trust the process.”
It’s already taken him places.
All-BIIF football
Division I
Offensive player of the year: Kia Akui, Hilo
Defensive player of the year: Tysen Kaniaupio, Hilo
Coach of the year: Brad Uemoto, Konawaena
Offense
QB: Keoki Alani, Konawaena
RB: Kawelu Kaiawe, Konawaena
RB: TJ Arakawa, Kealakehe
WR/TE: Josaiah Ho’ohuli, Keaau
WR/TE: Damien Kai, Hilo
WR/TE: Ro’oni Satta-Ellis, Konawaena
OL: Tumalosi Vailuu Dennison, Konawaena
OL: Iziah Mariano, Konawaena
OL: Treston Tinao, Konawaena
OL: Kekai Posolda, Kealakehe
OL: Deion Pe’a-Whitney, Hilo
Utility: Koa Akui, Hulo
Kicker: Ro’oni Satta-Ellis, Konawaena
Defense
LB: Anthony Torres, Konawaena
LB: Trez Uemoto, Konawaena
LB: Sean Ichishita, Kealakehe
DB: Isaac Clement, Konawaena
DB: Koa Akui, Konawaena
DB: Armenio Blanco, Konawaena
DB: Hunter Acia, Kealakehe
DL: Chray Flanary, Konawaena
DL: Kaikoa Kelii, Konawaena
DL: Tysen Kaniaupio, Hilo
DL: Maui Ellis-Noa, Konawaena
Utility: Kamaehu Makanui, Konawaena
Punter: Kaysen Doll, Waiakea
Honorable mention
Offense
Hilo: Naoi Richardson, Tre Nelson-Langacker
Kealakehe: Sheynen Nahale
Keaau: Kaohu Kaluna, Tevita Lavemai
Konawaena: Kamaehu Makanui, Isaac Clement
Waiakea: Keanu Tavares, Isaac Dakujaku
Defense
Hilo: Damien Kai, Daylan Letisi
Keaau: Keiki Goo, Fa’apo Oti
Waiakea: Tevita Hala Latu, Malachi Torres, Jai Miyamoto, Isaiah Kamoe, Robert Pule-Annes, Syus Vickory