KEALAKEKUA — After several weeks off, Konawaena football is finally ready to roll this weekend.
The Wildcats last played against Kea‘au in the BIIF Division I Championship on Oct. 28, when the green and white claimed the island crown in a 48-6 rout — earning the No. 1 seed in the HHSAA Division I tournament along with a first-round bye.
However, the long break hasn’t stopped Konawaena from keeping focus on its state-title aspirations.
“We’ve been working hard,” quarterback Keoki Alani said at a rainy practice Tuesday. “Lots of training and conditioning.”
“It was a nice break to rest up, but for us, we ended the year very healthy, so we almost had that feeling of, ‘we’re ready to go,’” coach Brad Uemoto added. “It’s hard to sit and wait, but we’re just following the same formula as we did last season by putting a lot of time and effort into sharpening our fundamentals and implementing a gameplan.”
The Wildcats (9-1 ovr.) recently learned that they will be facing Kapaa in the state semifinals Saturday night at Julian R. Yates Field — a Kauai Interscholastic Federation (KIF) powerhouse. The Warriors (9-0 ovr.) escaped with an impressive 29-28 quarterfinal win over Lahainaluna last weekend.
Much like Konawaena, Kapaa is fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball, averaging nearly 35 points and allowing 8.3 points per game. Its offense is heralded by a stout run game led by running back Waikahekili Makepa and quarterback Kapono Na-O, but has talented receivers such as Kamalei Gonsalves and Evan Daligdig.
“The challenge is we haven’t faced a team like that, in terms of what they try to do offensively or defensively,” Uemoto said. “They’re physical, which is why we scheduled opponents like Leilehua and Long Beach Poly (earlier in the season) just so we experience that size and physicality.
“Hopefully those early-season games translate to Saturday night. Executing our game plan is the goal.”
Nonetheless, the Wildcats have been here before. Having won the 2022 Division I state title, prior experience has helped calm the nerves. Konawaena is taking a more business-only approach to the postseason this year, as last season’s run was a newer experience.
“It feels different than in past years,” Uemoto claimed. “Beforehand, at this point in the year, we were very excited and anxious, and we didn’t know what to expect when we got to these games. Now, we treat these practices like we do in the regular season — treating it as just another opponent and just another game, and I think that’s important.”
“I think we feel more comfortable than last year because we have so many returners on our team,” receiver Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio added. “We know what to expect now and how to prepare for it, and we have great young guys to feed off our energy.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.