It’s been a long time coming for Hawaii Preparatory Academy lacrosse.
During Saturday’s Founder’s Cup title match on Oahu — Hawaii’s unofficial state championship — Ka Makani battled fellow Big Island rival Konawaena in torrential downpour, coming out on top 5-4. The win marked HPA’s first-ever Founder’s Cup title since the club was formed in 2013.
“I’m normally very animated on the sideline, but (during the Founder’s Cup) I was a little quieter than usual…mostly because I’ve been there (as a player) and that we’ve come so close before,” Ka Makani coach Will Zucker told West Hawaii Today. “But this time, I felt that we were as prepared as we could’ve been — everyone contributed, they had each other’s backs and stayed composed.
“Every single person on our team had an impactful play (on Saturday) at some point. I couldn’t be more proud of our kids and their focus — especially with them dealing with final exams and the end-of-the-school-year craziness, too.”
HPA played in two tournament games to clinch the state title. In the semifinals, the red and white beat the Oahu club team Saint Sharks by a score of 5-3. Ka Makani’s Alden Collinson scored four goals, while teammate Murphy Makely added one of her own.
In the Wildcats’ semifinal matchup against defending state champion Windward, the green and white won 7-6 in double overtime. Kona officially avenged its championship-game loss from a year ago in beating the Oahu squad.
But on the championship stage in the next round, HPA seized the moment and delivered. Collinson added another four goals against the Wildcats, while teammate Emerson Trautwein scored one.
Despite the hard-earned victory for the Waimea group, Zucker maintained that Ka Makani had to earn everything it got against Kona — lauding the well-coached team.
“I was definitely nervous (going into the game),” he said of the Wildcats. “They move the ball so well…they’re scrappy, aggressive and athletic. We knew it would be a nailbiter.”
Zucker also added that HPA — a co-educational team with a mix of youth and seniority — will use this season as a confidence booster for the younger players to keep building the program upward. With just four seniors departing, the future looks bright.
“I think the fact that we were able to persevere this season taught them about what they’re capable of,” he said. “There’s definitely excitement within the underclassmen. To be able to win in the way we did meant a lot to everybody, and hopefully that fire stays lit until next spring.”
Nonetheless, this year’s Founder’s Cup was as great of a success as one could ask for in the Big Island lacrosse scene. With nearly no youth leagues or feeder programs, many of HPA and Kona’s players learn the game for the first time once they join the team. Zucker believes that the two schools competing for state glory was a huge step in the right direction in growing the game on the island.
“I think it brings some legitimacy to what we’re doing here — the kids deserved the recognition.” he said. “I think a big step (in growing the sport’s scene) would be offering it at more Big Island schools. Hopefully, this can instill some interest from other schools.”