KEALAKEKUA — For the second straight season, no team on the island has been able to stop Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i boys soccer.
The Warriors clinched another Central Pacific Bank/Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division II Championship, blanking rival Hawaii Preparatory Academy 3-0 to finish the conference season unbeaten for the second consecutive season.
With the win, 11-0-0 KSH earned the No. 1 overall seed in the HHSAA tournament, which begins early next week. The Warriors will play Kalaheo at 3 p.m. Thursday on O‘ahu in the state quarterfinal round.
“We played very organized,” KSH head coach Greg Minato told West Hawaii Today postgame. “We still have a lot to work on, but these boys have a lot of desire in them.
“They worked hard all season, so hopefully we can (go far in the state tournament) again.”
The Warriors are no strangers to the big dance. The team won the HHSAA DII state title in 2022 and 2023, and nearly three-peated in 2024. KSH fell in a close 1-0 match to Island School in last year’s state championship.
But the Warriors will have an opportunity to redeem themselves next week, and will have a great chance of advancing far again. KSH finished the BIIF season with a 61-8 goal differential, which included five shutouts by goalkeeper Jacob Aiona.
“We are just taking it one match at a time,” Minato continued.
The Warriors scored two goals early — one from Gabriel Arquitola in the fourth minute and one from William Henderson off a penalty kick in the sixth. Both teams moved the ball around well at midfield, but KSH’s defense held up, and Thurston La‘a scored the final goal of the evening in the 47th minute.
Minato praised his three goal scorers postgame, crediting them as a big part of the team’s success this season.
While KSH has its toughest tasks ahead of them, Minato believes they have another level they can hit as a unit.
“We can always get better,” he said. “Hopefully, we reach our full potential at state. But the real games are in front of us now.”
Despite the loss, Ka Makani will join the Warriors on O‘ahu for a chance at the state title. The red and white finished the island season at 7-3-1 with a 44-9 goal differential.
HPA’s first matchup will also be on Thursday, slated to play third-seeded Le Jardin at 3 p.m.
Head coach Tad Detwiler was satisfied with how his team battled.
“Our boys played a tough game last night against an undefeated Kamehameha team who is very talented,” he said. “We got caught flat-footed early in the game and it cost us two goals. The boys still battled knowing that just one goal in our favor could change the momentum, and we created some good chances, just could not find the back of the net.
“We learned a lot from this game, and we know that going forward, it’s about showing up for the entire game — from the first minute to the last. We have a very young and talented midfield that I’m very excited to see how they evolve over the next few years.”
Heading into the state tournament, Detwiler is as confident in his group as anybody.
“My priority is to get everyone healthy and in a good mindset. Then we will focus on playing consistently at a high level, as that is the recipe for a state championship.”
See the paper next week for updates on how both teams did on the big stage.
Hilo 2, Kea‘au 1
Following the DII title game, Hilo boys soccer clinched the DI championship over Kea‘au, winning a close 2-1 match.
The Vikings finished the BIIF season at 8-1-1 overall with a 43-13 goal differential. They are slated to play the winner of KS-Kapalama vs. Kailua in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Hilo was awarded the No. 4 seed in the DI tournament after clinching the island crown.
The Cougars ended their conference season at 4-4-0. They clinched a spot in the state tournament after beating Kealakehe in the BIIF DI semifinals earlier in the week. Kea‘au will host Castle in the opening round of the tournament at 2 p.m. Monday at the Cougars’ home field.
See the paper next week for updates on how both teams performed in the tournament.
HPA girls advance;
postponements
HPA girls soccer got off to a strong start in the opening round of the HHSAA DII girls tournament on Wednesday at the Waipi‘o Soccer Complex.
Ka Makani beat Radford 3-1, advancing to play No. 3 Mid-Pacific in the quarterfinals. The next matchup was slated for Thursday afternoon, but inclement weather caused a cancellation for all scheduled matches.
As of late Thursday afternoon, the make-up dates for all postponed matches have yet to be decided.
“The safety of all participants, coaches, and supporters is our utmost priority,” HHSAA spokesperson Natalie Iwamoto said of the match postponements. “This decision was made with that in mind, and we appreciate everyone’s understanding as we navigate this fluid situation.”
Against the Rams on Tuesday, HPA got off to a blistering start. Madie Buczyna scored in the first minute of action, followed by Kekai Lansdale in the 48th minute and Tae Detwiler in the 76th.
Stella Barker was the only Radford player to strike, scoring in the 26th minute.
The Rams then moved to the consolation bracket following the loss, scheduled to face Aiea at 3 p.m. Friday.
See the paper in the coming days for information about the rescheduling of Thursday’s matches.
