A Canefire’s spirit

By MATT GERHART

Tribune-Herald sports writer

Who’s playing for Christian Liberty this season? Look no further than the back of the jersey: N. Kerr, Moylan, Cambra, Mundo, Houston, DeCleene — just to list a handful of seniors.

The Canefire’s boys soccer players have long had game, and now they’ve got name. Coach Troy Rimel instituted the jersey change for the first time to reward his seniors.

“They have worked really hard the last four years,” he said, “so I did something special for them.”

They’ve helped rebuild and sustain a program that is the Big Island Interscholastic Federation’s version of the little engine that could.

“It’s meant a lot,” Caedan Cambra said. “I’ve always wanted my last name on my shirt. First jersey that I’ve ever had with my last name on it.”

Striker Nakaiya Kerr appreciates the gesture as well, and he doesn’t expect his teammates to spend too much time looking at their backs in the mirror.

“It’s the name on the front that’s most important,” Kerr said.

While some of the programs from the small school in Keaau, including girls soccer, have merged with St. Joseph to compete as East-Pac, Rimel said his seniors wanted to go out as Canefire.

Besides, the boys soccer team has never really needed any help. Christian Liberty relishes the underdog role, even if it constantly overachieves, finishing runner-up in BIIF Division II in three of the past four seasons to reach the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament.

“Talent-wise I think we’ve become a target,” Rimel said. “Just in the spirit that a little school is not supposed to do too good. It’s quite fun to be able to do what they’ve been able to do.”

All that’s missing now is that ever-elusive first BIIF crown. The Canefire were close again last year, losing the title game 1-0 when Konawaena scored a goal in the final five minutes.

“We’d like to win one for our coach,” Kerr said. “We wanted to do that last year, things just didn’t fall into place like we thought they would.”

Rimel always has his team watch a movie during the preseason as an inspiration tool. This year he picked “42,” a film that depicts Jackie Robinson’s rocky journey as he broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, as a lesson in perseverance.

“Keep pushing no matter what anybody says to you, no matter the costs,” Mundo said.

Of course, Rimel could have picked “42” because it’s the number of goals that Louis Moylan and Kerr combined to score up top last season.

They’re just two of the reasons why Rimel feels Christian Liberty is set down the center of the field. Kerr and Moylan form what is arguably the most lethal forward tandem on the island, Sequoya Kerr and Ben Houston are at midfield, and Mundo and Cambra are in back. Moylan added 21 assists last season, Sequoya Kerr is equally adept as a table-setter and Rimel likes what Houston can do on the ball.

The backline has been rebuilt. Cambra and Mundo, the stopper, are returning starters who are switching positions, and Isaiah Wilson and Zech DeCleene are new to the outside.

“I’m proud of what Caedan has brought in terms of leadership,” Rimel said.

First-year goalkeeper Kiyoshi Kaili, another senior, is expected to bring more speed to the position compared to what the Canefire have had in the past, allowing him to challenge more through balls.

The one thing the Canefire can’t afford is attrition.

“It’s a good squad, not deep, but it has a lot of potential,” Rimel said.

In boys matches Sunday at the Big Island Candies Hilo Bay Classic at Hilo Bayfront, Kealakehe beat Hilo 4-1; Honokaa downed Keaau 3-1 and Kamehameha 2-0; Konawaena defeated Hilo 1-0 and then bested Kamehameha 2-0; in a girls match, Honokaa beat Keaau 3-1.

Note: The Konawaena boys and Waimea girls won the tournament’s sportsmanship awards.

Editor’s note: This is another installment in a continuing series of BIIF soccer previews.

Next up: Honokaa girls, Tuesday.