Once upon a time, not very long ago, Kealakehe was the best in the business at football’s bread-and-butter basics: blocking and tackling. ADVERTISING Once upon a time, not very long ago, Kealakehe was the best in the business at football’s
Once upon a time, not very long ago, Kealakehe was the best in the business at football’s bread-and-butter basics: blocking and tackling.
The Waveriders held a decisive advantage. They were a beast, often bigger and faster than other Big Island Interscholastic Federation teams. But that’s not the reason they won a string of Division I titles (2004 to ’07 and 2010 to ’12).
They had tenacious run-blocking technique, and pancaked defenders, even if they were somehow larger and quicker. That same sharp, fundamental play applied to defense, too, and those rare missed tackles or gaps were quickly filled with aggressive Waveriders.
That mindset helped feed that championship cycle: Winning breeds confidence, confidence breeds tradition, and around and around it goes.
But before the Waveriders could begin their dynasty exactly a decade ago. They had to take two steps back to go one step forward, and figure out how they kept slipping on that big-game banana peel.
In 2002, Kealakehe was the heavy favorite but lost to underdog Hawaii Prep 18-14 for the BIIF title. That Ka Makani ballclub featured a pair of familiar names: Max Unger and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim.
In 2003, the Waveriders were again the heavy favorite, especially after they dismantled Hilo 51-27 in the regular season. In the rematch for the BIIF championship, the Vikings shocked Kealakehe 27-14 before a full house at Waverider stadium.
Third time was the charm in 2004. It was Kealakehe 41, Hilo 21 for the BIIF crown.
The biggest difference?
Jinho Tohara at 5 feet, 5 inches and 145 pounds, Kealakehe’s smallest and toughest giant in school history, ran for 238 yards and six touchdowns on 37 carries.
Talent always helps, but for the first time in a big game Kealakehe’s effort and execution (the latter part took extended coffee breaks the previous years) were partners on the football field. Mix that in with dominant blocking and tackling and out pops the school’s first BIIF championship.
After Hurricane Ana and a week’s delay, it’s time for the four-team BIIF playoffs for Division I and II, and right now the Vikings hold the title as the best blocking and tackling team – a reason they’re the league’s only unbeaten.
Division I
Waiakea (2-5 BIIF, 2-7 overall) at Kealakehe (3-4, 3-5), after 5 p.m. junior varsity Saturday
In the crosstown rivalry week game against Hilo on Oct. 10, the Warriors lost 43-3 and struggled in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams – so much so that it begged a question: What part was the most harmful?
The Vikings had long kickoff returns and nice punt run-backs, so Waiakea often defended a short field. And with six touchdowns surrendered, the Warrior defense was on the field a lot – tired, drained and unable to make stops.
On offense, the Warriors simply struggled to move the ball. They searched under rocks to find a rhythm, but discovered nothing and frequently ran into a Viking wall. The offense had four three-and-outs; Hilo had only one three-and-out.
As for the question what hurt the most, consider if football were a car, then Waiakea had no wheels, gas or engine.
In the first meeting with Kealakehe, the Warriors won 24-21 in overtime, beating the Waveriders for the first time in a decade.
Their O-line set the tempo, firing out, getting leverage and their hands on defenders, and moving their feet to open holes. Waiakea ran over Kealakehe’s defense for 231 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
The special teams’ lack of coverage on kickoff and punt returns, against Hilo, is fixable. Waiakea coach Moku Pita, basically, has to remind his guys to remain in their lanes.
“We have to come back and do the same thing we did against Kealakehe the first time,” Pita said. “When you play a beast like Hilo, if your offense doesn’t work and your defense can’t make stops, you’ll end up with a result like this (43-3 loss). From the beginning of the game, we were out of rhythm. But in the second half, we opened with some good runs.”
Still, the Warriors didn’t get into the end zone. That was a bummer because no matter how well Waiakea’s O-line blocked in the second half, the Vikings made all the necessary tackles and got stops.
At least, Pita doesn’t have to think long for a motivational speech, when his team hits the road.
“We know it’s win or go home,” he said. “Our seniors have got to step up.”
Keaau (0-7, 0-8) at Hilo (7-0, 8-0), 6 p.m. Saturday
Senior kicker Laura Silva made BIIF history, booting all four PAT kicks in Keaau’s 46-28 loss to Kamehameha on Oct. 11, the first time a girl has gone 4 for 4.
She and senior lineman Kathrine Hann are the only girls on Keaau’s roster.
Meanwhile, Hilo senior running back Tristin Spikes gift-wrapped his selection as the BIIF Division I Offensive Player of the Year with 112 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against Waiakea.
It helped that his offensive line (Kacey Hall, Isaiah Young, Chandler Kelii, Cody Raymond and Seth Fukushima) had a whopper of a good game. On one play, Spikes ran 10 yards before he was touched.
“It was Tristin’s third straight game over the century mark,” Hilo coach David Baldwin said. “He’s been under the weather with flu-like symptoms. Imagine what he could do when fully healthy? He’s a stallion and he may be the very best running back I have coached.”
Baldwin said pretty much the same thing about senior middle linebacker Ofa Fahiua after a dominant performance against Konawaena on Oct. 4. Fahiua had some tackles and a forced fumble against Waiakea.
The guy who was highlighted the most wasn’t a touchdown-maker or a high-volume tackler. Baldwin singled out junior Makoa Rodrigues.
Who’s that, you ask?
Rodrigues is a 5-foot-7, 160-pound junior listed as a safety. He’s not a starter. But he was that guy. As in, “That guy is blowing up Waiakea’s kickoff and punt returns.”
Baldwin rattled off a bunch of stats and percentages that the shorter field an offense has to drive the easier – OK, a better word would be convenient – it is to score a touchdown.
That’s like the closer someone is to the basketball rim the better the shooting percentage, or the hitter with a 3-and-1 count as opposed to an 0-and-2 hole has better odds to get a basehit.
Anyway, Rodrigues was that guy for the Vikings, who have a special tradition for their special teams’ star.
“He did so well on kickoff coverage,” Baldwin said. “We have a Special Forces T-shirt for our player of the week on special teams. That’s an important part of the game, and it’s one-third of the game.”
That part of the game really hit home for Waiakea. Maybe Baldwin sends an email to Moku Pita, and the Warriors play three-parts football against Kealakehe, and the two pals have a crosstown rivalry rematch in the BIIF championship.
Or maybe, Kealakehe goes old-school and gets back to its foundation of blocking and tackling better than everyone else to start another title run.
Division II
HPA (4-3, 5-4) at Konawaena (5-2, 6-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday
Three weeks ago, the Wildcats got run over by a school bus, and the license plate read: Hilo Beast.
In the memorable words of Moku Pita, when your offense doesn’t work and you can’t make stops, you’ll end up with a result like this (in Kona’s case, a 39-7 defeat).
Kona rebounded against Kealakehe 20-0, and had much better production on both sides of the ball: 228 rushing yards and 26 yards yielded on defense.
In the first meeting with HPA in Kealakekua, the Wildcats hung tough for a 27-20 victory. Since then, the resurgent Ka Makani have won three straight over Kamehameha, Waiakea and Honokaa.
Honokaa (2-5, 2-5) at Kamehameha (5-2, 5-2), 7 p.m. Friday
Here’s a Jeopardy trivia brain teaser for diehard Warrior fans:
Answer: Mana Silva, Nick Miyasato, Keoni Thompson and Warner Shaw.
Question: Kamehameha quarterbacks who won BIIF championships?
Micah Kanehailua has one final shot to join that elite list.
The senior QB has a quality O-line with juniors Russell Montibon, Joyden Madriaga, Kanaiela DeCoito, Icher Pule-Annes and senior Pono Davis, and a speedster receiver in Alapaki Iaea.
Maybe even better, Kamehameha’s tackling is a whole lot cleaner than last year, when one-arm tackling was an unbreakable sloppy, bad habit.Sharp, technical tackling always helps, and makes things more convenient for a defense.
And when all three parts of the game are working, coaching buddies Baldwin and Pita would agree that your football team has a chance to become a beast and compete for a BIIF championship.
