Consistency has been the key to Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s success on the BIIF and state levels.
Consistency in coaching, talent, leadership and even in community support has led Ka Makani to seven straight state championship appearances and a record five consecutive HHSAA state titles in Division II.
The team also barely missed out on a ninth straight BIIF crown after falling to Kamehameha on penalty kicks in the Division II championship game, but Ka Makani, led by talented junior striker Emi Higgins, managed to avenge that loss in the state championship.
Higgins is putting together a nice little streak of her own. After another strong showing on the way to her third title, Higgins was named BIIF Division II Player of the year for a second year in a row, as voted by league coaches, West Hawaii Today and the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
“It feels amazing,” Higgins said with notable enthusiasm shortly after finding out. “It is good to know that all the hard work my teammates and I have put in has paid off.”
As one of the BIIF’s premier goal-scorers, Higgins played an important part in Hawaii Prep’s run. She scored a goal on seven shots in the state title game against the Warriors. She also scored two goals in both the team’s quarterfinal game against Sacred Hearts and semifinal game against Kapaa.
According to Ka Makani head coach Steve Perry, one of the biggest improvement’s Higgins made this season was in her consistency, which started at practice.
“I was very happy with her energy at practice this year,” Perry said. “She worked hard to get better, and with her knack of finding goals, that is a special thing in soccer.”
Higgins entered her junior season with a target on her back, something she’s got used to with so much success early in her prep career. However, she never let the pressure get to her.
“She doesn’t get frustrated. She keeps moving forward and is very unselfish,” Perry said. “With the talent we had around her this year, when she was doubled up, there was always someone else open and she was willing the pass the ball off.”
For Ka Makani, this season’s team was one of the most talented, evident by seven BIIF first-team selections, which included Teah Van Bergen, Bella Police, Jordan Zarate, Jenna Perry, Julia Perry and Maia Mills.
“Compared to last season, I would not say there was no stress this year because it was still stressful, but it was great having a lot more options and support,” Higgins said. “When I was getting marked, I knew I could look up and find someone there.”
Higgins still managed to find her goals as well, finding the back of the net 19 times.
“Emi took advantage any time she had a one-on-one,” Perry said. “We told her to play aggressive and she did.”
Zarate’s comeback trail
Higgins managed to edge out Zarate — her teammates and one of the best comeback stories of the season — for the honor.
At the start of the 2016-17 season Zarate suffered a devastating injury right before the year started, when she tore her ACL for a second time. She had the same injury in seventh grade.
For Zarate, her latest injury came as the result of “playing angry.”
“It’s kind of embarrassing,” she said. “Coach Perry had texted me the three captains for that year and I felt like I should have been one of them but I was not. I went into practice a little angry and I wanted to make a point. I was doing drills and I went to cut and my knee gave out on me. As soon as I planted I knew something was about to happen. I felt an incredibly large pop.”
For the second time Zarate would have to endure a lengthy rehab process, but during that process she looked deep into herself about how the injury occurred.
“With an injury like this, you start to rethink everything you have done,” Zarate said. “I did not really appreciate what I had when I was playing and I was thinking negatively. I told myself it would not happen again. I reset my mind.”
The rehab went well, but coming off the injury, Zarate decided that she was not going to play soccer again. It seemed she had lost her passion for the sport.
However, that would soon change thanks to a coaching opportunity with a youth team in Waimea.
“I was coaching these little kids with the Waimea Strikers and I was teaching them these drills that I did when I was little, except when I did them, I remembered how miserable I was,” Zarate said. “But these kids were smiling and laughing. I coached them twice a week and it was just amazing to see them having a blast. I started to realize that if they can find joy in doing these drills then I can give soccer one more chance.”
Zarate rejoined the Hawaii Prep team once again last year, and while her skill set was there, her endurance was not.
“After that first practice and first game, I was exhausted, but I was having so much fun,” Zarate said. “I really feel like I did not have my conditioning back until the BIIF final. Yeah, we lost, but I ended that game feeling like I could have played another full overtime. I still had more in me.”
By the time the state playoffs came around, Zarate was playing her best soccer of the season, according to her coach. That became apparent in the championship game against Kamehameha. With the team’s knotted at 2-2, Zarate scored the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute. It was the second time in three years her goal would be the decider for the state title.
“Jordan ended the season exactly where I hoped she would be,” Perry said. “She dominated at center-mid and was playing the full 80 minutes. You would not have believed that was going to happen back in October or November.”
For Perry, Zarate’s comeback was very satisfying personally.
“We have been close every since she talked about coming here in eighth grade,” Perry said. “Soccer is her passion. She has been around the sport since she could barely walk. To take that away from her at such a young age, it hurts. It is something that is tough to get over. Her comeback meant a lot to me.”
All-BIIF girls soccer, Division II
F: Emi Higgins, HPA
F: Hiilei Wong Yuen, KS-Hawaii
F: Hevani Haunga, KS-Hawaii
F: Teah Van Bergen, HPA
M: Hiwa Brown, KS-Hawaii
M: Bella Police, HPA
M: Jordan Zarate, HPA
M: Jenna Perry, HPA
D: Kailey Aiona, KS-Hawaii
D: Julia Perry, HPA
D: Kaila Ambrosio, KS-Hawaii
D: Tia Lurbiecki, Makua Lani
GK: Maia Mills, HPA
Player of Year: Emi Higgins, Hawaii Prep
Coach of Year: Joshua Woodard, Kamehameha
Honorable mention
HPA: Zoe Ganley
KS-Hawaii: Saige DeMotta, Faith Aurello, Chenoa Frederick, Kiana Troy
Honokaa: Sydni Abacar, Jaslyn Miura, Terri Conners, Pulelehua Lindsey
Makua Lani: Halle Nottage, Katrina Whalen, Ilinahe Beatty
Ka‘u: Analei Emmsley, Chaunalisa Velez
