KEAAU — At 5 feet 10, Bailey Hanato would make a fine small forward, and do well to carry on the family’s basketball legacy at Konawaena.
KEAAU — At 5 feet 10, Bailey Hanato would make a fine small forward, and do well to carry on the family’s basketball legacy at Konawaena.
Fortunately for the Wildcat boys soccer team, Hanato, the cousin of Konawaena hoops great Jessica Hanato, is a much better shooter with his feet than his hands.
She is a 2005 Konawaena graduate, and charter member of the school’s first Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championship team in 2004.
He’s a senior midfielder/forward, and scored the lone goal in Konawaena’s 1-0 victory over Kamehameha in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation soccer game Saturday at Paiea Stadium.
“Everybody asks me why I’m not playing basketball,” Hanato said. “I played when I was really young, but once I could touch a ball with my feet I started playing soccer. And I’ve liked it better.”
The Division I Wildcats (5-2-1) are in good shape to qualify for the four-team BIIF playoffs, which will be held Feb. 11 at the higher seed’s field. The key, of course, is to avoid the No. 4 seed and face three-time league champion Kealakehe.
Konawaena captured the BIIF Division II title in 2013 and jumped to the D-1 level the next year. The ‘Cats pocketed the league’s Division I crown in 1981, long before statewide classification.
“I went to states as a sophomore and we definitely want to go back,” said Hanato, a four-year starter. “We’re in Division I so it’ll be harder (Division II has three state berths). But we’ve got room for improvement.”
The Division II Warriors (3-4-0) are fourth in the standings and also in good shape to qualify for the six-team BIIF playoffs, which will be held Feb. 10. (The top two seeds draw first-round byes.)
Kamehameha made its only state appearances in 2008 and ’09.
It was a scoreless first half but far from uneventful, especially if you were a Warrior fan and relative of senior forward Dominik Pajimola, who dominated his Konawaena marker.
Pajimola took four of Kamehameha’s five shots on goal, and often outraced the defense to track down balls or found seams to fire a rocket.
Kamehameha freshman Tyler Waltjen had the best shot on goal when he dribbled past two defenders, and blasted a bullet wide right.
The Warriors created far more opportunities because they had better ball-control, and often played two-touch soccer — trap and pass.
The Wildcats had only one shot on goal in the first half, and helped out Kamehameha’s defense with poor spacing. Sometimes several guys in green were all around the ball, closing off passing lanes and allowing the Warriors to easily drop back in transition rather than run all over to cover the field.
However in the second half the Wildcats looked like a different team. They asserted themselves with a lot of give-and-go passing, which led to the first goal at the 24:13-minute mark when Logan Takizawa sent in a cross.
The ball hopped around with no Warrior able to clear. It soon bounced off goalie Sean Miday. The ball rolled in back of him and right to Hanato, who pounded the gift into the net.
“It was good to be in the right spot,” Hanato said. “It’s all about where you are. I’m thankful for the cross from Logan. The ball deflected off the keeper and you’ve always got to follow. We definitely needed that goal to win the game.”
Nearly 10 minutes later, Konawaena senior forward Michael Gusman ripped a fastball off a rebound, and Miday made a diving, horizontal save — for the second best play of the day.
Prior to Konawaena’s goal, the Warriors had a nice opportunity to take the lead on a transition attack. Off a Wildcat corner kick, Pajimola was fed the ball at midfield.
It was a 2 on 4 with Pajimola dribbling against a diamond defense, two fullbacks wide, the sweeper in the rear and the center fullback up high.
He dribbled diagonally to the center of the field, then delivered a perfect pass to right wing Justin Mathieu, who got a good look but sent his shot wide left.
“Konawaena played with a lot of tenacity in the second half,” Kamehameha coach Mario Patino said. “We came out flat and couldn’t recover after they scored that goal.
“We dominated in the first half and possessed the ball, but couldn’t finish. We were missing our main distributor, Ric Moke-Rabang. He was out with an injury and he’s our main guy distributing the ball, and that made a difference.”
Despite Mathieu’s scoring chance, Konawaena had much better ball possession in the second half, despite posting just three shots on goal. Kamehameha finished with seven shots on goal. Wildcat freshman goalie Logan Ichishita recorded the shutout.
“We weren’t ourselves in the first half,” Hanato said. “At halftime, our coach (Keahi Fleming) talked to us and told us to wake up. We got comfortable with our positions. I started the game at center midfield and moved to left wing in the second half. I wanted to strike more.”
Like his cousin back in the good, old days, when Hanato got his shot he was in the right spot at the right time, and finished.
Kealakehe 6, Keaau 0: Kyle Nicholson netted a goal in each half and the visiting Waveriders remained unbeaten.
The Waveriders (9-0-0) led 3-0 at halftime, behind goals from Tyler Deverse, Laukoa Santos and Nicholson, and Hunter Olaso and James Caudell joined Nicholson with goals in the second half.
Greyson Moore recorded the shutout against the Cougars (3-5-1).
Hawaii Prep 9, Ka’u 0: Justin Perry and Austin Schneider each scored twice as Ka Makani rolled in Waimea.
Zen Simone, Josh Lawrence, Alex Lee and John Daniel Gilhuly also scored and HPA (4-2-1) got an own goal.
Finn Simmersbach shut out the Trojans (0-8-0).
Waiakea 7, Kohala 1: Max Adolf and Tyler Kerr each found the back of the net twice for the host Warriors, who remained in second place in Division I.
Miles Marshall, Roy Atallah and Mike Scott also scored for Waiakea (6-2-0), while Josiah Adams collected a goal for the Cowboys (1-7-0).
Makua Lani 6, East Pac 1: DJ Madigan led the way for the Lions (5-1-1) with four goals and Aidan Alcos netted the other two at Old Kona Aiport Park.
Sequoya Kerr had the lone score for the Firebirds, who fell to 1-5-1.
Girls
Konawaena 1, Kamehameha 0: Nikki Kunitomo scored on a free kick from 30 yards out in the 60th minute for the visiting Wildcats, who rebounded from their first loss off the season.
Konawaena’s defensive effort in a 1-0 loss to Hawaii Prep on Tuesday irked coach Guy Miranda.
“Defense was better, but we’ve still got work to do,” Miranda said Saturday.
Goalkeeper Taiana Tolleson shut out the Warriors (3-3-1).
Konawaena (6-1-0) remained a point behind first-place Waiakea in Division I. The teams meet next Saturday in Kealakekua.
Kealakahe 7, Keaau 0: Lexie Cuaresma netted a hat trick and Tiara Conn added two goals as the Waveriders won in Keaau to all but wrap up a Division I playoff spot.
Mia Richmond and Anele Hiilawe Manoi also scored for Kealakehe (4-4-0), which is starting to get healthy and has won two in a row after a three-game losing streak.
“We’re starting to hit our stride and get things figured out,” coach Jim Smith said. “The last two weeks have been a big improvement.”
Nika Paogofie-Buyten blanked the Cougars (1-6-0) for her first shutout.
Waiakea 11, Kohala 0: Sabrina Scott scored twice as the host Warriors got goals from 10 different players.
Starcia Lee-Deponte tallied her team-leading 10th goal, and Bryonie Cameron, Cierra Toledo-Muragin, Kiana Serrao, Evalani Cosgrove, Keisha Sato, Tiani Teanio, Alison Fuata and Jordan Melchor also found the back of the net for Waiakea (6-0-1).
Melchor and Kaira Chang had a hand in the shutout of the Cowgirls (2-5-0).
Makua Lani 6, East Pac 0: Sina Easley was the catalyst in the Lions’ second win of the season, recording a goal and three assists at Old Kona Airport Park.
Kaimana Caceres, Destiny Jarret-Stroud, Katrina Whalen, Rachel Won and Halle Nottage also scored for Makua Lani (2-3-0).
Brianne Lauro recorded the shuout of the Firebirds (0-7-0).