KAILUA-KONA — After coming so close to a state playoff berth in 2015, Makua Lani is looking to shake off last season’s penalty kick shootout loss to Honokaa in the BIIF Division II third-place game and break through the barrier this year into the HHSAA state playoffs.
The Lions are off to a good start with a pair of 8-0 victories over Ka’u and Kohala, the second coming against the Cowboys at Old Airport Park on Tuesday.
This year’s squad has a large junior presence led by DJ Madigan, Reid Murphy and Riley Pries.
“This is my third year, so I have had these juniors since I started and they are the core of this squad,” said Makua Lani head coach Alex Dong. “Close to half the team is juniors so that is good.”
Madigan, Murphy and Pries are the leaders on the field offensively and they work together to help orchestrate all the plays.
“DJ never loses the ball, is very good on the dribble, quick on the turn, and has a very good shot from anywhere on the field,” Dong said. “Reid is a giant among a bunch of little people. He tackles well, wins everything in the air and is calm on the ball.”
“Riley sees the passes that no one else really sees,” Dong added. “He is really calm and has good movement.”
The team also has a junior goalkeeper in Jonah Marks and he is backed up by a freshman Emmet Alcos.
“Jonah is a big junior who started playing again in high school,” Dong said. “Emmett is the incoming player I am most excited about. His older brothers have played for Makua Lani.”
Both keepers had a strong showing against Kohala. Alcos played the second half and stood out with several tough saves, coming away out of the box to clear the ball in some risky situations. When his team is on the offensive, Alcos could be seen standing near the midfield line.
“He wants to play on the field but he is probably better in the goal,” Wong joked.
As for the offense on Thursday, it was senior Will Bertsch who stood out on the pitch. Playing against a mixed squad of boys and girls from Kohala, Bertsch danced around his defenders, who could not match his speed, scoring three goals and picking up several assists.
“Will is working hard this year,” Dong said. “He has always been there but this year he is breaking out. He sets the tone for the guys in the fitness drills.”
The Lions jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead behind by two early goals from Bertsch. Bertsch scored in the opening minutes of the game on a cross from the right side of the 18. He put Makua Lani up 2-0 when he broke free from his defender and beat the Kohala keeper 1-on-1 inside the box. His third goal came late in the second half, with his team up 7-0.
“The team played really well and I really liked the passing we were doing,” Bertsch said. “I can take three points of the credit but not all of it. The rest is on the team and the coaches.”
Madigan and Loa Ng added two goals each against the Cowboys. Murphy scored once. Makua Lani is now 2-0, while Kohala falls to 1-3.
Kamehameha 8, Ka’u 0: Liam Kenoi scored four goals in Keaau and the defending Division II champion Warriors bounced back from a loss in their opener.
David Erskine, John DeMotta, Kameron Moses and Tyler Waltjen also collected goals for Kamehameha (1-1-0), and Jameson Sato, Hunter Catton and Dorian Salazar each had a hand in the shut out of the Trojans (0-4-0).
