It took 59 years for a 100 percent homegrown men’s AA team from the Big Island to win the championship at the Haili Tournament.
But it was well worth the wait for Lil Braddahs, a group of former high school players from Waiakea and Pahoa.
The height-challenged Lil Braddahs defeated perennial powerhouse Kailua Volleyball Club 25-21, 22-25, 15-13 on Saturday to claim the coveted and elusive men’s AA title.
The Lil Braddahs are Clayton “Braddah” Morante, Evan La Rochelle, Jay Hanagami, Leonel Inocencio, and Ian Witten from Waiakea, and John Byrd and Isaiah Ekau from Pahoa.
They are also former Pilipaa club players under coach Ecko Osorio and all remember his 2009 Haili team called Big Island Roots.
Unofficially, Roots, led by Ecko’s son and setter Mark Osorio and outside hitter Wendell Kaehuaea, beat Kailua for the men’s AA title that year.
Roots led 14-9 in the third set and later had a hitting error that tied it 14-14. Cory Enriques had a kill, and Kailua followed with a hitting error.
Match over. History made. Sorry, no dice.
A phantom point showed up that put Kailua ahead 15-14, when it should have been 14-14. The Oahu team eventually closed the match, 19-17.
The Lil Braddahs all remember that phantom point and used that as motivation to keep the trophy at home and win one for their old coach.
Officially, Lil Braddahs didn’t have a coach. La Rochelle and Morante put the team together. But Osorio was behind the bench, giving valuable pointers to his homegrown players.
Twice, a Big Island team has captured the grand prize. But it wasn’t 100 percent homegrown. Also, Kailua, often filled with former Rainbow Warriors, was someplace else.
In 2014, Culture Club, which had a roster of eight players, including seven from the Big lsland, toppled Oahu’s Leviticus for the men’s AA title.
That year, Kailua skipped the Haili and played in the USA open national championships.
In 2012, Hilo’s Hemolele, with a roster complemented with players from Oahu’s Quiksets, took down Oahu’s RZN to seize the men’s AA championship.
Again, Kailua was absent and played in the USA open national championships.
After trading power shots in the first two sets, it was only fitting that a third game was in store. But unlike in years past, a Big Island team dominated when it mattered most.
In the third set, La Rochelle, Ekau and Byrd all had two kills each. Byrd had a well-placed tip shot for a 14-11 lead, and Kailua eventually hit into the net for match point.
Morante, the setter, was the AA’s Most Outstanding Player while Ekau was named the Most Valuable Player.
La Rochelle, an outside hitter, was named to the all-star team along with Witten, a middle blocker. Old friend Cory Enriques, a former ’Bow, was an all-star for Kailua, along with Josh Day (USC).
“It’s awesome. We’ve been trying to win this for a long time,” said Byrd, a 2010 Pahoa graduate. “Braddah was money with his sets. His sets were so good it was hard to make a mistake.
“We used to watch our coaches play in this and to finally bring the trophy back and win the big show it’s awesome.”
La Rochelle, a 2011 Waiakea graduate, gave a shout-out to the two unsung guys, middles Witten and Inocencio. Both were much shorter than Kailua’s 6-foot 8 Maulia LaBarre, another former Rainbow.
“Both of our guys were outstanding,” said La Rochelle, who recently got out of the Air Force. “They were going up against players a foot taller and getting blocks.
“I remember that phantom point. We did it for Pilipaa, and we did it for coach Ecko. I’m speechless and proud of our team for coming together like we did.”
It also helped to have a libero like Hanagami, a 2007 Waiakea graduate, who played college ball at Missouri Valley State.
Kailua smoked some rockets, but Hanagami passed a lot of accurate balls to Morante, and Lil Braddahs returned fire.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Morante, a 2010 Waiakea graduate. “With this bunch of guys anything is possible. Coach Ecko was behind the bench, giving us pointers like back in the day at high school.
“I remember that phantom point. We wanted to bring it back to the Big Island for Pilipaa and coach Ecko, who taught us everything we know. This is for them.”
