KEALAKEKUA — Hawaii Prep senior Zach Chaikin only needs one word to motivate him — mediocre.
Chaikin and his Ka Makani teammates heard the scuttlebutt as the BIIF season kicked into gear; the talk that the defending champs would be average at best, trying to fill a void left by the departure of a slew of talented seniors.
Turns out with BIIF gold on the line, Ka Makani were anything but mediocre. And this time around, the championship glory feels twice as nice.
Behind a game-high 14 kills from Chaikin, Ka Makani knocked off Konawaena in straight sets 25-21, 27-25, 25-20 in the BIIF Division II championship game at Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium on Wednesday night, recording the first back-to-back titles in program history and a third in four years.
“Coming into the season, I think we were doubted. People thought we would be mediocre. We lost a lot of our seniors — including our BIIF player of the year in Ghar Pautz — and a lot of people didn’t think we were going to be here. But getting this proved all that wrong,” said Chaikin, BIIF title in hand and medal around his neck. “I’m so happy to do this with my teammates. We had one goal in mind and that was the BIIF championship.”
Stormer Horton added nine kills, while Kala Thurston had seven, including the title-clincher in the third set. Ryoma Sakakibara notched 18 digs in the match, while Ka Makani’s big middle, Matija Vitorovic, had five blocks.
One problem for Ka Makani this season was they were rarely all together. Spring break broke up the team for an extended period of time, and Hawaii Prep head coach Sharon Peterson said the squad has had an extended battle with strep throat.
But finally, all together and peaking at the right time, Ka Makani showed they are a hard bunch to slow down.
“We have had so many ups and downs, but we came together at the right time,” Peterson said. “It just feels great to do it with this group. They worked so hard.”
Peterson had no shortage of good things to say about her senior leader, Chaikin, who was the consistent sparkplug during Ka Makani’s championship campaign.
“Zach is phenomenal and he keeps getting better. He really does everything that’s asked of him and is an emotional leader out there,” Peterson said. “This year — especially recently — he started to hit the ball with confidence. He’s taking big swings out there and it’s like he’s a different player. I just couldn’t ask more from him.”
Osaiasi Muti recorded a team-high 11 kills for Konawaena, while Darren Poopaa accounted for 28 assists and Jacob Aukai had 17 digs.
Both teams advance to the HHSAA tournament, which will be held May 3-5 on Oahu.
The BIIF has never won a D-II title. Most years, the road to a state title goes through Hawaii Baptist, which has won nine of the last 10 championships. However, the Eagles have moved up to D-I this season, clearing the deck for a new champion.
“We have nothing to lose,” Peterson said. “We are just going to go in and do the best we can.”
“It’s one game at a time,” Chaikin added. “We will see where we are seeded, but right now, we are just excited and ready for the opportunity.”
If there was a word for Ka Makani’s play against the Wildcats it would have been resilient. Konawaena tested Hawaii Prep’s will in every set with extended runs, but Ka Makani always had a response.
“In practice, we put ourselves in our situations,” Chaikin said, “so when it’s game time, we are ready for it.”
It also helped that the D-II semifinals were anything but a cakewalk for Ka Makani against Ka‘u. Hawaii Prep pulled it out in four sets (25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 26-24), but nearly saw the Trojans force a fifth. That was a wake-up call that playoff volleyball had arrived.
“We realized we could get beat and that anything could happen,” Chaikin said. “We had to lock in.”
Both teams came out laser-focused, trading shots and never straying more than a few points from each other in the first set. Tied 20-20, Vitorovic started to make his impact known, notching back-to-back points for Ka Makani. Horton pounded a kill to make it 24-21, and Hawaii Prep finished off the first set thanks to an unforced error from Konawaena.
In the first set — and for most of the game — Hawaii Prep capitalized on Konawaena miscues, with the biggest discrepancy coming at the service line. Ka Makani had six aces to go with four service errors, while the Wildcats only had a single ace and 10 errors.
Rebounding from the early deficit, the Wildcats came out in control of the second set, building a 14-8 lead early. But instead of fading, Ka Makani answered with five straight points to put some pressure on Konawaena with well-placed swings from Chaikin.
Konawaena continued to set the pace with Alan Cancino Magana and Muti, but Hawaii Prep managed to tie things up at 18-18 thanks to Thurston, who notched a kill and an ace for consecutive points. The Wildcats stepped on the gas again for a 23-20 advantage, but Ka Makani would not go away, tying the game again with three straight points — two from Chaikin — forcing a Konawaena timeout.
Out of the break, Hawaii Prep gained a 25-24 edge, and would hold off any Wildcat heroics to win 27-25 to take a commanding 2-0 advantage in the match.
Konawaena fought hard early in the third, but couldn’t hold back Ka Makani’s surging attack. Thurston had a chance at the winning kill, but it was rebuked by a Wildcat player. He wouldn’t miss a second time, putting the BIIF title away.
“We were at our peak tonight,” Chaikin said. “We have been waiting for that all season and it came the perfect time.”