KEAAU — With Kamehameha’s season on the line, Isaiah Nakoa-Oness stepped to the plate and started to hit home runs on the volleyball court and had a big helping hand in Nalu Kahapea.
Usually, it’s the other way around, but Nakoa-Oness came through in the clutch, and the Warriors prevailed over Waianae 25-27, 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 18-16 in the first round of the HHSAA Division I tournament on Monday at Koai’a Gym.
In Game 5, the Seariders, the OIA’s No. 5 team, led 16-15 and held serve. But Nakoa-Oness knocked down the final three kills, and Kamehameha (13-3) advanced to the state quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Moanalua (14-0).
“Coach Sam Thomas kept telling us to swing angle and be smart with our hitting and make them work on defense on the other side,” Nakoa-Oness said. “Our motto was ‘Do whatever it takes.’
“Nalu and I are bros, and we always count on each other.”
The BIIF runner-up Warriors play the OIA champion Na Menehune at 7 p.m. Thursday at McKinley High’s gym on Oahu.
No. 4 seed and BIIF champion Kealakehe (13-2) plays OIA No. 6 Waipahu (11-4) in another state quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Thursday at Moanalua High’s gym.
The Waveriders might have caught a huge break. The Marauders went on the road and upset OIA runner-up Kaiser in five sets in the first round. Like Waianae, Waipahu is known more as a football school.
No matter what, Kamehameha decided to go down swinging, bypassing roll or tip shots unless sets were too low and perfectly followed its match motto, “Whatever it takes.”
Nakoa-Oness hammered 23 kills on 60 swings and hit .167 while Kahapea added 21 kills on 77 attempts and hit .091. Kamau Maka’ike added seven kills and hit .087, and middle blocker Chyston Loa had six kills and hit .333 but took just 12 swings.
Kamahao Kawelu picked up 24 digs while Maka’ike had 13 and Nakoa-Oness had 10 digs for a double-double.
“After we lost to Kealakehe in the BIIF championship (despite being ahead 2-0), we decided we’re going down swinging,” Thomas said. “We had too many tips and roll shots. That’s what we learned from that match.
“Our passing struggled, and we couldn’t really work the middle. But if we could get a good pass and a decent set, then the Boom brothers (Nakoa-Oness and Kahapea) come into play. They shouldered the load, and I thought Kamahao had a lot of ups (digs). He stabilized the passing as much as he could.”
The Warriors struggled with their ball-control — passing and setting — but prevailed over the Seariders in a match where hitting accuracy took the night off.
Kamehameha hit just .142 with 59 kills and 50 unforced errors. Waianae had a .146 hitting clip with 59 kills and 52 giveaway points.
Blaze Kahikina pounded 21 kills and hit .210, and Caleb Kaopuiki added 12 kills and hit .210 for Waianae (11-3), which was its own worst enemy at the service line.
The Seariders just couldn’t serve straight. They had just two aces and a whopping 12 service errors. The Warriors had just two aces but only three service miscues.
Game 2 was the turning point, and the Warriors somehow stole that set. They didn’t need to hit the ball to score their last four points.
Nakoa-Oness smashed a kill to cut Waianae’s lead to 22-21. Jesse James Crivello started ripping top-spin sinkers from the service line. Then it got ugly for Waianae, which got swept by Iolani in the first round last year.
The Seariders got called for a ball-handling violation. Then they hit wide, and Nakoa-Oness followed with a block for a 24-22 lead. On an attempt to bump a free ball over, Waianae didn’t get it over the net for game point.
In the third set, the Boom brothers provided the firepower. Nakoa-Oness drilled two kills, and Kahapea had a stuff for a 24-21 lead. Eventually, the Seariders hit long for game point.
Old foe next
Thomas wears glasses but has eagle eyes and spotted Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting in the stands.
The Warriors and Na Menehune have one of the great undercard state rivalries in history. Punahou is the six-time state champion, but Kamehameha and Moanalua have taken turns knocking off one another from title contention.
Well, it probably should be noted it’s been a lopsided rivalry.
In that six-year span, Kamehameha has finished state runner-up four times, and Moanalua has placed third four times.
The last time they met was in the state semifinals in 2016 when Na Menehune won in four. The two rivals also battled in 2012, ’14, and ’15. Each time, Kamehameha prevailed in the state semis and has a 3-1 edge.
“They’re a typical Moanalua team. They’ve got fast, high-jumpers,” Thomas said. “They’ve got a great system under coach Cabanting. We’re expecting a tough challenge.”