KAILUA-KONA — It’s time to let the Wildcats out of their cage.
Finally.
Nearly a month since Konawaena’s last game action, the three-time defending BIIF Division II champs get their league season underway on Saturday at Keaau.
“We can’t wait to play. It’s been such a long time,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “To have almost month off is kind of odd. We just really had to focus on keeping the boys motivated.”
The extended time between games was not by design. Konawaena played Kapaa on Aug. 11 in its preseason finale and were scheduled to kickoff the BIIF season against cross-town rival Kealakehe on Aug. 24. However, due to the threat of Hurricane Lane the game against the Waveriders was canceled and there was already a built in week off to account for Kealakehe’s trip to Utah and the west side schools starting a week earlier than the other six squads on the island.
“It’s a strange position to be in. We got so pumped up for the Kealakehe game and I thought we had a couple good weeks of practice that just fizzled away,” Uemoto said. “But we got back to work, gathered our thoughts and changed our focus to Keaau.”
Making Konawaena just a little more hungry to get back on the field has been the memory of two preseason losses where the Wildcats were outscored 98-9 — albeit one of those games was against perennial Hawaii powerhouse Kahuku.
The Wildcats came away from the contest against the Red Raiders as optimistic as a team could be after a 61-9 loss. However, a 37-0 home loss to Kapaa was off-brand for a Konawaena program that rarely loses at Julian Yates Field and hadn’t been shutout in Kealakekua since 2010.
“In the Kahuku game, we did some good things and it ended up being a confidence booster. It just didn’t translate over to Kapaa. They are a disciplined team that plays solid football early in the season. They were fluid on both sides of the ball and we got exposed,” Uemoto said. “But it also gave us really good film to break down and we are getting better from it, similar to last year. The mindset is to prove to this island that we are Konawaena again, but we have some catching up to do.”
It’s wasn’t all negative. The time off gave the Wildcats some time to heal up from a pair of physical preseason matchups. The most notable name on the injury report was starting freshman quarterback Sheynen Nahale, who left the game against Kapaa with a shoulder injury and was already dealing with an issue with his throwing hand. Uemoto said he’s optimistic Nahale — who tossed 71 passed in just over six quarters of preseason action — would be cleared to play.
“He’s been staying active and has dealt with it well,” Uemoto said.
Keaau has won just five games in four years, but gave Konawaena’s D-II rival Kamehameha a hard time on opening weekend, narrowly losing 21-14. Uemoto has warned his squad to not get complacent in their preparation.
“Keaau looks like they have a lot more things put together,” Uemoto said. “They are a quality opponent and we haven’t won a game yet. We really have to follow our game plan, dot the i’s and cross the t’s”
In the other two games last weekend, Waiakea edged Honokaa 21-19 and Hilo beat HPA 32-0 in a game that was closer than anticipated (Hilo beat HPA 73-6 last season). Could it be a sign of improved parity among Big Island squads? Uemoto hopes so.
“I think that would be a really good for this league. It creates different challenges every week,” Uemoto said. “In the long run, it makes everybody better.”