First-year Kohala High boys soccer coach Daniel Perez is starting small while simultaneously thinking big.
Perez deals with the same issues most coaches at the school deal with – a shallower talent pool and fewer club players – but soccer faces another layer of difficulty in that its season bumps up against that of basketball, the sport of choice in the area.
Perez understandably keeps one eye on future and is tapping the youth levels to promote soccer interest.
However, both his eyes are fully fixated on the present. He thinks the Cowboys (3-3) not only can continue to hold their own but also crack the code in BIIF Division II and make a run at the state tournament.
“I feel like we actually have the players in place, as long as we don’t get injured, as long as we stay healthy and everyone keeps their grades, I think we can come up with a good 11 that can compete for states,” he said.
“We obviously don’t have as many skilled players,” Perez said. “We don’t have a deep bench, so I’m trying to preserve players until the playoffs, and just throw it out there and see what we have.”
Kohala made two trips to East Hawaii last week, a triumphant visit to Keaau, a 4-0 win, followed by an educational and experimental call against Hilo, a 9-0 loss.
The Vikings were going to have their way no matter not, but in a way Perez was pulling the strings.
“We played more defensive in the first half,” Perez said, “teaching some defensive tactics to see what might work against a super power like this.”
The Vikings led 4-0 at halftime when Perez decided to open things up, a risk-reward strategy that Hilo took advantage of, finishing off the Cowboys before the final 40 minutes were up.
“We knew what we were up against,” Perez said.
He also likes what he has on a roster of 15 that includes and handful of club players.
Junior Shiloh Perez played fullback against Hilo but will return to a “hub” role once junior Justus Ventura returns from injury.
“Center of the pitch, double duty,” the coach said of Shiloh Perez’s role. “Attacking and defense.”
Perez didn’t back down against Hilo, but in some cases his coach admitted his emotions got the best of him on fouls against Hilo’s Riley Patterson. After hitting the post on a penalty kick, Patterson buried a free kick from just beyond the penalty box. Kamani Provencal provides a big body at goalkeeper, but he didn’t have a chance to save Patterson’s blast.
“You have to find a balance,” Daniel Perez said. “You have to be aggressive, but you can’t be unintelligent.”
The highlight of the season so far was a 1-0 victory at Konawaena in which Perez and sophomore Julian Parks worked to set up senior Alika Viernes for a goal.
“I don’t know when was the last time we beat Konawaena,” said Perez, who is a licensed Hawaii Youth Soccer Association coach.
If the Cowboys can do it again at home Jan. 8, it would go along way to clinching a berth in the D-II semifinals. The Wildcats (2-5) are in fourth place, three points behind Kohala. Honokaa (1-6), who Kohala hasn’t played yet is in fifth. The Cowboys also haven’t played Kamehameha (5-3), and Perez came away encouraged by their first of two games against first-place Makua Lani (7-1), a 4-1 loss.
“We held Makua Lani to one goal in the first half and we actually had some attacking opportunities,” he said. “We just have to clean up our tactics.”
Parks, who used to play club, netted all four goals in the win at Keaau, and while senior Christian Cedillos, sophomore, Jaime Cedillos and freshman Iris Cedillos also gain seasoning with the Kona Crush.
Iris Cedillos is the only girls player on this year’s team, and she’s earned playing time.
“Not physical yet, but she’s smart,” Perez said.
Before getting to high school, Viernes played futsal – comparable to indoor soccer with no walls – which is a sport Perez turns to in order to enhance the future of the program.
“You have to start small, and start with the kids,” he said. “I do a lot of futsal, so the kids get to play touching the ball on a smaller court, especially the ones that want to keep doing it.”
Perez is connected to Culture FC in Kona, which has full-time futsal courts. The goal is get youngsters interested in futsal, where they can stay engaged in the fast-paced game and build foot skills that can be put to use in soccer later.
“Kids love it because they are always involved,” Perez said. “No one is standing around out of the play.”
For his part, Perez is not standing around just waiting for the future to take shape.
“Our goal is to see of we can beat one of Makua Lani or Kamehameha and make it to states,” he said.