KEAAU – Kamehameha’s Kilohana Haasenritter learned early on in football that jumping over would-be tacklers wasn’t going to get him where he wanted to go.
He had the hops, agility and athleticism to pull it off, but alas, he had to stay grounded like the rest of us.
“I got penalties when I jumped,” Haasenritter said. “I had to stop.”
But only for a nanosecond.
When Haasenritter stops, it’s usually on a dime so he can go again, turn a corner or reverse direction – all the while maintaining balance – in electrifying fashion.
His highlight-reel masterpiece in 2018 came against Kealakehe on the Paiea Stadium turf, and after slipping one too many defenders, he remembers frustration growing on the opposing sideline.
“I would hear guys yelling at the coaches, ‘Why can’t we tackle this guy?”’ Haasenritter said.
Take heart, tacklers, it’s not easy.
The Warriors’ junior jitterbug is the BIIF Division II offensive player of the year honor, as selected by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, West Hawaii Today and the league’s coaches.
Lining up in the slot or the in backfield, Haasenritter ignited Kamehameha’s offense with nine touchdowns and amassed more than 900 yards in rushing and receiving, and he also threw for a score, becoming the first player not named Austin Ewing to earn the designation since Kamehameha quarterback Micah Kanehailua in 2014.
“I just want to thank God, all my family members and my teammates for making it happen for me,” said Haasenritter, the only child of Charles and Kahea Haasenritter.
Mana Silva, his uncle, is a Warriors alum who played for Hawaii and in the NFL and is now a Kamehameha assistant.
“I was influenced by my parents and my uncle,” Haasenritter said. “I wanted to follow what he did.
“He said always work hard and have fun, that’s the main thing.”
Here’s a fun tidbit: The league’s most dynamic offensive weapon made his biggest impact in a game this season on the defensive side of the ball. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a regular season victory on the road against Konawaena.
Like most Warriors, Haasenritter started on both sides of the ball. He savored his opportunity to see how the other half lives at defensive back.
“It’s kind of fun seeing the other role,” he said. “As a runner, you’re trying to juke out people, then the other point of view, you’re trying to track people down.”
Haasenritter was one of Kamehameha’s 11 all-BIIF selections, seven on offense, and for guiding the Warriors to their first league crown since 2014, Dan Lyons was selected coach of the year, and a somewhat reluctant one at that.
“We had the best coaching staff in the league,” Lyons said, “but I don’t know that I was the best coach.”
If Lyons had his way, he’d gladly turn in his accolade and have it recast in form of an MVP honor for senior quarterback Kaimi Like, who returned from a back injury to spark the passing attack during the last seven games.
Haasenritter said he wouldn’t have minded sharing player of the year, adding, “It wouldn’t have really mattered because it was the whole team.”
But it was Haasenritter who played in all nine games for the Warriors (6-3), accounting for a touchdown in eight, and keeping the offense above water until Like came back.
For all of his fancy footwork, what Lyons most appreciates about Haasenritter is this: The moves clearly don’t define the man.
“It’s very refreshing, even when he makes a good play, he’s not going to point to the stands,” Lyons said. “He’s going to go back to the huddle to make another play. He doesn’t care if he ever gets the ball.”
What Haasenritter can do with the ball in his hands can’t be taught, Lyons said, and much of what Haasenritter has been taught has come from his mother. He credits his easy-going manner to the fact that he was home-schooled, though he always had his eye on coming to Kamehameha for high school, “which has really helped me develop as a player and a citizen,” he said.
Haasenritter and the Warriors are set to embark on the BIIF basketball season, and he also plans to participate in track and field again in the spring.
Tacklers beware, he wants to go out with a bang on the football field next season with hopes of playing in college.
“I feel like I’m going to play a bigger role as a leader,” he said. “That’s my senior year, and I have to leave an impact on everyone. A higher excel.”
But no jumping.