From start to finish, you couldn’t have asked for anything more than was delivered this season by the Panaewa Alii 12-and-under Pop Warner football team that just returned this week from the WESCON Regional championship, which includes teams from Arizona, Hawaii, Southern California and Southern Nevada.
Before the season began, the team rallied around the concept offered by coach Maui Ramos, simple in its meaning, profound in the challenge — “Nobody can be perfect, but we can give perfect effort.”
That says a lot in a few words about dedication and daily purpose.
This was a team that went 10-0 in the regular season, 11-0 overall, and in sports, we call that perfection.
After they won the WESCON, they wrapped the season up with another simple thought — “Forever a champion.”
Both were true. Players on the team can one day tell their grandkids they were football champions way back in 2019.
Panaewa Alii came from behind in the fourth quarter to topple the Santa Margarita Eagles 31-24 a the championship game in which they faced a 24-12 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
“It was a game for the ages, really,” Ramos said. “They were so much bigger than us, but we thought we had a shot at them and it all came together in the fourth quarter.”
The Californians opened the game with a 14-play drive that consisted of 11 running plays, most of them between the tackles and Ramos took a deep breath. “I knew had an explosive offense so I thought we had a chance, but we had to make some adjustments on defense,” he said.
The explosion began on their first possession, a three-play drive that brought them even but they opened the last quarter down by two possessions. In short, they scored to make it 24-18, then they recovered an onside kick and put together another drive to tie the game and a 50-yard screen pass inside the last minute and the ensuing extra point gave them the 31-24 lead, but it turned out to be anything but safe.
“It was scary,” Ramos said, “like, really spooky, but we survived.”
Panaewa sustained two 15-yard penalties — one for throwing the ball in the air after the TD and another for a personal foul — after gaining the lead, meaning it kicked off from its own 10-yard line, and with 30 seconds to go, the Eagles started a drive from the Panaewa 30.
Three passes aimed at the goal line fell incomplete and time ran out before Santa Margarita could run a fourth down play.
It was one of those team efforts every coach needs, but it was made possible in large part by the efforts of seven players who played both ways throughout the game. Ramos mentioned the contributions of a few players:
Dwight “Bradda” Enriquez, the wide receiver and defensive end, scored each of the last two touchdowns; Josiah Williams, a slot receiver and defensive end, scored the first touchdown on a 50-yard play in which he broke two tackles in the open field; Atapana Keaweenu, (RB and LB), ran for 60 yards to score the second TD on a screen pass; Kealohi Ramos, slot receiver and safety, had several key catches to go with a TD; Kauahe Silva, the quarterback, threw all five touchdown passes; Demarioa Ollaway, anchored the 3-4 defense at nose tackle and stabilized the offensive line at left tackle; Kaimana Victor, played left guard and middle linebacker and Hayden Trimble, played receiver and outside linebacker throughout the game.
At the end, both youth squads came together, Panaewa was graciously given gift bags and dinner after the game.
“They were great people,” Ramos said of the Santa Margarita team, “we’re going to try to get them to come over here next year because we felt we both played with integrity, they are the kind of team we are — play hard, be classy. It’s the way all sports should be, but especially at this level.”
Stepping On The Stage
Everyone understands the significance of individual competitors who rise to the upper reaches of their athletic disciplines and find a way to be champions in state-wide, regional, national or international competitions.
It goes without comment that those people likely spent years of intense work, sacrificed much of what we consider “normal life” to achieve the attention that comes along with being the best.
But there’s something to be said for those dipping their toes in athletic achievement for the first time, putting their recently learned skills to the test for the first time, because without that, there are no champions. Nobody works out alone in their basement for a while and decides they will enter big time competitions against the best.
You have to start somewhere, and that tends to get overlooked when there are so many high level competitions that warrant attention, but it’s worth mention that a routine tournament on Dec. 1 held at the Salt Lake District Park Gym on Oahu became a potential springboard for achievement to a number of Hilo-based competitors of the Shudokan Judo Club.
“This tournament wasn’t in any way a qualifying tournament for regionals, or anything like that,” said coach Mike Hayashi of the club, “but it is all about exposure and gaining experience, and those are two things you can’t do without if you want to excel. I’m really proud of our kids.”
That would include all his youthful contestants, especially the 12 that placed in the event, and somewhere, there is probably a special pleasure in seeing the efforts of 8 year-old Demian Iida and the Sakai sisters, Ihilani and Irie, who took home first-place recognition in their first off-island competitions.
“Generally speaking, Oahu, with all the population there, has more aggressive competition, so that, in itself, was a good experience for all these kids, seeing what’s out there and how they measure up.
“Iida took first by getting past the defending champion, and, not to single her out, but she has a future in this if she continues because of her determination and work ethic.”
It’s one thing to want to be the best at a given discipline, but it’s something else entirely when the question becomes how much you’re willing to work for that goal.
Hayashi sent 13 to the tournament, after just four a year ago, so he hopes attract new members as well as it encourages those who attended.
“We’re always looking for more,” he said, “and we hope more will be inquiring about what we do, it seems to be growing, and we have plenty of room for more growth.”
Shudokan competitors included:
First place — Demian Iida, Lia Kobayakawa, Shaniah Ferreira, Ihilani Sakai, Irie Sakai. Second place — Braeden Ah Chong, Katie Matsuo, Tyhler Iida, Caden Pasa. Third place — Avery Aurelio, Rynan Rodriguez.
Heavy Lifters
It’s all in the family for Branden Ha and his uncle Kenneth Ha, two Hilo power lifters who work out at Penn Fitness and share more than a family.
Kenneth, 69, a retired fisherman, isn’t backing away from his power lifting efforts after he established a world record in the World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters in Las Vegas, and was then designated the Most Outstanding Lifter overall in all weight classes with a lift of 292 pounds in the 165-pound (and under) weight class.
That put Kenneth in the same category as Branden, who set a world record last year in the 40-45 year age group with a lift of 435 pounds.
“It’s pretty cool, it’s all ohana, I guess,” Branden said, “my uncle and I each have those records.”
For the time being, Branden is sidelined with a triceps tendon injury after he was shot with a pellet gun a couple months ago while on the job as a security guard at Hilo Walmart.
“It’s been 10 weeks in physical therapy already,” he said, “and I may have to go to orthopedic surgery, but I have to wait and see on that.”
Currently, he’s serving as an unofficial trainer for his uncle, while giving him some advice.
“As soon as I’m able I’ll get back into training,” he said, “but now, I’m telling my uncle he better pump it up, he better raise that standard because I’ll keep competing and I tell him one day, when I’m in his age group, I’m going to break all his records.”
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