His back to the goal but his mind already preparing for the next move, Leha Harman learned his surroundings, took the ball, turned down the field and fired.
His goal-scoring game in bunches, and so, too, did a swarm of defenders.
It wasn’t long, Hilo High boys soccer coach George Ichimaru said, before Harman was telling him, “Coach, there are like two to three players on me at all times.”
The fleet-footed junior striker adjusted and thrived as the center of attention, scoring 24 goals during a banner season for the Vikings, who won their first BIIF Division I title in 11 years and reached the HHSAA title game for the time since 2001.
It is possible, however, to catch Harman off guard.
“I’m a little blown away right now,” he said Monday upon learning he was the coaches’ choice as BIIF player of the year. “To tell you the truth, I still cannot believe it.”
His awareness of his surroundings is apparent. Harman would much rather talk about others than himself.
Who didn’t he thank?
• His teammates, six of whom also made all-BIIF: Michael DeCoito, Kasen Mehau, Kani Tolentino-Perry, Sequoia Cortes-Medeiros, Ko‘ae Pe‘a and Tysen Kaniaupio;
• Ichimaru, the league’s coach of the year, and assistants Mathew Komata and Kalei Tolentino-Perry; and Tolentino-Perry’s father, the late Buddy Perry;
• His family and friends;
• Hilo High and the Keaau charter school he attends, Ke Kula O Nawahiokalaniopuu;
• The fans.
“I accept this award on behalf (of them) and the whole community of Hilo,” he said.
It takes a village to make a man, and Harman adapted on a soccer field against what seemed like a small village of bodies determined to stop him.
What makes him so effective, Ichimaru said, is his “ability to play with his back the goal, to receive and really hold the ball.”
“You allow time for your team to move up the field, set the ball back and really exploit the space behind,” the coach said. “Quick on the turn, quick on sharp change of directions. That’s how he separated himself to create goal-scoring opportunities.”
As the season wore on, teams attempted to squeeze down on that space by pressuring and getting physical with Harman, who was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds during the football season.
There were challenges he had to overcome.
“It was pretty frustrating, because after a while I started to get double-teamed, but that opened space for my teammates to play and get the ball more,” Harman said. “It drew attention toward me and freed up key players to do what they do.”
Completing a full schoolyear worth of athletics, he’s a libero on the Vikings volleyball team, which is gearing for the playoffs. Soccer has been his focus since he started as a 4-year-old with AYSO, transitioning to Na Hoa O Puna a few years later.
Also honored as all-BIIF were Kealakehe striker Mathew Enriquez, who dazzled during a senior season in which he scored 24 goals in leading his team to BIIF runner-up, and five players from Waiakea: Tevin Atwal, Tobias Johnson Kamalei Chandler, Kaden Aguilar and Raiven Chinen.
The Warriors beat Hilo early in the season, but the Vikings reeled off 12 wins in a row, including a victory against Kaiser in the state semifinal in which Harman scored his team’s only goal in regulation and converted his try as the Vikings advances in penalty kicks. Seeking the school’s first state title, the final against Maui’s King Kekaulike got away from the Vikings, physically and emotionally, in a 3-1 loss.
“It wasn’t the way we wanted to finish. We really wanted to win states,” Harman said, “but it was great to have the opportunity to play the best of the best. I was just happy two outer island teams made it the final. Usually Oahu teams make it, but you can see the caliber of teams growing on the outer islands.”
As usual, Harman is aware of his surroundings.
“I really want to win the state championship,” he said. “I think we will push forward and be better next season.”
All-BIIF soccer, D-I boys
Player of the Year: Leha Harman, Hilo
Coach of the Year: George Ichimaru, Hilo
First team
Tevin Atwal Waiakea 11 Forward
Leha Harman Hilo 11 Forward
Mathew Enriquez Kealakehe 12 Forward
Tobias Johnson Waiakea 11 Midfield
Mikey DeCoito Hilo 11 Midfield
Kasen Mehau Hilo 12 Midfield
Kani Tolentino-Perry Hilo 10 Midfield
Sequoia Cortes-Medeiros Hilo 10 Midfield
Kamalei Chandler Waiakea 12 Defender
Kaden Aguilar Waiakea 10 Defender
Raiven Chinen Waiakea 12 Defender
Ko’ae Pe’a Hilo 12 Defender
Tysen Kaniaupio Hilo 12 Goalkeeper
Honorable Mention
Hilo: Issac Knell, senior, midfield; Noa Quintana, junior, defender; Kyler Rivera, senior, defender; Kaleinohea Rosehill, junior, defender
Keaau: Elijah Carvalho , senior, goalkeeper; Dylan Vaughn , freshman, defender
Kealakehe: Micah Carson, senior, forward; Duke Becker, senior, goalkeeper; TJ Arakawa, senior, defender; Marcos Garcia-Creus, senior, defender; Kaisei Kelly, senior, midfield
Waiakea: Aziah Nelson, sophomore, midfield; Daniel Castro-Mediavilla, junior, midfield; Rogelito Doratt, freshman, midfield; Ayden Araki, sophomore, midfield; Sylis Conley-Ruth, junior, fullback; Kainalu Mattos , senior, goalkeeper
