KEALAKEKUA — Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto was fishing for a second preseason game when he landed a mighty bite.
His phone rang with the opportunity to add a road contest against powerhouse OIA squad Kahuku to the schedule for opening weekend.
Konawaena’s recent accomplishments have been nothing to scoff at. The Wildcats have won six of the last seven BIIF Division II championships and finished runner-up to Lahainaluna in an all-time classic D-II state championship last season.
But Kahuku — a program that is arguably the face of Hawaii prep football — was an entirely different type of task for the BIIF squad to take on.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Nah, that’s not a good idea for us,’” Uemoto said with a laugh. “But then I thought about it and started to weigh the positives and negatives. It turned into almost a no-brainer to take the game.”
The sides have agreed to meet on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 6 p.m on Oahu. It will be the second official meeting between the teams in the past 45 seasons. The last time the programs met was in the quarterfinals of the first state tournament in 1999, with the Red Raiders besting the Wildcats 47-14.
“I met with my staff and by the end we were all on board, so we pulled the trigger,” Uemoto said. “We announced it to the kids and they are excited. It’s going to help with our offseason training. It makes everything just a little more serious knowing what we have ahead of us.”
Kahuku has won the last three OIA crowns and have finished runner-up to ILH power Saint Louis in the Open Division state championship the last two seasons.
The school has won eight state titles since the state championship era began in 1999 and has also gained a reputation for churning out NFL talent.
The Red Raiders haven’t dropped their opener since 2013 against Saint Louis.
But under Uemoto — who took over his alma mater in 2015 — the Wildcats have never shied away from challenging preseason tests, channeling the mantra of Pat Hill’s Fresno State teams of, “Anybody, anytime, anywhere.”
“We go in understanding, like most games, it will be a challenge physically and we will be outsized,” Uemoto said. “We just have to be at our best and work well technically. If our kids can make one good play, we can build on that. If they have a good series, we can learn from it.”
Konawaena is optimistic for the season, but in rebuilding mode after graduating a loaded senior class, including quarterback and three-time BIIF offensive player of the year Austin Ewing.
“We know what we are getting into. Kahuku is stacked and will probably be the preseason No. 1,” Uemoto said. “For us, it’s really just about getting that experience as a team, knowing that we will get better from it and understanding we will probably not see a team of that caliber the rest of our season.”
If there’s a team that can understand the value of the preseason, it’s Konawaena. Pegged by many as the D-II preseason favorite last season, the Wildcats dropped both of their non-league contests to Kapaa and Saint Francis, falling off the radar of most as a serious contender.
Fast forward a few months down the road and Konawaena was rewriting the record books, coming up just short of the school’s first state title.
“Last year, we started 0-2, but it set us up mentally to get to where we got,” Uemoto said. “I’m of the belief to schedule tough opponents and get better from the experiences, rather than focusing on records and rankings.”
Uemoto can see some parallels between Konawaena and Kahuku. Both high school squads have passionate followings and are embraced by their communities — Kahuku on the North Shore of Oahu and Konawaena in Kealakekua.
“I view them as a big brother in a sort of way,” Uemoto said. “It will be great for our fans to go up there and see what they do in that community. It’s special.”
Konawaena will also host KIF opponent Kapaa Aug. 11 before opening the BIIF season against cross-town rival Kealakehe.
