HILO – Kamehameha’s firepower, balance and athleticism were on full display against Hilo on Saturday night, providing a glimpse that the best may yet to come.
The Warriors took apart the Vikings 25-16, 25-16, 25-14 to win their second straight BIIF Division I championship at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, earning a first-round bye to the HHSAA state tournament.
The Warriors (15-0) will be the No. 2 seed and in the bracket opposite No. 1 and three-time defending state champion Punahou, which beat them for the title last year. Kamehameha will host a regional Friday and Saturday at Koaia Gym and play either Lahainaluna or Kalaheo at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
On Friday in Keaau, Hilo (12-3) will play Kahuku at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to face No. 4 King Kekaulike at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Lahainaluna and Kalaheo play at 5 p.m. Friday.
A year ago, the Warriors were the No. 3 seed and had a rough run to the championship. They defeated ILH runner-up Kamehameha-Kapalama in four sets, and No. 3 Moanalua in five.
Then old rival Buffanblu, with the one-two punch of Micah Maa and Larry Tuileta (who each had double-doubles with kills and digs), defeated Kamehameha in four sets.
“Usually we play Kamehameha-Kapalama and Moanalua at states,” Kamehameha senior Emmett Enriques said. “This year, we’ll play the winner. It’s an easier road to the final.”
Tuileta is gone to USC and Evan Enriques, who ripped a match-high 27 kills, is at Stanford. However, his brother Emmett Enriques, who signed with Cal Baptist in the same Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference, has filled in as an adequate replacement.
Except for Evan Enriques, the Warriors are pretty much the same team, and maybe more athletic with the emergence and growth of others, like junior outside hitters Isaiah Laeha and Kainalu Whitney.
They helped Kamehameha pile up far more kills than Hilo, 45-21, one big reason the BIIF championship quickly turned lopsided.
Enriques smashed 19 kills, Laeha added 10 and Whitney had eight kills, taking swings from the left and right posts when the Warriors effectively moved the ball around.
Senior middle blocker Paki Iaea drilled two kills to offer even more balance. Junior outside hitter Pukana Vincent, the basketball standout, jumped high and clobbered three kills, entertaining the crowd with more athleticism.
Hilo senior outside hitter Bradley Comilla had 11 kills. He’s another one who has major hops and hits hard, but the Warriors feature a half-dozen guys with the same skill-set.
Justice Lord nailed seven kills, Sione Atuekaho two and Maikah Tandal one kill for the Vikings, who outblocked the Warriors, 8-4.
However, Hilo had more unforced errors, 25-21. Kamehameha would have had far less if not for six service errors in the first set, and committed only two more over the next two games.
The Warriors got a stiff serve-receive test from Tandal, one of the league’s hardest-hitting servers. He wallops the ball and puts big-time top-spin on his sinkers, and got one of Hilo’s three aces.
Libero Kekaulike Alameda, Enriques and the rest of back-row passers handled most of Tandal’s bullets, and produced points, stopping potential Viking runs with their best server at the backline.
The Warriors didn’t need to rack up a lot of blocks. That’s because they dug so many balls. From there, they unleashed their firepower, making it a quick night for a second consecutive BIIF title.
During the reign of the Enriques brothers, Kamehameha has finished runner-up twice to Punahou, in 2012 when Evan was a sophomore and Emmett a freshman, and last season.
Emmett will be gone after this season, along with senior starters Iaea, Alameda, and middle Hanale Lee Loy, but others from the roster of 20 will step in to fill their shoes.
The last of the Enriques brothers are twins Addie and Avery. They’re just sophomores.