There is a feeling of a fresh start around the Hawaii Preparatory Academy football program.
Koa Ellis, a three-year starter at quarterback, has moved on to play college football at Linfield College in Oregon, and All-BIIF pass-catcher Nicky Palleschi is now at UCLA.
A group of seniors — headlined by Justin Perry, Alex Brost, Kanai Gaughen and Anthony Palleschi — will fill the void left behind. They will be part of a core group of players with diverse skill sets that will be asked to wear many hats for Ka Makani — playing on both sides of the ball and at a variety of positions.
“It is an exciting time,” Hawaii Prep head coach Jordan Hayslip said. “I really like our senior class. We have a bunch of guys who are great leaders and have been big contributors for us.”
Ka Makani were bounced in the BIIF semifinals last season by Konawaena, but have consistently churned out competitive teams that steadily improve as the season goes along. A lot of that improvement has to do with conditioning and hitting midseason form, as many of the squad’s top players have a history of contributing in all facets of the game.
“It’s inevitable we will have some guys going both ways,” Hayslip said. “Division II is going to be really competitive. All four teams are solid. It’s a fun division to play in because we are all so evenly matched a lot of the time. But we expect to be in the mix.”
Quarterback
The most important question for Hawaii Prep — who is taking over for Ellis?
‘That’s a good question,” Hayslip said with a laugh. “We have a few guys battling for that spot, and we may end up using a combination.”
Perry, Brost and Gaughen are all in the running to land the QB job. Freshman Sheldon Aribal or sophomore Kekoa LeBlanc could also take snaps, freeing up Perry, Brost and Gaughen to be contributors at other positions.
“It’s been a fun battle,” Hayslip said.
Whoever wins the job has to have the ability to run. Hawaii Prep used a triple option offense in its only official preseason action against Damien, and all Ka Makani’s yards came on the ground. The only ball that was caught on a pass attempt was by the other team.
The option offense requires a quarterback who can make quick reads. Perry is probably the quickest and most experienced out of the bunch. However, he sat out the preseason contest against Damien with an injury.
“We are mixing it up. We want to try a little bit of everything and see what works for us,” Hayslip said. “We are searching for our identity and it may take a little time to find that out.”
Running back/wide receiver
The theme of having a core group of guys who do a lot of things well continues at the other skill positions. When not under center, Perry, Brost, and Gaughen are all assets running and catching the ball.
Two additional players who are in the mix are juniors Noah Wise and Kevin Durkin. Both have similar frames — Durkin at 5-9, 160 and Wise at 5-9, 150. Their size makes it easy for them to get lost behind the line in the shuffle of the option and pop out on the other side on a misdirection play for a big gain.
Hawaii Prep also has a big backfield weapon in Palleschi.
Palleschi has made a name for himself on defense, but will also get some touches at running back. Against Damien, the 6-2, 210-pound senior rumbled for 46 yards right down the center of the defense for a score. It would be the longest and only scoring play for Ka Makani of the preseason.
Offensive line
Hawaii Prep returns three starters on the O-line in Kilinahe Grace, Adam Kennon and Justin Smrke.
“Having those three guys coming back is big for us,” Hayslip said.
Defense
Palleschi will migrate from defensive tackle to middle linebacker, but will still be a major threat rushing the passer. The senior racked up 3.5 sacks against Damien.
“Having Anthony up there in the front seven will help us out a lot,” Hayslip said. “He will be the anchor.”
Gaughen will spend most of his time at defensive end with his hand down, rushing the passer, but can also move to outside linebacker. Smrke, Kennon, Bradley White and Kenny Dupuis bring some experience to the trenches for Ka Makani.
“We have a lot of guys who got into the rotation last year that will help us out,” said Hayslip.
Ka Makani return Brost at linebacker as well, who garnered a first team All-BIIF selection last season.
Durkin and Wise will patrol the secondary.
Special teams
Brost also made first team at kicker last year. He gave Ka Makani a big weapon on special teams. For the season, he connected on six of seven field goal attempts, including a 4-4 performance against Kamehameha — the longest coming from 42 yards.
The speedy duo of Perry and Durkin will handle the bulk of the return duties.