The theme around Kamehameha-Hawaii’s practice has been simple lately — grind. And that grind was real on Friday night against Konawaena, as the Warriors pulled out a 24-0 win over the previously undefeated Wildcats, feasting on five turnovers in soggy conditions.
“This is just a step in the right direction for us,” Kamehameha head coach Dan Lyons said. “We knew we were facing a team we will have to beat to get to where we want to go.”
The first part of the season has been a roller coaster ride for the Warriors (6-2 overall, 3-2 BIIF DII). Three wins in the preseason and victories against Division I foes Keaau and Waiakea were highlights. But the Warriors let a 20 points lead slip away against Kealakehe, and Lyons admitted his team “stunk up the place” with seven turnovers in a 41-6 loss against Hilo.
“We started the season pretty good, but lost our focus. We have been trying to get that back,” Lyons said. “When we put it all together and don’t turn the ball over, we can be a very good team. A team that can grind out wins.”
Kaeo Batacan is the epitome of the grind mantra for Kamehameha. The senior running back carried the ball a whopping 38 times for 101 yards against Konawaena. It was his largest workload of the season, but Batacan has gone over 20 carries three other times this season.
One of Batacan’s greatest attributes is having a short memory on the field. His long carry was only for nine yards, but regardless of down or distance, he ran hard.
“You play the next play. That’s what our coaches teach us,” Batacan said. “It’s a team effort every time. My offensive line makes a bunch of great holes for me, and in the secondary my receivers are blocking. We just had to grind it out.”
On defense, Kamehameha-Hawaii held a Konawaena team that was averaging almost 40 points per game off the scoreboard entirely. The unit also forced five turnovers (four interceptions, one fumble), which the offense scored all its points off of.
“The defense was amazing,” Lyons said. “I think they showed the kind of unit they can be.”
Two-way lineman Russel “Kelii” Montibon led the charge in the trenches for the defending DII champion Warriors — making holes for Batacan and closing them on the Konawaena running backs.
Montibon, Batacan and a few others were key players on the squad that beat Nanakuli in the HHSAA playoffs last year, giving the BIIF only its third win at the state level. That familiarity of what it takes to win a championship might be the most underrated asset of this Warrior squad.
“This win was very important for us,” Montibon said. “The pieces are finally coming together in this puzzle. Everyone is continuing to work hard to take another step toward a championship.”
Batacan echoed what his fellow senior leader had to say.
“We are a team that believes. That’s what we preach,” Batacan said.
Lyons was mum on what kind of message the shutout victory might send in the overall scheme of things, but he knows one thing for certain.
“I wouldn’t want to play us,” the veteran head coach said with a smile.
Meanwhile, Konawaena (6-1 overall, 4-1 BIIF DII) made no excuses after the lopsided loss.
“We had a few guys get banged up after last week, but that’s football. I thought the guys who went in played hard and gave it their all. That’s all we can ask,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “No excuses.”
Despite an undefeated record, the week of preparation was not all rainbows and butterflies in Wildcat Country. Uemoto unexpectedly cancelled practice on Monday because of some complacency among his players.
Seemingly bogged down by the heavy rains, the Wildcats looked a stride behind on almost all of the plays. Passes were just out of reach, routine plays were not made and Kamehameha capitalized on every defense lapse. Almost a half-dozen trips into scoring territory without points didn’t help the Wildcats’ cause either.
Konawaena quarterback Tristan Fleming-Nazara finished 12-of-27 for 111 yards and four interceptions. Fleming-Nazara was playing in relief of regular starter Austin Ewing, who was held out with a concussion. Running back Algene Kelekolio carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards.
Konawaena defensive lineman Austin Santos-Johnson had a big performance in a losing effort, racking up 14 tackles, five for a loss.
“A lot of our captains said after this game that we have to remember how the week started and that we can’t let that happen again,” Uemoto said.
The Wildcats are still in the driver’s seat of Division II in the BIIF after the loss. Konawaena can lock up home field in the playoffs by winning its final two games against Hawaii Prep and Honokaa — teams that have combined for four wins this season.
“It’s a two-game season,” Uemoto said. “At the end of the day, we are trying to win a championship — regardless of how we get there.”
