HILO – It would be an exaggeration to say Hawaii Prep boys soccer coach Rich Braithwaite called his shot, but he did prove prophetic.
“The boys were laughing about this,” Braithwaite said of his halftime message during a scoreless match Saturday at Waiakea.
“I told them we’re going to keep the ball, knock it around, knock it around,” Braithwaite said. “The second half will open up, we’ll bury four, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Ka Makani beat the Warriors 4-1 in a BIIF boys soccer match, clinching an automatic berth to the HHSAA tournament as the outright regular season champion in Division II.
The match did indeed open up early in the second half when Austin Schneider slipped a pass to his brother Jake, who was taken down in the penalty box, leading to a Warriors red card and an ejection.
Austin Schneider buried the penalty kick, and from there Ka Makani (10-1-1) took over. Austin Schneider assisted on fullback Noah Wise’s goal, Ilan Naibryf added another and Schneider converted on a second PK after Zen Simone was dragged down in the box.
“We’re finally figuring out our midfield play and our backs are playing really well,” Braithwaite said. “We’re very close to being there.”
HPA has been on point all season, save for a few breakdowns in a 2-1 loss at Kamehameha and a bad finish at Kealakehe in which Braithwaite left kicking himself even after Ka Makani earned a draw against the BIIF’s superpower.
He still thinks Ka Makani can play better, pointing to the fact that senior Justin Perry hasn’t found his scoring touch coming off a junior season in which he scored 23 times.
“I think he has one goal in a real game,” Braithwaite said. “He had two chances today and he missed by this much. At forward they either go in or they don’t.
“This is talent-wise by far my best team. The last 20 minutes I didn’t have a starter in and we played well. I have 25 guys I’m happy playing with.”
HPA host a BIIF semifinal on Feb. 11.
Michael Scott’s goal was the first in three matches for Waiakea (6-5-0), who’s objective during the final week of the regular season is to avoid the No. 4 seed in the Division I playoffs.
Honokaa 2, Hilo 0
Kekeaweiwi Pilayo broke a scoreless second half tie at Hilo Bayfront and Kyle Ohta tacked on a penalty kick for the Dragons, who pulled off a big win to boost their chances of earning a bye in the Division II playoffs.
A strong defensive effort in front of goalkeeper Isaac Aguilar spurred Honokaa (9-3-0), which can secure the No. 2 seed with a win Friday at Keaau or another loss by Kamehameha.
“We changed our defensive lineup and went to a flat four back,” coach Maurice Miranda said. “We’re are trying to look more like how we will in the playoffs.”
The veteran coach joked that enlightenment came in the form of a 7-0 loss at Kealakehe on Wednesday.
“We were exposed,” Miranda said “What a great coach I am. It took two spankings to get us turned around.”
The Vikings (9-3-0) are locked into the No. 2 seed and a home match in the BIIF Division I semifinals on Feb. 10.
Kealakehe 9, Pahoa 0
Iokepa Perez-Juarez-Aponte tallied four goals at Waverider Stadium as Kealakehe secured an automatic berth to states as the outright regular season champion in Division I.
Tate Whitney found the back of the net twice and James Caudell, Laukoa Santos and Yuki Lavoie added goals in the 41-plus minute TKO for the Waveriders (10-0-2).
Kealakehe will look to wrap up its fourth consecutive unbeaten BIIF regular season on Tuesday at Makua Lani, and then it will host either Waiakea or Konawaena on Feb. 1o in the semifinals.
Greyson Moore and Hunter Steerhuis each had a hand in the shutout against the Daggers (0-10-1).
Makua Lani 4, Christian Liberty 0
Loa Ng, Taykor Warnecke, Taylor Mabuni and Reyn Newton scored for the visiting Lions (5-4-2), who enter the final week of the regular season still in contention for a home first-round playoff match in Division II.
Jonah Marks garnered the shutout of the Canefire (2-9-1).
Kamehameha 6, Kohala 1
Rylan Respicio accounted for two goals in Kapaau, and Tyler Waltjen and James Shaw also scored to lift the Warriors (7-2-2), who more than likely will start their BIIF Division II title defense from the No. 3 seed.
The Cowboys (1-11-1) allowed an own goal and were eliminated from playoff contention.
Girls
Hawaii Prep 2, Waiakea 0
Kaui Taylor and Teah Van Bergen scored goals for a Ka Makani team that heads into the playoffs with a full ahead of steam.
On Wednesday, HPA (7-1-1) clinched a state berth with a win against Konawaena, and coach Steve Perry appreciated Ka Makani’s fortitude three days later in a match of contenders that had no bearing on either teams’ postseason positioning.
“I was very happy how the girls played throughout after such a hard-fought game with Kona,” Perry said. “Nice to see the girls with another consistent effort, especially on the road. Waiakea has a number of weapons up top with speed, and I thought we handled that throughout.”
Taimane Kamaka was credited with the shutout for Ka Makani, which will host Honokaa at 3 p.m. Thursday in the BIIF semifinals.
The Warriors (6-2-1) carry a two-game losing streak into their Division I semifinal at 3 p.m. Wednesday at home against Konawaena.
Kealakehe 11, Pahoa 0
Helen Remke and Brittney Prados each scored twice as the host Waveriders locked down the final playoff spot in Division I.
Up 4-0 after 12-plus minutes, Alysha Prados, Arianna Kaneshiro, Breanna Arakawa, Yessica Avendano, Tiara Conn, Noelani Gonzalez and Casey Sanford tacked on goals for the Waveriders (2-7-0), who face Hilo at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Hilo Bayfront in the semifinals.
Hilo 2, Honokaa 0
Jordyn Pacheco took a cross from Alyeemomi Amaral and scored from 5 yards out in the 49th minute at Hilo Bayfront, and Pacheco added an insurance goal in the 75th minute as the Vikings finished the regular season 9-0-0.
Saydee Bacdad collected the shutout against the Dragons (2-6-1).