KEALAKEKUA — It’s been a long wait, but finally, the moment has arrived for Konawaena.
After three weeks without game action, the Wildcats (8-1) welcome MIL champion Lahainaluna (7-4) to the jungle of Kealakekua tonight at 7 p.m. for the HHSAA Division II semifinals.
“I’m pumped,” Konawaena defensive lineman Kanoa Gladden said. “I didn’t like waiting. I wish it could have come faster.”
Gladden shares the opinion of many of his Wildcat teammates, who were eager to get back on the gridiron after edging Kamehameha-Hawaii in the BIIF DII championship 27-23 back on Oct.22.
“Sometimes I started drifting off in class, just thinking about this game,” Konawaena linebacker Seau Amor admitted.
While his players were anxious to get back on the field, Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto couldn’t complain about the extended time off.
“We have never had this kind of break in a season, so it was really uncharted territory for us. But we took a nice mental break from football,” Uemoto said. “This week, we came back and have done plenty of hitting. The guys have really been getting after each other.”
That bodes well, as the Wildcats should expect one of — if not the most — physical games of the season against the Lunas.
Last week, Lahainaluna ran at will against OIA runner-up Waipahu in a first round matchup, coming away with a 52-14 victory. Konawaena — the No. 2 seed in the state tournament — took notice.
“They executed very well and looked pretty much unstoppable that night. Whatever they lined up in offensively worked. Guys found creases and they made plays all game,” Uemoto said. “They are about misdirecting things and trying to outnumber you at the point of attack. It is so different than what we have seen in the BIIF. They can give you a lot of different looks.”
Gladden and his fellow defensive lineman have the task of playing sound, assignment football to clog up the running lanes against the Lunas’ modified Wing-T attack. He gave a shout out to his peers in the trenches, who have been hard at work installing the scheme that the squad hopes will stuff the Lunas.
“From what we have seen on the film, they are really disciplined,” Gladden said. “For us, it will be about teamwork. Just staying in your gap not trying to be the star every play.”
The 52 points in the first round were a season high for the Lunas, who have a reputation of keeping things grounded, averaging a shade over 26 points per game this year. That’s quite the contrast from the high-flying Wildcats, who routinely racked up big leads against BIIF opponents and had the starters sitting by the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Austin Ewing has been the catalyst for the offense, tossing 31 touchdowns this season and rushing for four more. His favorite target has been senior Kamakana Ching, who has found the end zone 12 times this season.
“For wide outs and slots, it’s so much fun to play in this offense. Especially having that tempo and Austin Ewing throwing you the ball,” Ching said. “We have had some time to clear our minds since the BIIF championship and we will be ready.”
Lahainaluna, the No. 3 seed, is making its 10th consecutive tourney appearance and have made the title game three times during that span.
Konawaena is making its second consecutive appearance in the state semis. Last year, the Wildcats defeated Damien for the program’s first state tournament win, but lost to eventual state champion Radford 48-46 in the semis.
That loss has been motivation for the Wildcats who are still around, but this year they get the benefit of a home field, where the team hasn’t lost since Aug. 29, 2014.
“We are pretty stoked that we get a home field. It feels good to know we will have our friends and famlies backing us out there,” Justin-Ray “Musu” Banagan-Brock said. “A lot of my classmates asked me if we are going to win. I tell them, we will see. Just show up and check it out.”
It’s the first time in history a Big Island team has hosted a tourney semifinal, which Konawaena secured by being one of the top two seeds. Uemoto — a Konawaena graduate — understands the occasion and has felt the buzz building for the game.
“Just hearing the support around town and getting phone calls and text messages lets me know we have a lot of support,” Uemoto said. “We play well at home and feed off the crowd. These are the type of games these community members don’t want to miss, whether you have a kid involved or not.”
Win or lose, it will be the final football game in Kealakekua this season. The winner advances to the state championship at Aloha Stadium on Nov. 18.
“We are representing the Big Island as a whole,” Uemoto said. “When we get structured into the right division — which is DII for us outer-island guys — it shows that we can play a very good brand of football and that there are some very talented teams outside of Oahu.”