KAILUA-KONA — For the first time in the history of the program, the Kealakehe boys soccer team stepped onto the pitch Tuesday afternoon for a regular season BIIF soccer match without head coach Urs Leuenberger.
Leuenberger, who helped build the Waveriders into a perennial powerhouse on the Big Island, called it a career after last season, wrapping up his stellar 19-year run with five consecutive league Division I titles and a four-year undefeated streak in the BIIF.
Now under the direction of Alden Sawada, a new coach but familiar face, the Waveriders continued their Big Island success with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Honokaa Dragons.
Kealakehe jumped out early when Eima Kozakai broke free down the right side of the pitch and put a shot in from out wide into the far corner of the net. The goal came only three minutes into the match.
The Waveriders continued to dominate but struggled to score throughout the remainder of the first half. The ball rarely crossed into Kealakehe territory unless it was the Waverider defense moving the ball back to set up a play.
With the team struggling to score, Sawada switched up the tactic on the field in the second half, using a more direct approach. The style worked, producing two more goals, one by Bryson Guanio inside the 18 and another by Hunter Olaso, off a rebound.
“To me this was kind of an ugly game,” Sawada said. “We played our game in the first half but it did not quite work, so we had to change styles in the second half , playing more direct, and it seemed to work for a few goals.”
Sawada landed the job as skipper of the Kealakehe boys after spending 14 years as and assistant and JV coach at the school. Tuesday’s victory over the Dragons was a good start for for the coach, who hopes to grow the program from a BIIF powerhouse to a state champion.
Success on the state level is one thing that eluded Leuenberger during his tenure. If the Waveriders want to become the big fish in the big pond they will once again lean on senior midfielder Laukoa Santos, who has won back-to-back BIIF Player of the Year honors.
“Words cannot describe what Laukoa brings to the team,” Sawada said. “He is the coach on the field. He takes charge out there and his strength is his vision. He reads what is going on, looks at runners to see what is going happening and resets the play if nothing is there. And of course shooting. He has a pretty wicked shot too.”
However, Santos cannot do it all alone, and the Waveriders suffered some key loses from last year included six players who were named to last season’s All-BIIF First Team. Kealakehe lost two starting forwards in Tate Whitney and Josh Lopez, along with midfielder Alex-Grace-Double, and defenders Ari Mench and Jonah Palakiko.
Mench is a particularly big loss on the defensive side, but the biggest loss is probably Greyson Moore, who was a four-year starter in the net for the Waveriders.
To make matters worse, Isaiah Geliga was set to be the starter in the net this season, but could be out for the year due to concussion concerns.
“Right now we are pretty much goalie by committee,” Sawada said. “We are in Plan C and Plan D, but we do have a sophomore, Skyler Troy Canario-Pavao, who is our starter right now. Skyler is a sponge and is eager to learn. It is like molding clay. He has some bad habits but they are easy to fix.”
David Scott is backing up Canario-Pavao in goal.
Kealakehe may have lost a big asset on defense in Moore, but the Waveriders do have several All-BIIF players coming back, including first-teamer James Caudell (senior), along with honorable mention players Olaso (senior) and Yuki Lavoie (senior). Caudell and Lavoie are captains on the backline this year. Olaso is also a captain.
“James is a four year varsity player, very solid and very good foot skills,” Sawada said. “He can see the field. In fact, we put him up at center mid and striker against Honokaa. He can play many positions.
“Lavoie is another gifted player who can play many positions,” Sawada added. “His style and footwork are similar to Caudell. He shows a lot of aggressiveness and determination.”
Getting players to play multiple positions and getting more time in games for his bench players during the regular season are two of the plans Sawada has to get Kealakehe to that upper echelon of state talent.
But first they will have to get by their BIIF opponents, and the season will not be as easy as it used to be with a new three-tier format, which means Kealakehe will now face Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Hilo twice during the season.
In the division, Hilo is the biggest obstacle to overcome. The Vikings pushed the Waveriders to the limit in the championship game last season, and Hawaii Prep may be the biggest threat to the league winning steak.
“HPA plays a more organized game, similar to how we play and it is tough to compete against teams that play similar to you,” Sawada said. “Hilo has more direct play and a more physical game, so we will have to get used to their style.”
Kealakehe continues the season at Hawaii Prep on Saturday.