Hawaii Preparatory Academy opened the floodgates and washed away Kailua 10-1 in the semifinals of the HHSAA Division II state tournament on Friday, riding the flurry of goals to a second consecutive title game.
Both Jake Schneider and Chris Whitfield scored two goals apiece in the win overwhelming win over the Surfriders (9-3-2). Also scoring were Austin Schneider, Mateo Batol, Bip Padrnos, Ghar Pautz and Brendan Moynahan.
The 10 goals were the most score in at least a decade in a Division II state tournament match. The previous high on record was eight by Kapaa in the opening round of the 2008 tournament.
The defending champion Ka Makani are looking for a repeat as Division II’s top team, but to do so they will first have to beat Oahu’s Saint Louis, the No. 2 seed overall.
Hawaii Prep entered the state tournament as the top seed. Undefeated, Hawaii Prep (12-0-1) proved they earned that position, beating BIIF rival Makua Lani 5-1 in the quarterfinals and then completely dismantling No. 4 Kailua in the semis.
The Schneider brothers currently lead Hawaii Prep in scoring for the tourney with three goals each.
Saint Louis, which plays out of the ILH, rolled through Farrington in their quarterfinal match, winning 5-0. They had a harder time with Kamehameha-Hawaii in the finals. The runner-ups from last year gave the Crusaders an early run, taking a 1-0 lead off a goal by David Erskine before eventually falling to Saint Louis 4-2.
Mitchell Quinn and Rick Sandry Jr. lead the Crusaders (8-6-1) in scoring with three goals apiece in the tournament. Both Quinn and Sandry scored two goals each against the Warriors on Friday. Sandry’s score put away the Warriors, who had closed the gap to 3-2 behind a goal from Kailikea Kekuawela.
The title game is set for 5 p.m. in the main stadium at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex on Oahu.
Makua Lani 1, Seabury Hall 0
The Lions (7-7-0) rebounded from their DII quarterfinal loss with a 1-0 victory over Seabury (1-11-1) in Friday’s fifth place semifinal game. The victory is the first for Makua Lani at the state tournament since 2010, when the Lions defeated McKinley 4-0. That team went on to beat Kailua to finish fifth overall.
“It’s a great feeling… to know we can compete,” Makua Lani head coach Alex Dong said. “It gives us something to build up to in the future.”
DJ Madigan scored the only goal of the game, which came in the midway through the second half.
“Fatigue played a big factor, but it was a hard fought game,” Dong said. “We wanted to get one more goal, but we didn’t have the legs.”
The lone goal was set up by Kauhi Keliaa, winning the ball at midfield and passing up to Stevan Perrin, who found Madigan in the middle. Madigan calmly put the ball in the net for the game winner.
The Lions advance to the fifth place game, where they will play Waimea (8-2-3) at 1 p.m. today on Oahu.
Division I
Kealakehe 3, Pearl City 1
Laukoa Santos dominated Kealakehe’s fifth place semifinal game against Pearl City (12-4-1) with three goals.
The San Diego State commit found the back of the net for the Waveriders (12-2-1) in the first two minutes of the game and then scored twice in the final three minutes.
“Overall this was a much better performance. We were able to get out all the nervous jitters and play more loose,” Kealakehe head coach Alden Sawada said. “The midfield was able to step up and create more passes and opportunities. They came together for the win.”
Peyton Wagner scored for Pearl City.
Kealakehe will take on Mililani (13-2-1) in the fifth place game at 1 p.m.
“We will need to step up the intensity because it is going to be a battle,” Sawada said. “We are also dealing with a few injuries, but we have been able to perform well and also see what the future holds.”