HILO – The fleetest of foot Sunday at the Volcano International Soccer Tournament wasn’t a player. It was a dog that briefly interrupted the boys under-19 championship match, cutting onto the field and running from one sideline to the other.
“That was hilarious,” Laukoa Santos said. “It almost got my ankle.”
The fastest humans were Santos and his Kona Legends teammates, who put on one final show Sunday before heading their separate ways to college, beating the Kona Crush 5-1 victory at Hilo Bayfront.
“It was all our good friends, kind of a last hurrah,” Santos said.
Jonah Palakiko, his former teammate at Kealakehe, put the club together, and he assembled a BIIF All-Star team with players from different points of the island. It only seemed as if being an all-BIIF player was a requirement.
Santos, who won his third Division I Player of the Year as a senior, scored a goal, former Hawaii Prep standout Austin Schneider added a goal and an assist and Hilo grad Kalei Tolentino-Perry, who would have won POY if not for Santos, had a nifty assist where made a near 360-degree spin in front of the goal and left the ball for James Caudell, an all-BIIF performer at Kealakehe.
“It was a great experience and a good time,” said Santos, who leaves Friday to prepare for his freshman season at San Diego State. “One last game with my friends. With my brothers.”
Greyson Moore, who made all-BIIF at goalkeeper for a fourth time in 2016, was back to play as well.
Hilo American Youth Soccer Organization regional commissioner Troy Keolanui was one of the busiest people Sunday at the tournament, juggling administrative and referee duties as well as sneaking in an over-50 softball game in Panaewa.
Emmett Alcos only had one duty on his plate, but he was just as busy in his role as the Kona Crush goalkeeper, facing a constant barrage in the first half.
Former Waverider Jon Takahashi scored on a blast for the Legends and Santos skipped a shot past Alcos for a second goal, but the Makua Lani junior did well to keep the score 2-0 at halftime, robbing former Waiakea standout Michael Scott with a diving save.
“It’s always fun to get to play against former club teammates,” Alcos said.
Brendan Moynahan, a Hawaii Prep junior, scored for the Crush, who are gearing up for a tournament in California.
“It’s been a long tournament and we were a little bit tired,” Alcos said. “Overall, this was for reps. This was just a warmup.”
As for the large contingent of former Kealakehe players on the team, the last goal was credited to Tate Whitney, a 2016 graduate.
And with that, the Legends took pictures and said their goodbyes.
In the U14 boys title match, West Oahu beat Hilo; Kaneohe, Oahu, defeated Puna to win U12; and the U10 winner was Hilo Rush, who beat West Oahu in the final.