KEALAKEKUA — Peaking at the right time has been the focus for Konawaena all season.
Early on, two lopsided preseason losses took a lot of eyes off the Wildcats, but inside the locker room, there was never a doubt of the team’s championship potential, which was on full display during a 17-9 victory in the BIIF title game against Kamehameha-Hawaii on Friday night.
The Wildcats peaked at the perfect times, scoring on a wild opening play and putting away the title tilt late for their third consecutive BIIF Division II championship and sixth in the last seven years.
Shaking off the slow start to the year, Konawaena is now riding high and will be among the final four D-II teams in the state when the HHSAA tournament begins Nov. 3. The Wildcats’ opponent and game site are still to be determined, although there is a very good chance Julian Yates Field could see another game this season.
“Coming into the year, we knew where we were at. We definitely had some holes, but we overcame it and a lot of kids stepped up,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “It feels rewarding to be a part of and this whole staff worked really hard.”
The victory was also an exclamation for a core group of seniors, many who have been key cogs on three championship squads.
“With this senior class, it felt like there was a lot of pressure to make sure they ended their careers with a BIIF title,” Uemoto said. “It would have been a real let down if we couldn’t do that.”
A lot of the weight from the expectations the past few seasons have been placed on the shoulders of senior quarterback Austin Ewing — the two-time BIIF Offensive Player of the Year. With it all on the line, Ewing put on a performance of the ages, which might not have been evident by reading the box score.
Ewing finished his night 13 of 29 for 176 yards, with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions — conservative, by his standards. But he also caught a long touchdown on the first play of the game, dropped into coverage on defense and even blocked Kamehameha’s point after attempt in the fourth quarter with a sprawling dive.
If it was up to him, he probably wouldn’t have left the field.
“The expectations were way higher, but I just tried to have fun out there,” Ewing said. “I didn’t want this to be my last game. I love playing football and competing. If I get put in a spot where I don’t practice a lot, I just tell my coaches I’ll give 110 percent.”
The Wildcats most important play of the night was a fun one — especially for Ewing — and fans might have missed it if they showed up late. Senior wide receiver Tyler Libarios took the first snap of the game at QB and heaved a long bomb to Ewing. The senior multi-sport star showed off his athleticism, snagging the ball in stride and motoring 78 yards into the end zone for a touchdown on the first play of the game.
“I was just telling myself, ‘catch the ball, catch the ball,’” Ewing said with a laugh.“It was the coolest thing ever to see all my teammates running towards me. I’ve been throwing touchdowns for so long, I don’t get that experience of seeing them running at me. I’m usually running with them.”
The package with Libarios at quarterback had existed for the Wildcats previously, but it was mostly used to run out the clock in blowouts. Deciding to actually throw the ball to Ewing didn’t become a real thought until recently, and the execution was flawless.
“In practice you throw long passes to receivers and they get lazy running the ball back so they throw it. Tyler did that and we saw his arm and we were all like, ‘Oh man, he can throw,’” Uemoto said. “Austin is one of our better playmakers, so we wanted to put the ball in his hands.”
While Ewing and the offense peaked to start and end the game, the defense took care of everything in the middle, stifling the Kamehameha offense for most of the night and not allowing the Warriors into the end zone until the closing minutes. It has become par for the course for the unit, which allowed just 8.25 points per game this season in BIIF contests.
In the turnover department, a pair of second half interceptions by Boaz Ayers and Jeriah Cacal helped squash any momentum Kamehameha looked to gain late.
“It’s a brotherhood,” Cacal said. “We love playing with each other.”
“If one of us is down, we pick each other up. That’s what makes us different,” Ayers added. “We worked hard for this. To finally see it all come together is amazing.”
Ewing had a similar sentiment for what makes the team click.
“Even if you are having a bad day, once you get into the locker room for practice, it’s a different atmosphere,” he said. “Your brothers will pick you up, you get the music playing and it’s always super fun.”
The Warriors have settled for a runner-up result the last three seasons, but Uemoto had high praise for the Wildcats familiar foe.
“It’s a good rivalry and we respect that program a lot,” Uemoto said. “They gave us a lot of problems with the speed and athleticism of their defense. I really do feel that is one of the best defenses in the state in Division II — I’ll put that out there.”
With their first perfect league-season since 2012 in the books, the Wildcats’ attention now turns to the state tournament, although there’s a two week layoff before game action. It’s something Konawaena is familiar with, however, having had 13 days inbetween their regular season finale and the BIIF championship.
“We will find ways to stay sharp,” Uemoto said. “We have plenty of things from this game we can watch on film and try to correct.”
It only gets harder from here, but Konawaena is just one win away from making history by becoming the first Big Island squad to make it to a state title game, and two victories away from a state championship.
If the Wildcats hope to get there, the BIIF title wasn’t the peak — it was just part of the climb.