KEALAKEKUA — Another year, another championship for Konawaena football.
The Wildcats captured the Central Pacific Bank/Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division I Championship once again Saturday night at Julian R. Yates Field against Kea‘au by a score of 48-6.
Konawaena finished the season undefeated in the BIIF (9-0) and will advance to the Hawaii School Athletic Association (HHSAA) Division I tournament in November.
“This doesn’t get old,” Wildcats coach Brad Uemoto said postgame. “We have some things we have to clean up, but I’m very happy for them.”
Konawaena quarterback Keoki Alani finished the night with four touchdown throws — three to Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio and one to Austin Takaki. Running back Akea Cariaga had two rushing scores, while backfield teammate Keawe Navas Loa had one of his own. Defensively, the Wildcats remained strong in the secondary, as Takaki collected two interceptions, while Aremenio Blanco and Anahu-Ambrosio hauled in one apiece.
Running back Dane Bannister was responsible for the Cougars’ lone score with a rushing touchdown.
After a turnover on downs from both teams to begin the game, Takaki picked off Pettypool in Kea‘au’s own territory, putting Konawaena on the 30-yard line. Alani then fired a 25-yard laser to Anahu-Ambrosio over the middle on third down to put the Wildcats on the board first.
A few possessions later, Takaki collected his second interception of the night in Cougars’ territory, setting up another Alani-to-Anahu-Ambrosio connection on a wheel route for a Konawaena touchdown.
Kea‘au attempted to get on the board in the next drive, as Pettypool connected with Khaelan Nakapaahu on a beautiful over-the-shoulder pass for 50 yards to enter the red zone. However, Blanco secured another Wildcats’ interception to give the ball back to the offense once again. After Konawaena established its ground game through some big runs to move the chains, Cariaga punched the ball in for a rushing touchdown to put the Wildcats up three scores.
Following another defensive stop, Konawaena scored again, as Alani threw another dart to Anahu-Ambrosio for the receiving score. The Cougars then found some rhythm and got on the board near the end of the first half, as Bannister ran the ball down the middle for Kea‘au’s first touchdown.
“When you face a team three times, they get to look at a few sets of film and are able to adjust easier,” Uemoto explained. “They found some (rhythm), and we had to adjust. But it’s a good challenge for us as coaches and it’s good for our boys to work on execution.”
The Cougars picked off Alani near the end of the second quarter, giving Kea‘au another chance to add to the scoreboard, but the Wildcats’ defense prevailed and made a key stop before halftime.
The final half was a quieter one, but Konawaena still managed to pile it on. Anahu-Ambrosio returned the opening kick into the red zone, which was followed by Navas Loa scoring a touchdown on the ground. In the next drive, the Cougars put together a lengthy possession that was sparked by a big run from Bannister to enter red zone territory. However, Anahu-Ambrosio hauled in another Wildcats’ interception to prevent Kea‘au from putting up any points.
While Alani then threw a pick in the end zone to Jaizaiah Pahinui-Willets, Konawaena halted the Cougars’ offense once more to set up one final touchdown in the fourth quarter — a passing score to Takaki. The Wildcats held Kea‘au scoreless for the rest of the night, securing their championship.
What’s next?
With the island title now in the rearview, Konawaena will shift its focus on bringing back another state title to south Kona. The journey begins in just a few weeks in the HHSAA tournament, with a date and opponent to be later announced.
Depending on where the Wildcats are seeded, Konawaena will play in either the weekend of Nov. 10-11 in the first round or Nov. 17-18 in the semifinals.
While winning BIIF Division I feels satisfying, Uemoto emphasized that the work is just beginning, especially if the Wildcats want to be where they were a year ago.
“We’re gonna get back to work Monday and start fine-tuning what we need to work on,” he said. “We have a formula moving forward that hopefully we can replicate and keep these guys sharp. We’re motivated, and the end goal is to go 2-0 from here on out.”