When OIA Division II champion Kaiser meets Kamehameha-Maui today, there will be a bit of a mirror effect in play.
Both teams love the forward pass, which could be a tough task if the wind kicks up at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium in the semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Kaiser is seeded second and KS-Maui is seeded third.
For years, Kamehameha-Maui battled the immortal-ish Lunas of Lahainaluna for supremacy in Division II of the Maui Interscholastic League. Every time, the Lunas prevailed on the gridiron. This year is different for coach Ulima Afoa’s squad.
With Lahainaluna escalating to D-I after winning its fourth D-II state title in a row in 2019, KS-Maui took full advantage of the open door. The Warriors went 4-2 in league play, airing the ball out like the old-school BYU Cougars.
“They threw it a lot, a lot of good receivers. Their quarterback by far was the leader in passing yards,” longtime Maui News sports editor Rob Collias said.
That slinger is Makana Kamaka-Brayce, who passed for 1,337 yards and 16 touchdowns with just four picks in 130 attempts.
“We’re really impressed with KS-Maui’s quarterback,” Kaiser coach Tim Seaman said. “He makes good decisions, throws the ball well at all three levels. They’ve got nice-sized receivers who run good patterns and make the tough catches.”
Kahoa Abreu (26 receptions, 446 yards, three TDs) and Pookela Aiu (25, 269, five) lead a talented, deep receiver group.
Hoohenomauloa Stone-Han (329 yards, four TDs) is their leading rusher. Kale Spencer, a two-way lineman, is a leader in the trenches.
“Their running back looks really solid and to top it off, they’ve got a big offensive line that protects well and are physical in the run game,” Seaman added. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
For all their offensive prowess, the questions remain. Three of KS-Maui’s wins were over last-place King Kekaulike. Against the MIL’s D-I teams, the Warriors scored 26 (Maui), 13 (Lahainaluna) and 34 (Baldwin).
On the other hand, KS-Maui shut out D-II King Kekaulike in their last two meetings. Somewhere in between is the Warriors’ realm.
Meanwhile, Kaiser (9-0) is one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in the islands. The OIA champions scored at a relentless rate at times, no less than 28 points in a game all season long. The Kaiser secondary has seen one of the state’s most productive passers, Easton Yoshino, and elite receivers Kamakana Mahiko and Justin Kanekoa, all season long.
That seems like good preparation for Kamehameha-Maui.
Yoshino has passed for 2,285 yards and 26 TDs with just seven interceptions in 230 attempts. Mahiko has 57 receptions for 1,052 yards and eight TDs, while Kanekoa has been busy with 51 hauls for 816 yards and 10 TDs.
Seaman has a defensive unit that has permitted more than 17 points just once. That was a wild 38-32 win over Nanakuli on the road.
Taye Debina and Kuahiwi Cummings lead the linebackers, while Ryan Bethke, Nick Wild and Hopo Aholelei have bolstered the defensive line. Caleb Garcia has been steady in the secondary.
“He gives us a steady presence versus the pass and the run,” Seaman said.
Kapaa vs. Hawaii Prep
Today, 3 p.m. At Skippa Diaz Stadium, Farrington
Fourth seed Hawaii Prep (7-0) is coming off a last-second, 3-0 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii in the BIIF championship game thanks to placekicker Mason Hunt.
Former Baldwin and USC standout linebacker Kaluka Maiava became HPA’s head coach in 2019.
Ka Makani are making their first state-tournament appearance since 2009. That year, they stunned third seed Moanalua at Na Menehune’s field, then lost at Kauai, 28-14.
Top seed Kapaa (6-0) has quite a heartbreaking history in the D-II postseason. In 2011, the Warriors lost to ‘Iolani, 17-13, in the semifinals. In 2014, another semifinal loss to ‘Iolani, 29-24. In ’15, a 30-16 loss to Radford in the title game. Then, three losses in a row to Lahainaluna in ’16, ’18 and ’19, all in the championship round. The biggest heartbreaker? A 34-32 loss to the Lunas in ’18.
Lahainaluna is now in D-I, so maybe it is Kapaa’s time.
“We will find out,” said Kapaa coach Mike Tresler, a former Hawaii defensive back.
Tresler has one of the strongest defensive units in the division. Kapaa has allowed only 24 points (four points per game), including three shutouts.
A low-scoring game would be right up Hawaii Prep’s alley.
“HPA is a smart team and well coached. Disciplined,” he said. “They have a good kicker, for sure.”
