The right side was good to Keau Tavares Thompson.

So good, opposing coaches couldn’t stop the high-rising senior with the rocket arms. Coaches and media voted the Punahou opposite top honors as the Star-Advertiser Boys Volleyball All-State Player of the Year in one of the closest votes in years.

Sean Chang, who guided Pearl City to its first boys volleyball Division II state championship, was voted All-State Coach of the Year.

Thompson earned the nod in the closest voting among the top three players in at least two decades. Aidan Tune was a very close second, with Riley Haine right behind in third in the balloting as the Buffanblu locked down the top three spots.

Keanu Kawaa of Moanalua, Keegan Au Yuen of Punahou and Fati Seei-Tofi of Pearl City round out the first six.

Thompson was a difference-maker with his bazookas. Haine and Tune were heavily involved in Punahou’s outstanding passing game. Having a finisher like Thompson was, perhaps, as much of a psychological edge as it was physical.

“Just wicked of an arm. His aggressiveness on the hit just makes him lethal as a hitter and on the service line,” Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting said. “You know if it was going to him it probably was going to be a kill. More importantly, he doesn’t make too many mistakes. With him on the opposite side, Punahou’s attack was always balanced.”

Kamehameha’s Sava Agpoon saw plenty of the Buffanblu in his first season as varsity head coach.

“Keau Thompson was a consistent threat that we always had to be aware of, from the front row and back row,” Agpoon said.

“Keau did what he’s been doing for several years now, a lot of arm swing and range,” ‘Iolani coach Jordan Inafuku said. “Keau can bail them out of any situation with his jump and arm swing.”

Punahou coach Rick Tune, who led the Buffanblu to an undefeated season and their ninth state title in a row, enjoyed the inner drive of all his players. Thompson was no exception.

“Keau’s talent is undeniable and his commitment to getting better is tremendous. He is one of a few guys that doesn’t get tired and no amount of reps is ever enough. He is absolutely one of the most skilled volleyball players in the sate of Hawaii and in the nation as well and will add a tremendous amount of skill to the Ball State roster,” Tune said. “When he’s grooving his serve it is probably the most difficult serve in the state to pass and he is a true ‘terminator’ with one of the best arms I’ve ever seen. He put a significant amount of pressure on himself to perform every time he steps onto the court and wants to be great.”

The coach’s son, Aidan Tune, took his game to a new level. With a 39.5-inch vertical leap, he added to an already diverse and elite skill set. Serving, hitting, passing, digging — clone a team of Aidan Tunes and it would be a machine.

“He was already good, but as the season progressed, he got better and better,” Cabanting said.

The effort was daily and consistent through the offseason.

“Aidan is a grinder and is one of our steadiest players,” coach Tune said. “He practices and plays every day with a high degree of intent, and focuses his efforts on what he can control. He is one of the most committed athletes I have ever coached, and has progressed as much in his development as any player I’ve had while simultaneously enduring more pressure and criticism than any player in my coaching history.”

Inafuku recognized the cohesive effect of Tune.

“Aidan is kind of their glue. The thing with him is he does it in so many different ways. Scoring points on the left, they can set him on the right, and he hits that quick attack from the back-row line. He scores with the block, he scores with the serve. That’s why he got ILH Player of the Year honors. They have a lot of passionate athletes and he keeps it steady for them,” Inafuku said.

Tune signed with Pepperdine. Haine is heading to USC.

“Riley Haine hits at such a high contact point and kept teams guessing with his ‘beach shots,’ ” Agpoon said.

“A great all-around volleyball player,” Cabanting added. “He can pass, hit and do everything that you ask of him. His size isn’t too bad and he uses every inch of it. He was one of the top hitters in kills for his team, but if he wasn’t a stable passer, I would think that Punahou (would) have struggled much more this year.”

“Riley has a volleyball body that is second to none and high-level skills to match,” coach Tune said. “In the last year, his game has grown more than any player on our roster, and he has much more potential to reach. He is an imposing blocker, steady passer, and high-level pin attacker that was an essential part of what we did this year.”

Coach Tune noted during the season that Haine was often the team’s emotional barometer. Never too high or too low.

“As a teammate, Riley is very in tune with others and how they are feeling. He is one of the first guys to reach out to someone in need and is the guy that everyone feels comfortable with,” coach Tune said. “Riley is a very hard worker and is continually working to add facets to his game that will take him to even greater heights. He also maintains a laid-back vibe and is one of the funnier guys on the roster, as well. With so many other intense personalities on the court, Riley strikes the critical balance for our roster.”

To Inafuku, Haine was another invaluable part of Punahou’s high-powered machine.

“I thought Riley had one of the best years as an outside hitter. He’s grown tremendously from his sophomore season to his senior season. Statistically, he terminated the ball at the highest efficiency for them, which makes it difficult with Keau and Aidan. In the biggest match, Riley was barely making any errors and hitting .800,” Inafuku noted. “Typically, we’d want to serve him, and he handled the ball so well.”

Kawaa, at 6 feet, 5 inches, brought a valued combination of power and finesse as one of the top outside hitters in the state.

“He was a surprise outside hitter this year. In all of the years I have coached him, he has played the middle hitter position,” Cabanting said. “He carried Moanalua into the state championship match. You know that every team would attack him on his pass and defense, then he had to hit against two or three blockers, and be able to do it for every match.”

Kawaa was undecided on a college when the season ended.

“Above all, he was so coachable. Wherever you needed him, whatever you wanted him to do, he would do it, and the result is an outstanding senior season,” Cabanting said.

Kawaa could not be contained by most foes. Punahou managed to limit him in the state final.

“He was their unquestioned leader. Keanu is such a great teammate and an extremely versatile player,” coach Tune said. “Eight-five sets in the state semifinal (against Kamehameha) and 30-plus kills was an impressive performance from an individual. He carried the largest load for any team in the state this year and did it well.”

Kawaa’s transformation as a senior was a wow factor for Inafuku.

“He’s got the green light for Moanalua from behind the service line. He can crank it and he has an off-speed serve. He was smart trying to hit three or four of them in a row, not bail out (opponents) with errors. The kind of role he has for Moanalua is much different from club season, so it’s impressive to see him adjust and take on that role, and score so many points,” Inafuku said. “That Moanalua-Kamehameha match was so surprising in how he stepped up and scored a lot of points.”

Au Yuen was such an efficient, poised setter, delivering back sets, quick sets, manipulating space and time. He often saved his emotions for only the biggest of matches. Au Yuen averaged 10.7 assists per set and was one of Punahou’s top diggers and servers.

“Keegan is our unassuming ‘surgeon.’ He is extremely competitive, but proves himself day and day out with his play, and not with his mouth,” coach Tune said.

Au Yuen has been the starting setter for the past four years, a feat only accomplished by Riley McKibbin and Micah Ma‘a during coach Tune’s era.

“Keegan is a tactician and can set any set on the court, and understands when to switch gears with our offense. He is a deceptively top-notch athlete for his size and uses it to make high-level plays at the net going against much bigger players. When Keegan clicks into ‘Maori warrior’ mode after he gets a block or wins a joust at the net, you know he’s having fun on the court and is in a total and complete flow. He is a true servant for this team and it is greatly appreciated.”

Seei-Tofi was a powerhouse as the Chargers zoomed near the top of the OIA West standings. They won their last 12 matches, including a four-set battle with Seabury Hall in the D-II state final.

“Just a great teammate and likable guy. Because of his cool temperament and the ability to get his team to work as a team, he was crucial in getting Pearl City their first-ever state championship,” Cabanting said. “He did everything for them. “

La‘i Hirahara’s senior season was classic in Inafuku’s perspective.

“La‘i kind of gets the lifetime achievement award with four solid years at Kamehameha. He’s been working so hard to get out of the ILH and play in a state tournament. He did a nice job leading his team to a state berth — at our expense. He had a tremendous all-around year, a very complete player. They’re so ultra-talented, but he was kind of the one that was a difference-maker against us every time,” Inafuku said. “We couldn’t get over the hump because of La‘i and what he could do in all aspects of the match. A lot of credit to him.”

Coaches Tune and Cabanting were among those who received votes for Coach of the Year. Chang, however, earned the top honor.

“For a public school to be able to win a state championship is an amazing feat in itself for coach (Chang),” Cabanting said. “Rick Tune had to keep a team of stars happy. All of the coaches are deserving.”

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STAR-ADVERTISER’S FAB 15

RANK NAME, SCHOOL POS HT YR

1. Keau Tavares Thompson, Punahou Opp 6-3 Sr.

2. Aidan Tune, Punahou OH 6-1 Sr.

3. Riley Haine, Punahou OH 6-5 Sr.

4. Keanu Kawaa, Moanalua OH 6-4 Sr.

5. Keegan Au Yuen, Punahou S 6-0 Sr.

6. Fati Seei-Tofi, Pearl City OH 6-0 Sr.

7. La‘i Hirahara, Kamehameha OH 5-10 Sr.

8. Thomas Russell, Seabury Hall OH 6-1 Sr.

9. Christian Tafao, Moanalua OH 6-0 Jr.

10. Heston Cabinian, Kamehameha OH 6-2 Jr.

11. Harryzen Soares, Kamehameha Lib 5-11 So.

12. Tyler Russell, Seabury Hall OH 6-1 Sr.

13. Makoa Kekaula-Van Gieson, Nanakuli OH 6-0 Sr.

14. Braydon Simmons, Punahou Lib 6-1 Sr.

15. Kale Spencer, Kamehameha-Maui OH 6-5 Sr.

Player of the Year: Keau Tavares Thompson, Punahou

Coach of the Year: Sean Chang, Pearl City

HONORABLE MENTION

Casey Lyons, ‘Iolani, Jr.

Dylan Friedl, Kamehameha, Sr.

Brycen Yadao, Mililani, Sr.

Dylan Oliva, Kamehameha, Sr.

Manase Fetulimoeata, Mililani, Jr.

Kainoa Wade, Kamehameha, Fr.

Brayden Yadao, Mililani, Sr.

Luke Ramirez, Maryknoll, Sr.

Alexander Parks, Maryknoll, Sr.

Wyatt Nako, ‘Iolani, Sr.

Andrew Muragin, Saint Louis, Sr.

Tyler Van Cantfort, ‘Iolani, Jr.

Petar Miocinovic, Mid-Pacific, So.

Matthew Mokan, Hawaii Baptist, Jr.

Luca Connor, Seabury Hall, Sr.

Claymon Morante, Waiakea, Jr.

All-State Boys Volleyball Team by Honolulu Star-Advertiser