Pac-Five boys soccer making statement early in season
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Pac-Five's Keoki Haole of Hanalani chests down the ball at a recent practice. The Wolfpack are 11-1-1 overall and 3-0 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. A recently amended HHSAA rule allows Pac-Five to participate in the state tournament if it qualifies.
Photographs by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser |
That is the motto for a team that until this year, could not participate in the boys state soccer tournament.
And it wasn't because of its play.
Pac-Five, which in the past could not qualify for a berth because of a state rule that left out combined-school teams, is alone atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu standings with visions of reaching the states for the first time.
It is 11-1-1 overall and 3-0 in the ILH, including a 4-2 win over defending ILH champion Punahou last week.
"It showed everybody that we could beat anybody," said freshman midfielder Keoki Haole of Hanalani Schools, who scored three goals in the game.
Second place Kamehameha and Iolani (2-0-1) await on Jan. 3 and Jan. 6, respectively. Pac-Five's only loss this season was to Iolani, 2-0, in the preseason. Iolani and Kamehameha played to a 0-0 tie on Dec. 16.
"We need to win those games because it shows everybody that we're supposed to be there (atop the ILH standings) and show everybody that we're good," Haole said.
Pac-Five also defeated last season's state champion Mililani, 1-0, in the preseason.
"I stacked the preseason with a lot of tough games," first-year Pac-Five coach Nawapan Smith said. "We played Kaiser, Castle, Mililani and Pearl City. I tried to schedule a lot of preseason games where we wouldn't be untested.
"Going into those games and winning all of those games, we came out really confident, and we got our guys set on the ILH championship."
The Wolfpack finished the preseason 8-1-1, but according to senior co-captain Justin Fajota of Maryknoll, it is what is coming up that is important.
"It feels good, but that was only preseason," Fajota said. "Three games ago is when it really started counting."
The strength of this year's team, according to Smith, is that it can outscore its opponents.
"We are a very high-scoring team," Smith said. "We are very confident in shooting and scoring. The strength of our team is our offense. Our defense is very good; we have a bunch of seniors holding down the back line, but our biggest key this year is our ability to put the ball in the back of the net."
Sophomore forward Jeremy Wittig of Lutheran, who has a team-high 16 goals through the preseason and regular season, leads an offense that has outscored opponents 40-17.
Pac-Five's defense is anchored by senior defender Kody Seminara of ASSETS, who was selected to the Advertiser's all-state first team last season, when Pac-Five placed second in the ILH at 10-1-3, with its only loss to Punahou.
Because of a Hawai'i High School Athletic Association rule regarding combination teams, Pac-Five was ineligible, and third place Kamehameha received the ILH's second berth into the state tournament.
"The last game, we beat Kamehameha (1-0) but it didn't matter because they still got to go," said Wittig, who scored in that game. "We did all that for nothing."
Senior co-captain Kyle Lee of Lutheran added: "It was pretty painful because we knew we could have taken most of the teams. We could have competed with most of the teams and it was pretty heartbreaking."
Last June, the HHSAA executive board, consisting of league presidents and executives, voted to change the rule to allow Pac-Five to participate in the state tournament.
"The first practice, it made everybody work harder and want to compete more," said Seminara, a co-captain. "You could see it in everyone's eyes that they wanted to go to states and they want to be recognized."
Wittig added: "It gives us more motivation to play better, to prove that we should have gone all the other years."
The Wolfpack lost four seniors who were named to the ILH first or second teams. In all, nine seniors graduated last season. There are nine seniors on this year's roster.
"A big part of the success Pac-Five has had in the past two years is consistent training," Smith said. "Our program tries to be really strict in our method of coaching in the intermediate and JV levels so that by the time they reach the varsity level, they can put it together much quicker.
"I think that was a big key to last year's and this year's success."
Smith, who has been the coach of the JV program the past four years, has coached a majority of this year's varsity players, helping to jell a program that combines players from five different schools.
Pac-Five consists of seven players each from Maryknoll and University High, four from Lutheran, two from ASSETS, and one from Hanalani.
"I think it is more of a challenge for us, because people who go to the same school, they get to hang out at school. But we are all from different places and we have to make friends and get together as a team, and do that just at practice," Seminara said.
The ILH qualifies two teams to go to the state tournament. The first-place team receives an automatic berth, and historically the second-place team must win a playoff with the second-place team from the Maui Interscholastic League for the second berth into the state tournament.
"We aren't even focused on second place," Smith said. "We are looking to win it all and get an automatic berth into the state tournament.
"We still have a tough schedule to go. There are also a few other teams like Mid-Pacific and Saint Louis who aren't pushover teams. Either of those teams can be spoilers in the ILH."
Regardless, the Wolfpack are eager to prove that they belong among the leaders in the ILH and can back up their early success.
"It shows everyone out there that Pac-Five is coming," Wittig said.
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
