Mililani team to top once again

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

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OIA boys soccer tournament First Round Today At Radford 5:15 p.m. — East No. 4 Roosevelt (6-3-1) vs. West No. 5 Leilehua (5-4-0) 7 p.m. — West No. 3 Kapolei (7-2-0) vs. East No. 6 Kalani (4-5-1) At Kaiser 5:15 p.m. — West No. 4 'Aiea (6-3-0) vs. East No. 5 Kalaheo (5-3-2) 7 p.m. — East No. 3 Kaiser (8-1-1) vs. West No. 6 Wai'anae (4-5-0) Quarterfinals Tomorrow At Mililani 5:15 p.m. — East No. 2 Castle (8-1-1) vs. Kapolei-Kalani winner 7 p.m. — West No. 1 Mililani (9-0-0) vs. Roosevelt-Leilehua winner At Moanalua 5:15 p.m. — West No. 2 Pearl City (8-1-0) vs. Kaiser-Wai'anae winner 7 p.m. — East No. 1 Moanalua (8-1-1) vs. 'Aiea-Kalaheo winner Semifinals Tuesday At 'Aiea 5:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. — Quarterfinal winners Consolation At Kailua Tuesday and Feb. 6 5:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. — Quarterfinal losers Championship Feb. 7 At Kaiser 4 p.m. — Semifinal winners

They joked about the potential match-up, how the Chargers seemed to be the Cougars' nemesis and what it would take to win the OIA tournament.

They agreed it would mean dethroning three-time defending state champion Mililani.

"They just reload. Their bench is deep, they're solid," Kaiser coach Herb Schreiner said of Mililani.

Added Pearl City coach Scott Keopuhiwa: "Until someone knocks them off, it's theirs to lose."

Mililani (9-0-0) has the Western Division's No. 1 seed, and Pearl City (8-1-0) has the No. 2 seed. The top two seeds in both divisions receive byes in the first round.

Top-seeded Moanalua, No. 2 Castle and No. 3 Kaiser finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Eastern Division with 8-1-1 records.

Moanalua, which finished the regular season with a 9-0-1 record and sole possession of first place, used an ineligible player against Kailua and was forced to forfeit, though it didn't affect its seeding.

"We did everything possible; he slid through the program," Moanalua coach Spencer Machado said. "I'm just glad it didn't change the standings."

Moanalua, as a result of head-to-head competition, received the East's No. 1 seed, and Castle is No. 2.

Moanalua beat Castle and tied Kaiser, and Castle beat Kaiser and lost to Moanalua.

"The East is unpredictable," Keopuhiwa said. "The top three teams beat each other on any given day. I'm wary of them."

Schreiner said Castle and West No. 3 Kapolei (7-2-0) are the dark horses in this year's tournament.

"I wouldn't put out Castle, they're a good-playing team. I like their movement and team game. They can be the surprise team," Schreiner said. "Kapolei is spooking the teams in the East, they made it through the West pretty good."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.