Tuesday, February 5, 2002

Mililani looking
to conquer Valley Isle

The top seed going into the state
tournament hopes to avoid
another letdown on Maui

Who and when

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By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

The scene is all too familiar to Jeff Yamamoto.

The Mililani boys soccer coach leads the Trojans into this week's state soccer tournament on Maui as the top seed in the 12-team field. But he's already seen state championship dreams blown away in the Maui winds.

"We went into the state tournament on Maui three years ago seeded first and in the same situation and we lost our first game," Yamamoto said. "Just speaking from experience, when you go into states, anybody can win."

This year's AT&T Boys State Soccer Championship Tournament opens tomorrow at War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku.

Mililani, Baldwin, Kamehameha and Hilo are the tournament's top four seeds and have byes going into Thursday's quarterfinals. But the coaches agree the tournament looks like a toss-up.

"I think it's anybody's ballgame," Kamehameha coach Andrew Ah New said.

Mililani enters the tournament wearing the target as the top seed and defending state champion. The Trojans went 12-0 this season and beat Kaiser for the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship last Saturday.

But after losing to Moanalua in the state quarterfinals on the same field three years ago, Yamamoto doesn't put much emphasis on seedings.

"Where you are is fun to look at," he said. "But ultimately you have to beat good teams to be first."

The Trojans face the winner of tomorrow's match between Kapaa and Campbell in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Hilo, which lost to Mililani in last year's state championship game, went 14-1 and won the Big Island Interscholastic Federation championship. The fourth-seeded Vikings lost all-state goalkeeper Eddie Ruhland last year, but senior Brandon Morita has stepped in nicely for Hilo.

Hilo plays either Seabury Hall or Castle in the quarterfinals.

Maui Interscholastic League champion Baldwin is the second seed and has the advantage of playing on its home island and in front of its fans.

"It's always good to play at home and I'm delighted we have two representatives (from Maui)," Baldwin coach Fred Guzman said. "I think that's going to help with the size of the crowd."

The Bears opened the MIL season with a loss and a tie, but recovered to go 7-0-1 the rest of the season.

"We were brought down to earth and the kids had to focus very much on every game because every game had added importance," Guzman said. "That kind of focus is very important in what amounts to a knock-out tournament, because once you lose, there's no second chance. From that perspective, I think that really prepared us for the state tournament."

Baldwin awaits the winner of tomorrow's match between St. Joseph and Moanalua.

Kamehameha is the third seed and takes on either Kaiser or Kealakehe on Thursday. The Warriors (10-1-2) are the lone representative from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu in the tournament.

After beating Iolani for the ILH title last Thursday, the Warriors spent the weekend recuperating from various illnesses and injuries.

"If they get healthy I'll feel pretty good," Ah New said. "I hope taking the (ILH) championship has boosted their confidence and given them that drive to continue their quest for something bigger."

The site of the tournament could play a factor in its outcome. Visiting teams must adjust to the strong winds that blow across the War Memorial Stadium field, which is narrower than the soccer fields some teams are accustomed to.

"We're going to play on what amounts to a bowling alley," Guzman said. "It's a very narrow field. There's not as much space, so you have to make very quick decisions. It's very easy to make a mistake and pay dearly for it."

But the tournament could ultimately be decided by which team gets the right bounces at the right times.

"Luck plays a very important factor," Guzman said. "You can dominate a game and wear the paint off the crossbar, but close doesn't count."

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AT&T Boys State Soccer Championship Tournament Wednesday At War Memorial Stadium St. Joseph vs. Moanalua, 1:30 p.m. Kealakehe vs. Kaiser, 3:30 p.m. Kapaa vs. Campbell, 5:30 p.m. Seabury Hall vs. Castle, 7:30 p.m. Thursday At Keopuolani Park Kapaa/Campbell loser vs. Seabury Hall/Castle loser, 1:30 p.m. St. Joseph/Moanalua loser vs. Kealakehe/Kaiser loser, 3:30 p.m. At War Memorial Stadium Kamehameha vs. Kealakehe/Kaiser winner, 1:30 p.m. Mililani vs. Kapaa/Campbell winner, 3:30 p.m. Hilo vs. Seabury Hall/Castle winner, 5:30 p.m. Baldwin vs. St. Joseph/Moanalua winner, 7:30 p.m. Friday At Keopuolani Park Consolation bracket games, 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. At War Memorial Stadium Semifinals, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday Consolation championship, 1:30 p.m. Fifth-place match, 3:30 p.m. Third-place match, 5:30 p.m. Championship match, 7:30 p.m.

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