Knights riding high
in 2 OIA soccer races
The Castle soccer program is looking mighty impressive this winter.
The Knights' varsity boys and girls teams are a combined 15-0-1 and in position to make a run at Oahu Interscholastic Association East Division and tournament titles.
The Castle girls team (8-0) needs a victory tonight at home against Kalani (2-5-1) to clinch the OIA East regular-season championship. The Knights also visit Moanalua (6-1-1) in the division finale Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
The Castle boys team (7-0-1) is battling Moanalua (7-0-1) and Kaiser (7-1-1) for the East crown. The Knights host Kalani (4-3-1) tonight before gearing up for a showdown against the Menehunes in Moanalua on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Knights girls coach Mark Kane credits a large group of returning veterans for the team's undefeated start.
"We have a lot of kids who have been through it before and know how to be focused," he said. "Last year, we had a lot of freshman starters who are now sophomores and about five starters who are now juniors."
According to the coach, Aimee Watanabe is the team's leader in many ways.
"She assists as much as she scores, and emotionally and tactically, she's the type of player who can hold it together and direct people."
Watanabe leads the OIA East with 10 goals.
"Our offense is starting to come around," Kane said. "But the defense has been doing a great job all along."
Sweeper Lovey Walker, fullbacks Leilani Baker and Aubrey Nakamura, stopper Krystal Kekauoha and four-year goalie Christine Everington lead the team's defense.
Lindsey Watanabe (Aimee's cousin) and Ashley and Lauren Kanda are among the team's top offensive threats.
"We had some problems in the playoffs last year (a second-round OIA postseason loss to Mililani), and this year we definitely want to get into the states. Hopefully, we can get good enough position starting out in the playoffs. And taking that first game will be really important."
Castle boys coach Sanehisa Nakamine is happy to have what he calls "two great captains and two great assistant coaches."
Chris Lee, a senior sweeper, and Michael Maeda, a senior halfback, are the captains, while John Eveland and Mark LaChance are the assistants.
"They do a really great job for me, so I don't have any headaches at all," the head coach said.
Nakamine was Kane's assistant last year when Kane coached both the Castle boys and girls teams.
With three seniors and 11 juniors, the boys team looks to be good for a quite a while.
"Our biggest foe is Moanalua," Nakamine said. "I watched them beat Kailua 3-0, but I could tell they were hiding something and they knew we were going to be watching."
Ethan Gonsalves, a second-team all-state football player as a kicker, is a speedy center halfback and another of the team's leaders.
Nakamine, who started at Castle as an assistant in the early 1980s and was a head coach from the mid-80s to the early-90s, has seen a big change in high school soccer since coming back into the fold a year ago.
"I'm kind of an old-timer," he said. "The caliber of play is a whole lot better, but with that comes an attitude, too."
"I really want to thank Mark Kane for giving me the opportunity to coach again. It know it was really hard for him to coach two teams."