If the Baldwin Bears are tired of hearing about it, it’s understandable.

After all, years of dominating the Maui Interscholastic League — the only consistent competition comes from Division II Lahainaluna — has earned the Bears prestige. Unfortunately, it’s been some time since Baldwin made serious noise off-island. There was a 10-10 nonconference tie at Kamehameha in 2004. Then there was the last-second 22-20 loss to Kahuku in the 2006 state semifinals that knocked out Baldwin’s most prolific offense in recent memory.

Baldwin went 9-2 last season, including an 8-0 run through the MIL. Kicker/wide receiver Ceejay Santos had a remarkable year with field goals and kickoffs, regularly sending the football deep into end zones to give the Bears continued field-position advantage. Santos was voted to the Star-Advertiser All-State first team as a kicker.

Wide receiver Ro Wilson was also superb, earning All-State second-team honors. But both playmakers have graduated, leaving a new core of leaders at center stage. Can coach A.J. Roloos and his young squad continue the dominance in the MIL? Is there more for the Bears at the state tourney? Coaches and media across the state have confidence in Baldwin’s future, voting the Bears to a No. 10 ranking in the Star-Advertiser Preseason Top 10.

“Defense is our strength this year,” Roloos said. “They’re experienced. Our secondary worked real hard in the offseason, and we’re deep at defensive line and linebacker.”

On paper: The Bears lost key stoppers — linebacker Tevita Malafu and lineman James Uwekoolani among them — to graduation. However, the league’s top defensive player, versatile Pasoni Tasini, is back for his senior season. He was selected the MIL’s athlete of the year as a junior, playing for championship teams in four sports. Roloos has the luxury of playing Tasini in the trenches at defensive tackle, or moving him to the edge at defensive end.

Tasini already has scholarship offers from Hawaii, UNLV and Utah, but is hoping to get more interest from his dream school, BYU.

Baldwin’s stellar defensive unit has standouts en masse.

“I brought up a lot of sophomores last year because of injuries,” defensive coordinator Rodney Figueroa said.

One standout is linebacker T.J. Wilhelm-Ioane, a first-team All-MIL performer. Defensive lineman Miki Fangatua, a junior, was a second-team all-league pick as a sophomore.

Defensive back Izeah Fernandez-Ruiz shores up the secondary. He was a second-team all-league pick last year. Last year’s defense allowed just 9.5 points per game before the state tourney.

Chazzen Sau, who sat out last season with a knee injury, could be a factor defensively. Sau is sitting out part of preseason due to an off-field suspension.

“He’ll be back in mid-August,” Roloos said. “He’ll probably play some free safety. He’s a great athlete.”

The offense lost most of its starters to graduation, but quarterback Keelan Ewaliko returns. As a sophomore last season, Ewaliko earned MIL offensive player of the year honors. He passed for 1,089 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 picks. He also rushed for 414 yards (5.2 per attempt) and four touchdowns.

“Keelan’s gotten bigger, stronger and faster," Roloos said.

Ewaliko, one of the top high school rodeo competitors in the state, is one of five rodeo enthusiasts on the team, Figueroa noted.

The skinny: The Bears are at their most explosive with a strong arm at quarterback, which was the case in that epic battle with Kahuku when Jordan Helle was in the pocket. The offense is still dangerous, a blueprint left behind by former assistant coach Pohai Lee, who is now on staff at McKinley.

Wilson, Santos and Sheldon Leong, Baldwin’s top three in receiving yardage, leave gaping holes in the offense. Kiana Camvel (17 receptions, 180 yards, one touchdown) and Kyson-Lee Kalama are among the top returnees in the pass-catching corps.

“We’re young in the receiver crops and the (offensive) line, so we’ll see who steps up. We’ll take it one day at a time,” Roloos said.

Though the defense will dominate, the Bears will probably need a bit more offense to compete at the state level. They fell to Leilehua 35-26 in last season’s state quarterfinal round.

If Sau can stay healthy and eligible, the competition at quarterback could be highly productive for the offense in the long run. Finding a nucleus up front with new faces on the offensive line is top priority for any run-and-shoot offense. Until they establish dominance, Ewaliko’s agility and mobility are big assets. Until the passing game makes strides, the Bears could sprinkle in some Wildcat/flex option looks, as they did last year. Those subtle changes and proper execution will be more vital than ever now that their decided advantage in special teams — Santos — is no longer around.

X factor: Figueroa has been around long enough to feel the frustration of losing at the state tourney. That’s why he was one of the coaches who pushed a little harder in the offseason with “classroom work.”

“We spent a lot of time learning our defense, reading offense and learning keys,” he said. “I read a while back that Farrington said they were studying (opposing) offenses as early as February. We worked hard this offseason.”

Keeping up with the state’s elite teams is also on Roloos’ mind.

“We don’t get the same competition as the ILH and OIA. Lahainaluna goes through the same thing,” he said. “We just have to fight through it and work hard in practice.’