Three Kalani teammates cap their title season on first team

Leo Klink, a senior striker for Kalani, is the Star-Advertiser’s player of the year for the second time in a row after consultation with coaches around the league.

Despite his heroics on the pitch the last two years, he might be best known as the boy who lost his mother in the most compelling soccer match anyone can remember. Klink’s mother, Hiroyo, collapsed with a brain hemorrhage during the championship match and died three days later.

Hiroyo knew that Kalani won the state title — Leo says it was her last memory. Now he is determined to honor her by accomplishing something more dear to her heart. Klink is going to college. He doesn’t know where, and he doesn’t know how, but he will go to college and study nursing.

His grades are good enough that he has already been accepted to Hawaii, but that would leave him getting his soccer jollies by playing in a men’s league here. That would be just fine with him, but with his mother gone and his father unable to work because of a disability, a soccer scholarship somewhere would help.

The state’s player of the year for two years running has not found an opportunity to trade his skills for an education. He has a visit to California Baptist set up. Hawaii’s Division II schools could be an option, but Klink wants to get off the island if he can.

"I’m just not getting myself out there enough like I should be doing," Klink said. "I’m not emailing or calling people the way I should be doing. I think I am just so forgetful, I think that’s the main reason. If you know me you know that I have, like, a really terrible memory, so you can’t really rely on me on a lot of stuff. If my mom was still here it would definitely be a lot easier."

But Hiroyo, who was an organ donor, keeps on giving. After she died, a trust fund was established at Bank of Hawaii to help the Klink family. Donations can be made at any BOH branch to the "Leo Klink Fund." Donations can also be made at fundly.com/theleoklinkfund.

Klink is joined on this year’s All-State first team by teammates Kazu Moribe, Steve Teshima and Scott Manago, along with coach of the year Michael Ching. That’s plenty of talent for a small school that didn’t even make the state tournament when the core was all sophomores. Last year, Leo Klink was wholly unimpressed with being the player of the year, and this season is no different. Give him a vote, and it would probably go to Moribe for coming back from a knee injury to look like his old self in the tournament.

"My mom was definitely proud (of last year’s honor), but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal," Klink said. "Winning it two times, it is pretty cool, I guess, but I just play the way I play and this award is a great feeling, but I don’t think I deserve it at all. My team deserves it."

‘Iolani is next in line with juniors KJ Ahlo, Timmy Leong and Josh Adachi on the first team.

Punahou put a pair, senior midfielders Ian Matsukawa and Taylor Peter-Bibb, on the first team and another two on the second team. Kealakehe was repped by midfielder Keoni Yates, and Mililani had senior midfielder Elan Yogi selected.