For decades, athletic director and coach Stephen Perry has been the spark that lit the Hawaii Preparatory Academy soccer program.
It’s only fitting that his oldest child, Justin, helped Ka Makani catch fire to capture its first Division II state title on Saturday in a 3-1 win over BIIF rival Kamehameha-Hawaii at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
Justin Perry, a senior striker, dished out two assists for HPA (16-1-1), while first-half goals by senior Zen Simone and freshman Jake Schneider just a few minutes before intermission put the Big Island champions in firm control against KS-Hawaii (12-5-1).
“These are the nicest group of kids on the planet,” HPA coach Rich Braithwaite said. “Justin is an incredible leader. He had our big goal in overtime yesterday (against Pac-Five) and had two assists today.”
With the title win, HPA captured the boys and girls D-II state titles in a span of one week. Perry, the longtime athletic director now in his 23rd year at the helm, coached Ka Makani girls to the crown last week.
“Steve’s a great leader,” Braithwaite said.
HPA’s victory was a different story from a regular-season meeting between the schools, when KS-Hawaii won the home match 2-1 back in December. Four HPA starters were off-island during that winter break, but Braithwaite says it was more than that.
“They beat us. They had a good game plan and they executed,” he said. “Today, they attacked us a lot more than they have in the past, but we have good center miss and backs who can hold the ball against Kamehameha-Hawaii’s pressure.”
That, Braithwaite added, gave HPA’s strikers more space to work with.
“In our 4-3-3, there are no outsides, so we have to keep the ball and it feels like we’re attacking you with eight,” he said.
That attack never diminished from start to finish. HPA’s first goal came at the 35-minute mark.
“We had a play called,” said Simone, who will attend Stanford next season. “Justin brought the ball around and he crossed it behind Jake. We crash and one of us puts it in.”
“Jake was wide open,” Justin Perry added. “This play worked all season.”
Schneider’s goal came less than two minutes later.
“It was a short pass, nice and in the air,” the ninth-grader said of the 12-yard blast.
In the second half, Perry found another freshman, 6-foot Sihkea Jim, for a 10-yard tap in behind the keeper at the 58-minute mark for a commanding 3-0 lead.
Justin Perry is due for shoulder surgery on Monday, for an injury he suffered during football season. Playing through pain for the entire soccer season led to the big reward.
“It feels great. We knew this was the group,” he said.
KS-Hawaii, unseeded and a third-place finisher in the BIIF, bounced back with a goal by senior midfielder Liam Kenoi following a hand-ball violation. But the Warriors struggled to get clean looks at the net in the final 20 minutes.
In the end, HPA’s season-long motto proved true.
“The standard is the standard,” Jim said. “This team is anything but normal. It doesn’t matter if it’s a freshman or senior on. My friends are not just freshmen and sophomores. The seniors are my friends and they don’t care if you mess up. We’re brothers.”
Braithwaite, still an active men’s league player, leads by example.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, if you’re a freshman, hurt, sick,” he said. “There’s a standard to uphold and you do your job. If you make a mistake, you keep doing your job.”
HPA last reached the final of the Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA Boys Soccer State Championships in 2009. Ka Makani lost to Kapaa that season, and has endured some heartbreaking and rough losses at states since. In losses to Mid-Pacific, the two-time champion now in Division I, Braithwaite said Ka Makani learned through the pain of defeat.
“Mid-Pacific killed us the past two years with (the 4-3-3). It felt like they were attacking us with nine,” he said.
As for Stephen Perry, seeing his keiki Julia and Justin involved with an historic achievement — HPA’s first dual state titles in girls and boys soccer during the same year — didn’t make him giddy. Just glad.
“(Friday) was a lot of excitement with the goal (by Justin) in overtime,” he said, watching from the bleachers. “Tonight was workmanlike.”
With six departing seniors — Justin Perry is off to Duke next season, where he may walk on to play football – HPA has a legacy to uphold.
“I think our team should continue growing and developing our system,” he said. “They should define their success by character and effort. Of course, it wouldn’t shock me if they win another state championship.”
Consolation
Waialua 3, Roosevelt 2
Third place
Pac-Five 3, Honokaa 1
Goal scorers—Wail: Dane Little (3). Roos: Dillon Yamamoto, Mason Morishige. P5: Keahi Akina, Zac Trevorrow, Trey Larsen. Hono: Kyle Ohta.
