Though his arm ached, the afterglow of Keaau’s victory against Kealekehe in the BIIF semifinals hadn’t worn off yet when Keian Kanetani’s father gave him the bad news. Hilo had upset Waiakea in their semifinal, meaning the Cougars hadn’t yet clinched a berth to the HHSAA tournament that they had figured was there for the taking.
Keaau is still waiting on that elusive first trip to states after falling to the Vikings in the championship series, and the year might have hardly seemed complete if the Cougars and their catalyst Kanetani didn’t notch another milestone in a season that was marked by them.