Hawaii Prep senior forward Justin Perry was named most outstanding player of The Queen's Medical Center/HHSAA Division II Boys State Soccer Championships last week. CJ Caraang | Special to SL

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Athlete of the Week: Justin Perry, Hawaii Prep boys soccer
Justin Perry is all business in the classroom. In fact, the Hawaii Prep senior approaches athletics much in the same regard.

Perry, an honor student at the Kameula-based campus on the Big Island, has excelled in both regards. He is enrolled in all Advanced Placement courses — and has an A in all of them, no less — and was a standout quarterback on the football team in the Fall season.

Last week, Perry helped Ka Makani's other "futbol" team make history on Oahu with the first boys soccer state title.

HPA lived up to its top seed and won three games in as many days to claim The Queen's Medical Center/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Championships at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

Perry was a key cog in his team's success. The forward scored three goals in Ka Makani's first two wins. He scored in the 29th and 65th minutes of Thursday's 5-0 quarterfinal win over Waialua and one day later, he scored the golden goal in the third minute of the second overtime period in a 2-1 semifinal win over Pac-Five.

"He seemed unstoppable," HPA fifth-year coach Rich Braithwaite said of Perry. "Every time the ball went his way something good came from it the entire tournament."

Against Kamehameha-Hawaii in Saturday's championship final, Perry was in the giving mood. He assisted on goals to Zen Simone and Jake Schneider in the 35th and 36th minutes, respectively. Perry was named most outstanding player of the tournament.

"I think he was our strongest asset and in all three games that we played, he seemed like the best player on the field to me, so I feel he was strongly deserving of that," Braithwaite said. "In the semifinals he just put us on his back and led us in overtime and then in the finals he set up our first two goals to get us out onto the lead."

Perry has been a starter at forward since his freshman year, but Braithwaite his role evolved over the last year.

"We've been a 4 (defenders)-4 (midfielders)-2 (forwards) the last three years and Justin had been one of only two strikers, but this year we moved to a 4-3-3 and he was out wide so he really had a lot of space to create," Braithwaite said. "Last year we were pretty straight forward, but this year we're much more possession-oriented and that's resulted in less goals for Justin, but also more assists."

Braithwaite said that while Perry is a natural gifted athlete, his work ethic is second to none.

"If you threw a grape at him 100 miles per hour, he's going to dive and catch it," Braithwaite said. "He's definitely got natural athleticism, but he's definitely a student of the game, too. Even when we're in season and we have a 3 p.m. practice, he's in the weight room at 6 a.m. every day."

Perry surely isn't lacking toughness either. He suffered a torn labrum during the football season and opted to put off surgery until after the soccer season.

"He's going to have it (Tuesday) actually, but it's going to keep him out four to five months," Braithwaite said.

Braithwaite, who teaches English at the school, had Perry as a student last year.

"He's a big-time football star and soccer star, but in the classroom he's really quite introverted," Braithwaite said. "He's really quiet and reserved until there's a ball and then he turns into a monster. He was a captain his junior and senior years, he's doing to Duke (University) on academic scholarships … he's just an incredible young man. He's the real deal."

BASEBALL
Caden Perreira, Jr., Honokaa — Threw a complete game with 15 strikeouts and two walks and allowed one unearned run in a 4-1 win over Hawaii Prep

BOYS SOCCER
David Cito-Rodrigues, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Moanalua

Hunter DeTurk, Punahou — Scored a goal in a win over Radford and another in a win over Kapolei

Daiya Fujiki, Kalani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Baldwin

Kalen Halvorsen, Punahou — Scored a goal in a win over Radford and another in a win over Kapolei

Shandon Hopeau, Kapolei — Scored five goals in four state-tournament games, including two each in wins over Kealakehe and Kalani

Brennan Joaquin, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored two goals in a win over Kaiser

Liam Kenoi, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored four goals in three state-tournament games, including two in a win over Honokaa

Dane Little, Waialua — Scored five goals in three state-tournament games, including two goals in a win over Seabury Hall and three in a win over Roosevelt

Noah Mokulehua, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a loss to Kamehameha-Maui

Makana Srivongsana, Kaiser — Scored seven goals in four state-tournament games, including three goals in a win over Moanalua and two in a win over Radford

Zac Trevorrow, Pac-Five — Scored two goals in a win over Seabury Hall

Michael Watson, Radford — Scored six goals in four three state-tournament games, including four goals in a win over Hilo and two in a loss to Kaiser