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Elijah Dinkel

KS-Hawaii soccer  •   #6    Junior

One would be hard pressed to question the passion that lies within Elijah Dinkel, especially when it comes to the game of soccer. 

Gene Okamura knows it first hand. 

Dinkel's drive is certainly paying off for the junior, who helped Kamehameha-Hawaii come away from last week's NIU Health Urgent Care/HHSAA Division II State Championships with its second state title in program history. 

"I'm super happy and proud of the team, for sure," said Okamura, the first-year coach of the Warriors. 

During the Big Island Interscholastic Federation regular season, Kamehameha-Hawaii lost to both Hilo and Waiakea and also tied against Hawaii Prep and Makua Lani. It dropped a second match to Ka Makani — in the BIIF D2 final — and was unseeded in the eight-team state tournament. 

Despite that, the Warriors reeled off three wins in as many days, beginning with a 3-1 win over third-seeded Le Jardin in the tournament quarterfinals Thursday. Dinkel, who primarily patrols the central midfield, closed out the scoring in that one with his insurance goal in the 73rd minute during the run of play. 

"I don't really remember what happened but the ball ended up popping up to him at the top of the 18 and on the half-volley he put it away; He placed it to the far side," Okamura said. 

The following day in the semifinals against No. 2 seed Island School, Dinkel converted the game-winning penalty kick in the 98th minute of KS-Hawaii's 2-1 victory in extra time. 

"There was two minutes left in the second overtime and PKs looming, so with the opportunity to win the game, he showed a lot of composure to be able to bury that," Okamura said. 

While Dinkel didn't draw the foul in the box that led to the PK, he did play the ball into Lucas Kay-Wong, who was taken down by a defender to set-up the penalty. 

Okamura noted that while Kay-Wong drew the foul, there was no question who was going to take the PK. 

"The players know. I mean, I don't think anyone kind of questioned anything. Elijah just kind of grabbed the ball and went there and everyone knew on our team who was taking it," he said. 

Dinkel's PK pushed the Warriors past the Voyagers and into Saturday's state final against Seabury Hall. 

The Spartans took an early lead on a goal by James Haynes in the 13th minute, but Dinkel helped the Warriors equalize just six minutes later off of a corner kick that led to an own goal. 

"Elijah saw a guy off the post and tried to drive it into that space," Okamura described. "We had like ten corners that night and he kept trying to drive it into that same space, so maybe he saw something no one else saw."

The score remained tied at 1-apiece through regulation and the two 10-minute overtime periods. When the contest went to penalty kicks, Dinkel was the first shooter. 

"We put him first because we always put the guarantee person who's gonna score first, but I guess it wasn't a guarantee," Okamura chuckled. 

Dinkel, uncharacteristically, failed to convert from the spot, but the Warriors won the PK shootout nonetheless, 4-3. 

"He actually ended up missing his PK; He was the only one that missed. That's probably one of the first times I've ever seen him miss a PK in his entire life," said Okamura, who has watched Dinkel grow up over the years. 

"I've known him since he was like six years old and I had a really good feeling that he was going to end up being our leader on our team," Okamura said. 

Okamura is also the women's soccer coach at the University of Hawaii, Hilo and previously headed the KS-Hawaii girls' program. 

"It's my first year on the boys' side, but I've known Elijah for a long time. He's definitely grown up a lot and matured and become a very good leader on and off the field. We're a pretty young team this year, so he was a leader from day one with this team. I believe he scored in every match this season that he played in, so his importance to our team is very high," Okamura said. 

Dinkel's value was confirmed with his selection as the Most Outstanding Player of the D2 state tournament. He was one of five players from KS-Hawaii named to the All-Tournament Team. 

"I was stoked for him. I think it was absolutely deserved and I think it would be so easy for people to look at him for missing that (PK) and choose someone else, but what he did throughout the tournament is remarkable," Okamura remarked. 

He added, "Our team is extremely young and I mean, he's not a senior, but he stepped up as one of our leaders, for sure and kind of carried us through the entire season, so definitely very well deserved."

Okamura noted that while Dinkel is typically playing center-mid, he has also seen time at holding-mid, attacking-mid and forward. 

"It kind of depends on the game, but he's always somewhere pretty much central on the field, but really he can play anywhere," Okamura said. 

Okamura described the skillset that Dinkel possesses. 

"He's got the technical ability, soccer IQ, athletic ability, he's very well-composed on the ball, strong, physical, very good vocally and good leadership all-around. He's just a very complete player," he said. 

As well-rounded as Dinkel is on the pitch, his determination to succeed is unmatched, Okamura said. 

"He has pure desire to want to win and pure desire to want to be the best and you need to be the hardest working kid if you want that and I think it comes very naturally for him and vocally he's the leader because he demands more out of everyone," Okamura said. 

It was quite early in the preseason that Okamura laid out his expectations of Dinkel for the upcoming season. 

"We had a conversation about it and I basically told him, ‘I need you to be the leader on this team. I need you to step into that role,' " Okamura recalled. "It might have been the first day of training."

Dinkel did not shy away from the task. Instead, he fully embraced the responsibility of serving his team as a captain. 

"He was stoked," Okamura said. "He's that kid that thrives on those kinds of things, thrives under pressure, thrives when other people need to lean on him, so he was excited."

Okamura described Dinkel as a leader by example. 

"In training, he's the kid that's working the hardest all the time and he's also leading vocally," he said. 

The Warriors had 11 days in between their loss to HPA in the BIIF title game and their opening match of the state tournament, which, evidently, was time well spent. 

"After we lost the BIIF final, obviously (Dinkel) was pretty devastated that we lost, but his attitude was spot on; He knew that we could compete," Okamura said. "Big players show up in big matches and as the tournament went on he continued to show his abilities. I honestly feel like every match we played, he was the best player on the field."

Dinkel is also a placekicker for the KS-Hawaii football team and, in Okamura's opinion, the ultimate competitor. 

"He's a super respectful kid," he said. "I coach college women's soccer, but I was (previously) on the men's side and he's someone, if I was on the men's side, I would recruit him very hard and try to bring him in at all costs. His mentality on and off the field is pretty role model-like."

It was the first state title for KS-Hawaii since 2018, but the fifth in the last six years for the BIIF in Division II. 

BASEBALL

Davin Aea, Kahuku — Batted 3 for 3 with a double and two runs scored in a loss to Waianae

Jett Ah Sam, Kalani — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Castle

Kahi Ah Sui, Nanakuli — Allowed three runs on three hits with six strikeouts and six walks in six innings pitched and batted 2 for 3 with two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Waialua

Luke Aona, Waianae — Batted 3 for 6 with a triple, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Kahuku

Joeziah Clifton, Waianae — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, two RBI, a walk, stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Kahuku

Noah Dane Fujitani, Kalani — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Castle

Johnathan English, Radford — Batted 4 for 4 with two home runs, four RBI, two walks and four runs scored in a win over Kahuku

Kadin Hanta, Kalani — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in a loss to Moanalua

Taven Hathaway, Moanalua — Allowed two runs on three hits with six strikes and one walk in five innings pitched in a win over Kalani

Kanani Judd-Au, Kahuku — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double and four RBI in a loss to Radford

D. Kapaku, Nanakuli — Allowed one earned run on six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in six innings pitched in a win over Radfor

Cy Mezin, Waialua — Allowed one unearned run on two hits with eight strikeouts and four walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Waialua

Makai Miyamoto, Kailua — Allowed one unearned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in six innings pitched in a win over Moanalua

Z Miyashiro, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles and a run scored in a loss to Kailua

Kolu Quisquirin-Sabagala, Waianae — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBI in a loss to Waipahu

Kaiden Sonoda-Fukumoto, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kalani

James Stevens, Radford — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles and a run scored in a loss to Nanakuli

Dylan Takenaka, McKinley — Batted 3 for 5 with two RBI and a run scored in a loss to Kalaheo

Phoenix Torres, Waipahu — Allowed one hit with two walks in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Waialua

Abram Toy, Kalaheo — Batted 3 for 3 with two doubles, four RBI, two stolen bases and a run scored in a win over McKinley

K. Uyeda, Farrington — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in a loss to Roosevelt

Dylan Weddle, Kalani — Allowed one earned run on three hits with one strikeout and two walks in six innings pitched in a win over Castle

BOYS SOCCER

Jacob Aiona, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Made four saves in goal in a win over Seabury Hall

Logan Aurio, Kapolei — Scored the lone goal in a win over Pearl City 

Trey Carizo, Seabury Hall — Made five saves in goal in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

James Haynes, Seabury Hall — Scored two goals in a win over Radford and scored three goals in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Seamas Mercado, Kaiser — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kalani

Ian Ngonethong, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Baldwin

Justin Nishimoto, Punahou — Scored two goals in a loss to Mililani

Yamato Okumura, Kalani — Scored two goals in a win over Punahou

Parker Patterson, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Punahou

Keenan Ramanial, Le Jardin — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua and scored two goals in a win over Roosevelt

Rex Riecke, Kekaulike — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kalani 

Duke Romanchak, Seabury Hall — Scored three goals in a win over Radford

Aidan Santos, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Roosevelt

Max Scott, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Aiea

Will Simpson, Mililani — Scored two goals in a loss to Kaiser

Skye Ventura-Kahookele, Aiea — Scored the lone goal in a win over Iolani