With Tayte Sato in the right frame of mind, there's been little slowing down the Kaiser boys soccer team this winter.

Sato, a senior forward in his third season with the Cougars, currently leads the state with nine goals scored in just three regular season games. Seven of those goals came in wins over Kalaheo and Kahuku last week.

Kaiser coach Layne Abalos noted that while he's certainly pleased with Sato's ability to finish and put the ball in the back of the net, it's only possible because of the work of the rest of his teammates on the pitch.

"Yes, he's been scoring a lot of goals, but a lot of those goals have been team-related and soccer is not just about scoring, it's totally a team game," Abalos said.

"Somebody's got to get him the ball and before that somebody's got to collect a defensive stop, so it starts off with our ‘keeper and the back line, through the midfield working the ball upfield and making the right passes, playing together as a team and Tayte being in the right place at the right time, which is key," Abalos added.

Sato and the Cougars have been prolific, to say the least. They have scored 17 goals, including a 7-0 shutout of McKinley to open the OIA East season. The high scoring has been a stark contrast to a year ago, when Kaiser struggled offensively and was itself shutout four times.

"That's kudos to the whole team and I'm sure Tayte would say the same thing. I mean, you've got to score to win – that's definitely what we struggled in last year. You need goals and somebody's got to score, but you don't score goals unless everybody does their job and that's been a big focus this year. Last year we played like a bunch of individuals, so this year we're hoping that's going to change and so far, so good," Abalos described.

Along with Sato, fellow senior forward Ethan Yang has been pivotal to the turnaround the Cougars are experiencing this year.

"Ethan has stepped up his game tremendously, leading as a captain, leading by example and although he has only one goal this year, the bottom line is without him, without our midfielders, without our defense, we don't score," Abalos said.

Sato and Yang were both All-OIA East First Team selections as juniors. In addition they each received Honorable Mention All-Hawaii recognition.

"Ethan is our playmaker and he could go out there and try and score every single goal and think that he's going to put the team on his back, but he's taken a different role this year realizing that the state tournament is the goal, winning it all is his goal and he's doing everything in his power to get this team to play together and move it forward and if it means sacrificing scoring for assisting and making the next pass, he'll do it. He's been key in buying into the formula of what the coaches are tactically teaching because he buys in and everybody follows, so he's making that engine go and everybody is following along and that's been our recipe for team play," Abalos said.

Abalos added that his team's failure to qualify for last year's state tournament – which ended a string of eight consecutive appearances – has served as motivation for this year's squad, which includes 14 seniors.

"I think that's the biggest factor and they realized and the coaching staff realized that we had to change. Something didn't go right last year and it was the first time not making states in my tenure, which was a shock to our boys and our coaching staff, so we preached change and I think the boys have totally believed in that so far and I think they understand that in order to get a different result, we've got to show that and every single player has to show a chance in their game, a change in their attitude and be about positivity and just coming together as a team," Abalos said. "We want to be there at the end and state tournament or bust is a probably a common theme in any program, but it means everything to the boys, to the coaches, to our fans, our parents and our school.

Sato has certainly been a key piece to the change in the air in Hawaii Kai.

"Definitely his mindset is different. I think he's coming to games and controlling his emotions and his understanding of the game is coming together. Before, he was scoring goals on talent – talent and speed – so he's always had huge potential and now he's enjoying the benefits of hard work and it's showing. For him to put together that streak that he's going on right now is great and kudos to the coaching staff that has been helping him through this process," Abalos said.

The 5-foot-6 Sato, who plays on the left wing, netted a pair of goals in the season opener against McKinley on Dec. 7. He recorded a hat trick in a 5-1 victory over Kalaheo Wednesday and followed that up with a four-goal effort in a 5-1 win at Kahuku Saturday night.

"One thing that Tayte's always had is speed, but I think this year he's kind of brought some of his skillset together and again, I think the mindset has been everything. For Tayte, if he's in the right mindset, he's tough and really good and that's one of the things that we've been working on with him for the past two years, but what he does best is utilized his speed to find the ball and score," Abalos said.

While Sato has stood out with his goal scoring this year, he shares a common goal with the rest of his teammates: to play in the final game of the season.

"I truly believe Tayte would give up all his goals for wins. His hunger to score is huge, but his passion to win games is even great and I wish every player on our team had that passion and that belief that we're out there to win games. I know it's not always about winning games, but let's face it, in high school everybody has that pride factor with the name on their chest and they want to make their school proud and Tayte definitely exemplifies that," Abalos said.

Sato and the Cougars (3-0) return to the pitch on Wednesday, when they play host to Kailua (1-2). Kickoff at Kaiser Stadium is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Azis Camerrer, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over Le Jardin 

Davian Fox McElfresh, Kalani — Scored four goals in a win over McKinley 

Barkley Gillman, Kauai — Scored three goals in a win over Waimea 

Lorenzo Gonzalez, Kekaulike — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Caleb Ishizaka, Mililani — Scored two goals and assisted on another in a win over Waianae 

Cody Mar, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Radford 

Brody Person, Kailua — Scored three goals and assisted on another in a win over Roosevelt 

Kaikea Potts, Kauai — Scored three goals in a win over Waimea 

Stetson Smulski, Kalaheo — Scored two goals in a win over Kaimuki 

Joaquin Tavares, Kekaulike — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Kalen Toguchi, Mililani — Scored two goals and assisted on another in a win over Waipahu 

Brennyn Yoshida, Kapolei — Scored two goals in a win over Pearl City 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Jordan Babcock, Kekaulike — Scored 23 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Kyran Canete, Pahoa — Scored 32 points in a loss to Honokaa and scored 21 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Daeten Castillo, Kau — Scored 31 points in a loss to Konawaena 

Bromo Dorn, Seabury Hall — Scored 27 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over Maui Prep, scored 40 points with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in a win over Le Jardin and scored 31 points in a win over Lahainaluna 

Hilton Edwards, Kaimuki — Scored 20 points in a win over Island Pacific 

Roman Gabriel, Mililani — Scored 27 points in a win over Kaimuki 

Jayzen Hough, Waiakea — Scored 24 points in a loss to Konawaena 

Dylan Kuia, Baldwin — Scored 29 points in a win over Lahainaluna 

Reef Lombardi, Maui Prep — Scored 20 points in a win over Hana and scored 22 points in a win over Hana 

Jeziah Mahaulu, Christian Liberty — Scored 22 points in a loss to St. Joseph 

Marcellus McCullah, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 26 points in a win over Island Pacific 

Keanu Meacham, Saint Louis — Scored 26 points in a win over Waipahu 

Ronin Naihe, Kahuku — Scored 23 points in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Trasyn Nava, Lahainaluna — Scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Le Jardin 

DeMarion Olloway, Kealakehe — Scored 23 points in a loss to Moanalua 

Sebastian Peterson, Seabury Hall — Scored 31 points with seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in a win over Hawaii Prep 

ManDuy Pham, Kaimuki — Scored 20 points, including six 3-pointers, in a loss to Mililani 

Mission Uperesa-Thomas, Maryknoll — Scored 22 points in a loss to Saint Louis 

Josiah Shinbara, Castle — Scored 23 points with three rebounds, five assists and eight steals 

Kai Shively, Maui Prep — Scored 25 points in a win over Hana and scored 22 points in a win over Hana 

Royden Tabiolo, Kohala — Scored 21 points in a win over McKinley 

Kukia Tagabi, Honokaa — Scored 37 points in a win over Pahoa and scored 29 points in a win over Parker 

Kiai Yasso, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 28 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Pahoa 

It was quite the weekend for Piha'eu Akiona and the Hanalani girls basketball team.

Akiona, a 5-foot-8 senior post who goes by the nickname Piha, averaged 14.6 points per game in the Royals' three contests at the Iolani Classic last week. Included in her stat line was a career-best 23-point, nine-rebound effort in a 55-52 win over Punahou on Friday.

"She had 18 (points) in the first half," Hanalani coach Charles Hiers said of Akiona, a four-year varsity player and two-year starter.

But Akiona's value to the Royals goes beyond her scoring ability in the paint, Hiers pointed out.

"What doesn't get in the states is her guarding (Punahou center Pua Saole), so she's about defense first and she battled in there and then she was getting rewarded on the other end by grinding and us finding her the ball. She did a great job rebounding, playing good defense, boxing out – all the things that you've got to do, she's that one," Hiers said.

Akiona, whose previous career high was 15 points on two separate occasions, shot 5 of 7 from the free-throw line against the Buffanblu.

"She had a complete game. She had a bunch of deflections and all that defense that doesn't get in the stat book proved to be pretty critical. She was in foul trouble in the second half and fouled out with about a minute-forty left, but we pulled it out," Hiers noted.

Hanalani's win over Division-I Punahou was punctuated by Ellana Klemp's buzzer-beater from nearly midcourt to break a 52-all tie. The win put the Royals into Saturday's consolation championship against geographic rival Mililani.

Against the Trojans Saturday, Hanalani erased a seven-point halftime deficit by outscoring them 34-11 after the break. Akiona shot 5 of 7 from the field to finish with 11 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, had three steals and two assists in 28 minutes of action.

"She went on a six-point run in the second half of that game from just hustling," said Hiers, whose team out-rebounded Mililani, 43 to 24.

"Piha attacks the glass and that's where she excels. You've got to grind in there and battle and she's a grinder and just does what she needs to do to help the team be successful," he added.

The win over two D1 programs on back-to-back days came in the aftermath of a 60-38 loss to Pinewood (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) on the opening day of the eight-team tournament. Even in defeat, the Royals showed resilience against the Panthers and outscored them 14-10 in the second quarter.

"We came out as deer in headlights and then we settled down, but we don't have a bunch of blue chippers or five-star players, but where we do have five stars is character, work ethic and integrity. We have girls who love basketball and want to keep improving and that's what I love about being the quote-unquote little guy," Hiers expressed.

Hanalani has been a prominent program on the Division II level for several years now. It first reached the final four of the D2 state tournament in 2013 and again in 2019, but laid claim to its only state title in 2020. In finished third in 2022 and followed that up with title game appearances in each of the next two seasons. Both times, however, the Royals fell short, including a 46-33 loss to Maryknoll in last February's championship game.

"That's big for a small school like us being able to contend year after year and this year, again they're very motivated. Last year left a bitter taste, if you will, but we also coached through that. Not everybody can win and you have to learn how to win graciously and lose humble, but they're definitely driven to win it all this year. We might not win every game, but we'll contend in every game if we do what we've been taught to do to the best of our abilities and that's what you want: get us to the last four minutes of the fourth quarter with a chance to win," Hiers said.

The Royals graduated just one senior from last year's state runner-up squad. That left Hiers with a veteran group that counts eight seniors on a 13-deep roster.

"They're hungry and it shows in their work ethic in practice. What you saw in the second half (against Mililani) is who they are. We expect (the type of play we saw in) the second half, but we expect it for four quarters and that's what we've got to get to. We want to be steady and prepared mentally because on any day anybody can beat anybody, but we're hoping these experiences – such as playing in the Iolani Classic and playing all these D1 teams – will help prepare us for whatever lies ahead," Hiers said.

Akiona's continued development is certainly a key component to Hanalani's goal of a state championship. She saw limited playing time as a freshman, but saw her role expand as a sophomore, when she averaged 8.2 points off the bench and was a Second Team All-ILH pick. She upped that average a tick as a junior, when she earned First Team All-ILH honors and an Honorable Mention All-Hawaii nod.

"She's worked so hard at improving her game and being that all-around threat where people have to guard her and now they've got to pay attention to not only Ellana, but Piha, Jayda (Okuhara) and Tamilyn (Celestino) and no doubt it helps to take some of the load off of Ellana," Hiers said of the two-time All-Hawaii First Team selection and reigning ILH D2 Player of the Year.

Hiers said the duo of Klemp and Akiona should prove to be fairly formidable to opposing defenders.

"It has changed part of our offense where we can go pick and roll with those two and the defense has to decide what they're going to do because they can both finish and they can both shoot free throws, so it's trying to put the defense in a precarious situation and we have enough shooters on the perimeter that can knock down a shot," Hiers explained.

He described Akiona as being in "excellent shape" while having expanded her skillset.

"She's improved her handling of the ball and is being more aggressive to the bucket. What also helps is she can shoot it from the baseline so there's even times when we put her on the wing. On defense she's been more communicative this year and just more vocal and I think that comes with just being a senior and knowing that this is her last year in high school, but I've always appreciated her hard work and wanting to improve and still being coachable, which is great," Hiers said.

Off the hardwood, Akiona has always been heavily involved in hula.

"She's miss aloha, always so sweet and kind," Hiers said, "but when we get on the court and it's time to play, she does a great job at turning it on. She's really just done a great job at growing her game and the work she's put in has been tremendous and people are noticing."

Akiona scored 14 points in Hanalani's 63-38 win over Sacred Hearts to open up ILH play on Monday night.

She and the Royals (1-0) continue their league slate with road games at Damien and Hawaii Baptist on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

GIRLS BASKETBALL 

Mikaili Banetto-Payomo, Christian Liberty — Scored 17 points in a loss to Pahoa 

Lily Buden, Maui Prep — Scored 21 points in a loss to Hana 

Juseana Delatori, Lahainaluna — Scored 26 points in a win over Baldwin 

Nihoa Dunn, Kamehameha — Scored 15 points in a win over Punahou and scored 15 points in a win over Maryknoll 

Kacie Febo-Santiago, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 23 points in a win over Keaau 

Hailey Fernandez, Iolani — Scored 16 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Pua Herrington, Maryknoll — Scored 17 points in a win over Iolani and scored 19 points in a loss to Kamehameha 

Kukui Kalalau, Hana — Scored 28 points in a win over Maui Prep 

Justice Kekauoha, Iolani — Scored 18 points a loss to Maryknoll 

Ellana Klemp, Hanalani — Scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Pinewood, scored 16 points in a win over Punahou and scored 20 points with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a win over Mililani 

Talei Laury-Schaefer, Haleakala Waldorf — Scored 16 points in a win over Maui Prep 

Chelsea Lee, Iolani — Scored 15 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Sophia Moniz, Pahoa — Scored 25 points in a win over Christian Liberty 

Jazmyn Navarro, Kau — Scored 17 points in a win over Waiakea 

Rhea Nobleza, Moanalua — Scored 18 points, including five 3-pointers, with five rebounds, two assists and one steal in a loss to Kahuku 

Kyra Okuyama, Maui — Scored 15 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Leila Paraoan, Kapolei — Scored 24 points in a win over Waipahu 

Halia Perez-Bobek, Kohala — Scored 15 points with 11 steals, four rebounds and a block in a win over Hilo 

Sierra Ramos, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Iolani and scored 17 points in a loss to Mililani 

Mikela Salazar-Harrell, Konawaena — Scored 16 points in a win over Kau 

Rayah Soriano, Iolani — Scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Posia Wily, Kahuku — Scored 18 points with 11 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two steals in a win over Moanalua 

Tailele Wily-Ava, Kahuku — Scored 25 points with seven rebounds, five steals and three assists in a win over Moanalua 

Zaraiyah Wright, Punahou — Scored 17 points in a loss to Hanalani 

GIRLS SOCCER

Shelby Aoki, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over Iolani 

Janeane Fonoimoana, Kahuku — Scored three goals in a win over Roosevelt 

Maya George, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu 

Inalei Haunga, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Konawaena 

Kuhela Ledward, Mililani — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae 

Kamalei Leong, Kailua — Scored both goals in a win over Roosevelt 

Deizha Lyn Jacinto, Waipahu — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae 

Kulia Montgomery, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over PAC-5

Meilani Navarro, Campbell — Scored five goals in a win over Radford 

Harley Ota, Pearl City — Scored three goals in a win over Nanakuli 

Maci Rivera, Leilehua — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae 

Elina Salai, Waiakea — Scored three goals in a win over Kealakehe 

Uilani Shimabukuro, Castle — Scored three goals and assisted on another in a win over Farrington 

Aneala Sibayan, Hilo — Scored three goals in a win over Konawaena 

Alina Stephenson, Kalani — Scored three goals in a win over Farrington 

Miyah Suster, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Kapolei 

Kylie Tang, Punahou — Scored both goals in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Ionare Vee, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over PAC-5

Daye Yanazaki, Waiakea — Scored three goals in a win over Kealakehe 

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