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WAIPAHU - The second time seems to be the charm for Neighbor Island schools.

After losing to Mid-Pacific in last year's title game, Honoka'a captured the school's first state title with a 4-1 win against Kapa'a Saturday night in the JN Automotive Group Division II state boys' tournament at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

"It's an amazing feeling," Honoka'a coach Maurice Miranda said. "These kids just played their hearts out. This is how they played all season. It was pretty much non-stop."

Kapa'a, which won the title in 2009 after losing to MPI in the title game in 2008, trailed 2-0 at the half, but made it interesting early in the second half when Calvin Rux scored in the 45th minute. But late goals by tourney most outstanding player Dylan Shiraki and Joshua Robinson in the closing minutes sealed it for the top-seeded Dragons.

"We had a little bit of a breakdown at the end where they picked up the two goals," Kapa'a coach Kevin Cram said. "Up until that point, we were in the match. We got one (goal) back and I thought we had a chance to be able to come back."

Robinson scored Honoka'a's first and fourth goals, while Justin Warren and Shiraki added the second and third goals, respectively.

"Josh Robinson, I thought, gave a lot of problems to their defense," Miranda said. "Our threesome in the middle Chayse Moniz, Robert Connors and Dylan Shiraki - they're juniors and they've been playing together since they were this big (the coach's hand at about waist level) - I think they showed today that they don't panic. Kapa'a came back and threw everything at us."

The shorter Dragons tried to keep the ball on the ground to counter the Warriors' height. Yet, Honoka'a scored two goals off headers.

"We've been trying to make the connection (off the throw-ins) all season," Miranda said. "We haven't been successful. Last year, we had Sage Johnson and had nine or 10 goals from Dylan (off throw-ins). This year, I think we had two or three. We've been practicing the past two, three weeks because it's a great offensive weapon."

Robinson scored off a header off a throw-in from Shiraki at the 29th minute to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Joel Shoemaker-Hassey fielded a throw-in from Shiraki on the opposite side of the goal and pushed a short cross to Warren, who booted in the goal from about four yards out to make it 2-0.

The Warriors got on the board at the 45th minute when Rux's diving header off a long assist from Joshua Cram went off the fingers of goalkeeper Maika'i Coehlo.

But the Dragons sealed the game on a short goal by Shiraki at the 76th minute and at the 77th minute on Robinson's second goal of the game.

Honoka'a's first state title in any sport is shared by the Big Island community.

"The community supports us a lot," Robinson said. "They donated a lot of money to us. Our school has never won a state tournament, so we brought it home for them."


DIVISION II ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Most Outstanding Player - Dylan Shiraki, Honoka'a

F - Matt Domingcil, Kapa'a
F - Chris Maeda, St. Anthony
F - Josh Robinson, Honoka'a
MF - Landy Eng, Hawai'i Prep
MF - Malachi Kobayashi, Hawai'i Prep
MF - Calvin Rux, Kapa'a
MF - Dylan Shiraki, Honoka'a
D - Robert Connors, Honoka'a
D - Tony Connors, Honoka'a
D - Bryce Mizoguchi, St. Anthony
GK - Maika'i Coelho, Honoka'a