A defense, a quarterback and a kick returner.
The 2012 Maui Interscholastic League football season was all about history.
The Lahainaluna High School defense recorded six shutouts in eight league games, Baldwin quarterback Keelan Ewaliko recovered from a rib injury that cost him two games to become the first three-time MIL Offensive Player of the Year, and Bears' defensive back Abraham Reinhardt had seven returns for touchdowns.
Article Photos
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Tytus Lucas helped Lahainaluna High School win six games by shutout this year.
* Baldwin’s Keelan Ewaliko accounted for 17 touchdowns in Maui Interscholastic League play.
* The Bears’ Abraham Reinhardt scored seven touchdowns on returns.
BEN JUAN photo (Lucas); The Maui News MATTHEW THAYER photos (Ewaliko and Reinahrdt)
All of those feats are unmatched in more than eight decades of MIL football.
Lahainaluna defensive back Tytus Lucas is the MIL Defensive Player of the Year, leading a first-team All-Star list that includes seven Lunas. Lucas had eight interceptions, including six in league contests.
The Maui News MIL Football All-Star team is decided by a vote of the league's coaches.
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Lucas' father, Marcus, and his twin Stephen, were first-team MIL All-Star linebackers for the Lunas in 1994.
"Overwhelming, I guess," Tytus Lucas said of the award. "I'm just happy that I won, but it wasn't only me. It was the whole team helping me out."
Lucas is joined on the first-team defense by teammates Hercules Mataafa, Samiuela Filiai, Bronson Kaina, Semisi Filikitonga, Mark Alamon and Asi Fatongia. Baldwin's Miki Fangatua, Semisi Malafu, Teva Eldridge and Reinhardt, and Maui High's Tommy Fisher round out the unit.
Reinhardt is the MIL Special Teams Player of the Year.
On offense, Ewaliko successfully defended the MIL rushing and scoring crowns he won in 2011 when he became the first player ever to win the passing, scoring and rushing crowns in a single season. This year, he was third in the league passing race.
Ewaliko, who has verbally committed to the University of Hawaii, is joined on the first team by teammates Dusty Flores (running back), Larry Gines (receiver), and offensive linemen Ricardo Montillano and Alika Ezera.
"I don't know what to say," Ewaliko said. "It is not often you see the same person three times in a row. It is a privilege every time. The first time, second, it is always a privilege. I'm just happy people think I'm good."
The Lunas landed Scott-Isaac Medeiros-Tangatailoa (receiver), and offensive linemen Connor Mowat, Justin Hong, Lovai Hong. Filikitonga was the only player to make both first teams.
Maui High's Jared Kapisi, the league's leading receiver, and running back Justin McCrary round out the squad.
The Lunas dominated the league statistics on both sides of the ball, allowing just 98 yards per game on defense while piling up an average of 300.8 yards per game on offense on their run to the Division II state title game.
Lahainaluna and Baldwin split their two league contests to share the overall MIL title with 7-1 records - the teams have won or shared every league crown since 2001.
The difference this season was Ewaliko, who missed a 32-0 defeat to the Lunas on Sept. 7 and scored the winning touchdown in a 20-17 overtime win Oct. 13.
Lucas was a ballhawk all season, but he had five interceptions in a two-game span - three in a 31-0 win over Maui High to finish the MIL campaign and two more in a 28-0 win over Nanakuli in the state semifinals. Lucas returned his first interception in the state tournament 34 yards for a touchdown and his second pick preserved the shutout.
The Lunas had 19 interceptions in eight MIL games. Filikitonga had four, Fatongia finished with three, and second-team All-Star Jeffrey Ancog had four.
"I was kind of worried I was only going to finish the season with one (interception) because I was stuck there for a while," Lucas said. "I can't really believe I finished with eight."
Lucas has his eyes set on NCAA Division III Willamette University in Salem, Ore., to continue his career. He will be watching Ewaliko from afar.
"He's fast, he's quick," Lucas said. "He can juke like that. I don't know, he's hard to stop. I wish him all the luck at UH."
Lucas' father and uncle have had fun with him following in their footsteps.
"My dad and my uncle, both, they said we have it easier," Tytus Lucas said. "The coaches were way more harder on them, crazier. They said the coaches are more mellow now. I just laugh."
The Lucas family lives in Central Maui, but Tytus always knew he would attend Lahainaluna. He lives with longtime coach Bobby Watson during the season to allow him to be a Luna.
"He means a lot to me,"
Lucas said of Watson, who shares MIL Coach of the Year honors with co-head coach Garret Tihada. "He took me in from my eighth-grade year. Ever since I was little, we lived on the other side, but I always knew I was going to come and play for him. They did a lot for me and I owe them a lot."
Both Lucas and Ewaliko will pass up sports they have excelled at in the past to prepare for college football - Ewaliko soccer and Lucas volleyball.
"It is all about football now," Ewaliko said. "I think about my teammates (at Baldwin) and it is not only me, I couldn't do it without them."
One he will miss watching is Reinhardt, who had three kickoff, three punt and a fumble return for touchdowns. He averaged more than 40 yards per kick return.
"Abe is amazing," Ewaliko said. "I am going to miss being on the sideline watching him do his thing."
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com
