PUKALANI — The historic run of 2021 is in the rearview mirror for the Kamehameha Schools Maui football team.

The magic of the team’s second Maui Interscholastic League Division II title in school history and an appearance in the state championship game for the first time ever is no longer applicable, according to head coach Ulima Afoa and the team’s standouts.

When Afoa was asked about the Warriors bringing back 16 starters — eight on offense, eight on defense — from last season’s state runner-up team, he smiled and moved on quickly.

“Yeah, yeah, it is,” Afoa said last Thursday when asked if 16 was a good number. “But it doesn’t mean anything because we haven’t played a game yet. That just means that they’re back for another year.”

The Warriors played a preseason game on Saturday, a 25-21 loss to Kamehameha Hawaii, in which they showed off a balanced and explosive offense that rolled up 361 yards and a swarming defense that sacked the opposing quarterback 11 times.

Of his offense, which is led by the leading passer in the MIL last season as a sophomore, Makana Kamaka-Brayce, Afoa said: “You’ve seen us the last couple years, we’re going to open it up, keep trying to spread the field and make you play the whole field.”

On defense, Afoa said “we kind of do a bunch of things, most of it is trying to pressure wherever the ball is.”

Kamaka-Brayce threw for 1,370 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 88 of 131 passes in six MIL games.

Then, he was never better in a 48-24 win over Kaiser in the state semifinals — 20 of 29 for 369 yards, four TDs and no interceptions.

Under heavy pressure all game long in the state final — a 61-7 loss to Kapaa — Kamaka-Brayce was just 7-for-26 passing for 96 yards, no scores and two interceptions after seven KSM starters were ruled out of the game due to COVID-19 issues.

That game was Dec. 30, and the Warriors were back on the practice field at Kanaiaupuni Stadium less than seven months later.

“There’s a lot of anticipation, definitely some excitement, just prepping the whole summer and we’re ready, we’re ready to compete,” Kamaka-Brayce said on Thursday.

The 2021 MIL Offensive Player of the Year is two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than he was a year ago — now up to 6 feet, 185 pounds — after a rigorous offseason of camps and clinics.

“Yes and yes, for sure,” Kamaka-Brayce said when asked if he felt stronger and ready for the season. “I went to camps on the Mainland, just to get exposure, and I worked a lot on my speed and agility and, of course, did extra work in the weight room.”

The memory of 61-7 is still burning for Kamaka-Brayce.

“It’s a big motivator this year,” he said. “That’s definitely not how we wanted to end our season, so it’s just been in the back of our minds throughout the whole summer and even now. It’s going to push us throughout the entire season.”

Kamaka-Brayce has multiple weapons to work with on offense — Frank Abreu (26 catches, 469 yards, 3 TDs) and Po’o Aiu (25-269, 5 TDs) were Nos. 1-2 on the MIL receptions list last year, and they combined for nine catches for 173 yards on Saturday, including two long scoring catches by Abreu.

Kauila Shiffler and Kapena Ueki also each had four catches in Saturday’s game, while five ballcarriers accounted for 120 yards on the ground.

“The one thing about having all that notoriety is the expectation level goes high in the next year up,” Afoa said. “Hopefully they have their own personal expectations going higher than that, and hopefully performing to it.

“But, again, that’s why you play the games.”

Kamaka-Brayce smiled widely when asked how good this offense can be.

“It can be great once we get firing on all cylinders,” he said. “Last year was a sneak peak and now we just have got to be on our best game this year. We’ve already built that connection from last year and with everyone returning, we just have to do what we do best.”

Aiu was also quick to grin widely when asked about the offense.

“You know, we have so much potential, it’s really unmatched, but potential doesn’t mean nothing unless we show everybody what we can do,” Aiu said. “We know what we’re capable of and we know that we can go out there and put points on any team on this island and that’s just what we’re going to try and do.”

Aiu is impressed with the work that Kamaka-Brayce put in so far in 2022.

“I see a lot of improvements, his arm is definitely stronger, he puts the ball in places that only we can get it,” Aiu said of Kamaka-Brayce. “So, it’s fun to play with him.”

Kanekoa Maielua-Kekiwi, a 6-3, 200-pound junior, will see time on both sides of the ball, but mostly on the defensive line and at linebacker.

“I feel like we stepped up a lot because all of us became more experienced,” Maielua-Kekiwi said. “We really only lost our D-line, but last year we already had good backups. We’re really fast, that’s our strong point.

“We’re not really much of a big team, but we know our assignments and we’re fast. We can get the job done.”

The MIL also had Lahainaluna in the Division I state championship game last year, the first time the league has had two state finalists.

Kamehameha Maui opens MIL play on Aug. 27 at King Kekaulike.

“We prepare for everybody as a must-win — again, it’s a very competitive league,” Afoa said. “So, that’s kind of how we’re going into this thing, not that anybody is easy. I mean, there are no givens in this league.

“We don’t worry about other people, we just try to worry about ourselves and see what we do. We try to do what we do best.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

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Warriors at a Glance

2021 record: 4-2 MIL, 5-3 overall (lost in D-II state championship game)

Returning starters: 8 offense, 8 defense

Offense: Single back

Defense: Multiple