In a way, Hawaii Prep boys soccer coach Rich Braithwaite had too many reasons to be thankful.
Ka Makani’s program is trending these days — if it was a stock it’d be labeled a “buy” — and it showed at the start of the preseason when Braithwaite had to literally turn players away.
“I had to cut about five or six guys that last year would have been contributors,” Braithwaite said.
HPA is coming off a second consecutive third-place finish at the HHSAA Division II tournament, but what makes this year’s team special, Braithwaite and senior standout striker Justin Perry said, is how deep it is.