All-Area Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year: Crescenta Valley’s Kaauwai was not to be overlooked
With speed, a wealth of skills and a propensity to make big plays, Dallas Kaauwai was a player who was not easily overlooked on the soccer field this past season for the Crescenta Valley High boys’ team.
But that wasn’t always the case. When he first joined the Falcons program four years ago as a freshman, the undersized Kaauwai had to prove to himself that he was a viable player after maybe not passing the eye test right away.
“I walked into my freshman season as a 5-foot-nothing, 100-pound player who might not have looked like much to tell you the truth,” Kaauwai said. “At that point I was really wondering how I was going to stack up against the competition that was in front of me.”
Crescenta Valley coach Grant Clark remembers when he first got a glimpse of Kaauwai as a freshman.
“One hundred pounds? Maybe if he was soaking wet,” Clark said. “He was just a rail of a guy. Just looking at him back then you wouldn’t have thought that he’s a kid that four years from now is going to make a substantial impact on our program.
“But we coaches knew Dallas and had seen him play club, so we knew that he had the talent and that he was a good player.”
In his senior campaign during the 2017-18 season, Kaauwai made a lasting impression on the Crescenta Valley program. The forward/midfielder was an offensive catalyst for the Falcons, scoring goals in bunches and serving as a leader on the field.
Kaauwai helped Crescenta Valley win the Pacific League championship for the first time in six seasons and was named the Pacific League Player of the Year. In addition, he earned All-CIF Southern Section Division III first-team honors.
It was because of those accomplishments that Kaauwai was selected the 2017-18 All-Area Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year, as voted by the sportswriters of the Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader and La Cañada Valley Sun.
“My main goal really was helping the team win league. The year before we finished second in league to Burroughs and we really wanted that league title.”
— Crescenta Valley High senior forward Dallas Kaauwai
From the outset of his senior season there was a primary focus for Kaauwai and his Falcons teammates. Since the team hadn’t won a Pacific League title since 2012, capturing the league crown was paramount.
“My main goal really was helping the team win league,” Kaauwai said. “The year before we finished second in league to Burroughs and we really wanted that league title.
“We knew with the team that we had this season that goal was tangible. The team that we had this year was really ready and we were able to mold ourselves together into a league-winning team.”
The first big league test for the Falcons was a matchup Jan. 12 against the Indians. Kaauwai tallied a goal and the Falcons ran away with a 4-0 victory at home.
In the rematch Feb. 2 at Burroughs, Kaauwai came through with a big-time performance. The senior had a hat trick, including scoring the match-winner with three minutes left, to lift Crescenta Valley to a 4-3 win that clinched the league championship.
“That second game against Burroughs at Burroughs, that was just a great showcase for Dallas,” said Clark, who was honored as the All-Area and league coach of the year. “More than scoring the three goals, he really helped bring the team together and emotionally and physically pushed the team to get that victory.
“That was a game that was really big for us and that was one that we really needed to win. I was especially happy with Dallas and the performance that he put in.”
The Falcons (18-5-3 overall) won the league with a 12-0-2 record.
What followed was the Division III playoffs in which the Falcons were seeded No. 2. Kaauwai had a goal in a 3-1 first-round victory against Ventura. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they saw their season end with a 1-0 loss in the second round to Whittier California.
“That was disappointing, to lose in the second round,” Kaauwai said. “We were hoping to go further in the playoffs. We thought we had the talent to go a few more rounds.”
In his second season on the varsity level, Kaauwai finished with a team-leading 17 goals and five assists.
“He is just a kid who really knows the game and he just understands so much on the field as the play is going on,” Clark said. “He is an intelligent kid and once you get him on the field, he is doing something that he really loves and he just focuses on what is available to our team and how we’re going to get that. It’s like having another coach on the field.
“Since he came into the program, Dallas has physically progressed very nicely. He is a very athletic and very mobile kid who has worked hard to get better as a player. The last two years you could see everything coming together for him as a player.”
Someone who witnessed Kaauwai’s progression as a player — starting before high school — is senior Ryan Sanfilippo, who was a forward for the Falcons.
“I have been playing with Dallas since I was about 12 years old and he has just gotten better as a player each and every year,” said Sanfilippo, an All-Area first-team selection. “For me, to play alongside him up top has been great. He is just a very good team player and not a selfish player at all.
“But what makes him a great player is he’s so good on the ball and he is very patient. If he doesn’t have a shot, he will pass it to someone who might have a better shot.”
Although Kaauwai admits it was nice to be recognized for his individual accomplishments, he wasn’t motivated by awards in his final season on the pitch for the Falcons.
“I think I just wanted to go out on fire, to go out on a high note for my last year,” he said. “Just knowing it was my last year, I just wanted to give everything that I could to my team and to my school. And that included winning the league title.”
Twitter: @jefftsports
