Mililani Trojans Stay Alive To Face Rival Kapolei at Waipio
By Jack Danilewicz
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Among those tracking Kapolei’s season finale against Kalani last Wednesday, no one was more interested than Mililani water polo coach Aaron Waldrip and his Trojans.
Kalani’s 7-6 win over the Hurricanes guaranteed the Trojans the matchup they desired for this Thursday’s OIA tournament opener at Central Oahu Regional Park - to face Kapolei.
Mililani and Kapolei, which enter the tournament as the fourth and fifth seed, respectively, did not meet during the season, adding to the intrigue. During preseason, the teams each won a game from the other.
“Although we don’t wish any misfortune toward any other team, we were hoping for a matchup with Kapolei first,” Waldrip said. “We have a little rivalry going with them. Since we split (in preseason), it would be a way of settling it for the season. The coaches are friends, and the kids all know each other. We think it will be a very close game.”
Like the Hurricanes, who were runner-up to Kahuku in 2007, the Trojans are a program on the rise. Mililani made its first state tournament appearance last year under Waldrip’s predecessor, Chris Love, and went 8-3 during the recently completed season. Mililani’s three losses came to Kahuku, Kalani and Roosevelt, the team Waldrip labels the favorite for this week’s tournament.
“I’d be surprised if anyone beat Roosevelt (in the OIA) this year,” he said of the Rough Riders, who became the first OIA team to ever beat the Red Raiders with their 9-7 triumph last Wednesday. “They are incredibly deep.”
Down the road, Mililani may be the team that is considered “deep.“With only two seniors on its 20-member roster, the Trojans are one of the youngest teams in the state. A second straight state tournament appearance, which can be assured by finishing in the top six of the OIA’s post-season this week, would also go a long way in Mililani’s development as a program.
This year’s team has done it mainly with defense, stressed Waldrip, a former BYU-Hawaii player and prep standout in California. The Trojans are yielding five goals a game, while scoring nine per outing themselves.
“I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships,” he said. “They’ve worked really hard at it - in the summer season and this year - to have a shutdown defense. We let the offense take care of itself.”
On that note, the Trojans have shared the ball well on offense.“We have a well-balanced team this year. We don’t have any selfish players, which we’re really pleased about.”
Mililani also features two of the OIA’s better players in junior Kanani Mazzone and sophomore Alex Daley.
“Kanani is a tremendous athlete,” Waldrip said of Mazzone, who has a team-leading 29 goals to go with 12 assists and 24 steals.“Her biggest strength is her ability to evaluate a situation and then make a good decision on the fly.
“Alex is another one we need a big tournament from,” he added. “She’s our sprinter, by far the fastest girl on our team. She gives us an advantage to begin every quarter, and she can anticipate another team’s moves and get herself into the right positions.”
Kapolei will counter with 2-meter standout Alexandra Jamora, a First Team All-OIA selection last spring and one of the most prolific scorers in the state, and a supporting cast that includes fellow senior Roccio Sanchez and sophomores Madeleine Jamora and Sydney Flowers.
The OIA Tournament continues with a pair of semifinal contests Friday with the third-place game and championship games to be played Saturday. The state water polo championships, running May 6-9, also will take place at Central Oahu Regional Park.
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