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Mililani, Waialua Teams Dominate OIA In Boys Soccer

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Mililani’s Taz Stevenson dazzled all onlookers in leading the Trojans to a 21-18 win over rival Leilehua in the OIA Red West opener for both teams Aug. 22 at John Kauinana Stadium.

All told, the 6-foot-2 Stevenson, who will attend Washington on a football scholarship next fall, saw playing time as running back, receiver, return man and safety for the Trojans, producing 177 all-purpose yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run. He also recovered a fumble.Mililani quarterback Trent McKinney, a Kapolei transfer, also had a stellar outing, hitting on 13-of-17 passes for 143 yards and a score. He also ran for a touchdown.

The win sent the Trojans on their way to a solid 6-3 season under coach Darnell Arceneaux, which included a 5-0 start and wins over then-defending Division I state champion Punahou (16-6), Waipahu (14-0), Campbell (35-14), and Nanakuli (47-0). Back-to-back losses to Kapolei (41-24) and Waianae (54-41) the first two weekends of October ended the Trojans’bid for a Red West regular-season title, but Mililani rebounded to defeat Kailua in a first-round OIA playoff game Oct. 16. A week later, the Trojans played valiantly on the road in a 35-27 loss to eventual OIA champion Kahuku to finish their season.

Even so, any discussion of the top prep sports stories of the year 2009 has to begin with the epic battle Aug.22 between Leilehua and Mililani, which was played before an overflow crowd.A glance at some of the other memorable moments from the 2009 prep season on Central Oahu follows.

Leilehua Boys, Mililani Girls Capture OIA Cross Country Championships

Leilehua runner Margarito Martinez led from start to finish in lifting the Mules to a fifth straight OIA championship under coach Shawn Nakata at the league finals Oct. 24 at Central Oahu Regional Park. Martinez finished the 3-mile course in 16:15:42 to place ahead of Aiea’s Colin Honeker and Mililani freshman Zachary Carvalho. Martinez went on to finish first overall at the state cross country championships on Kauai as well with a time of 15:50.05 on Oct. 31. The Mules also qualified Micah Velasco, Dylan Marinez, Evan Igarashi and Branden Miya to finish fifth overall.

Gabriella Jenkins (19:37.35), Kimberly Pugliese (20:04:81) and Kristin Ali-Keith (20:22:29) took home the top three spots to lift the Mililani girls team to the OIA title,which also took place Oct. 24. All three went on to finish in the top five at the state cross country championships on Kauai on Halloween. Jenkins took third, Ali Keith placed fourth, and Pugliese came in fifth for the Trojans, who finished second to Punahou in the team totals.

Mililani Boys Soccer Team Defeats Kapolei For Division I OIA Title

Jonathan Fukumoto and Corey Nakagawa each scored goals to lead Mililani to a 2-0 win over Kapolei in the OIA Red Conference boys soccer championship Jan. 30 at Roosevelt’s stadium. The win gave Mililani its seventh league title in the last eight years and earned it the top seed for the ensuing state soccer championships.Wins over Kalaheo (3-0) and Punahou (2-1 on penalty kicks) advanced Mililani to the state title game versus Iolani on Valentine’s Day at Waipio Soccer Complex.The Trojans received goals from Ryan Yoneda and Aaron Yokoyama, but Mililani lost to Iolani by a 5-2 count.

Waialua Boys Soccer Team Defeats Kailua For Division II OIA Title

Kainoa Rosa’s goal stood up as the game-winner as Waialua defeated East foe Kailua 1-0 in the Division II OIA title game Jan. 30 at Waipio Soccer Complex. The win gave the school its first-ever OIA soccer title in boys soccer and gave the Bulldogs the No.3 seed for the boys DII state soccer championships a couple of weeks later.

Waialua had advanced to the OIA DII title game in 2008 but lost to Kahuku. The Bulldogs, who are coached by John Rosa, built on their momentum of last season to go 12-0 in the OIA’s White Conference during the 2008-09 regular season.At the state tournament, their dream of a state title ended in a quarter-final loss to Mid-Pacific, 6-1, before they bounced back to beat Kamehameha-Hawaii (2-1 on penalty kicks) the following day in the consolation round. The Bulldogs closed out their 2008-09 campaign in the fifth-place game with a one-all tie versus Honokaa Feb. 14. Waialua finished its season with a 13-1-1 overall record.

Leilehua Edges Farrington To Advance To OIA Football Title Game

Leilehua avenged a disappointing loss to Farrington in the 2008 OIA Red playoffs by defeating the Governors almost exactly a year later with a 9-7 victory in the semis Oct. 30 at Aloha Stadium. The win lifted Leilehua into the league title game Nov. 6, which was won 24-20 by Kahuku. As throughout the year, senior quarterback Andrew Manley was the catalyst for Leilehua, hitting on 15 of 23 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Kamana Akagi had eight catches for 124 yards and a score for the Mules. Leilehua went on to beat Baldwin in the first round of the First Hawaiian Bank Division I State Football Championships on November 20th before a loss to eventual state champ Kamehameha in the semifinals on November 27 at Aloha Stadium and ended their season at 7-3. The Mules had entered the post-season as one of the hottest teams in the state despite early-season losses to neighboring Mililani and Saint Louis School in late August. Leilehua rebounded from those disappointments to reel off consecutive wins against Kapolei (14-10), Campbell (29-26), Waianae (47-28), Nanakuli (47-7) and Waipahu (38-8) to close out their regular season. They added wins over Kailua (29-13) and Farrington (9-7) in OIA playoff games prior to the aforementioned loss to Kahuku in the title game.

Mililani Wins Date House Division I State Softball Title Mililani won its second state softball title overall and its first under head coach Rose Antonio May 15 when by defeating Roosevelt 6-2 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in Manoa.

The Trojans had lost to the Rough Riders 3-1 only days earlier in the OIA DI championship game, but rebounded big-time in the game that mattered perhaps the most. Lefty pitcher Kishti Kamaka led the way, earning her fourth win on the mound in as many starts. She went the distance in the state title game,scattering seven hits and striking out six while issuing only one walk. Glenelle Nitta, Jaime Robinson and Honolulu Star-Bulletin 2008 Player of the Year Courtney Senas each collected two hits to pace Mililani’s offense. The Trojans had defeated Campbell (4-2), Waiakea (5-3) and Iolani (10-0) to advance to the state final.

Mililani finished 10-2 during the regular season (good for a first-place tie with Campbell) in the OIA Red West. The Trojans finished 16-3 overall.

Waialua Softball Team Wraps Amazing Season With Division II State Title Game Appearance

A pitchers’ duel between Kauai’s Wailana Borrero and Waialua’s Marissa Keao lived up to its billing when their respective teams met May 15 in Manoa for the DII state softball championship. Borrero and the Raiders edged the Bulldogs 1-0 on the strength of a timely hit and a Waialua miscue. Even so, little could diminish the excitement surrounding Waialua’s season, given that the Bulldogs failed to even field a team only two years earlier due to their inability to amass a big enough roster. Keao led the way for Waialua all season and didn’t give up an earned run in 14 innings of work at the state tourney. She struck out seven in the championship game and walked only two. Riding her arm, Waialua had defeated both Aiea (6-0) and Kamehameha-Hawaii (2-0) to advance to the title game. The Bulldogs had captured the OIA Division II title May 2 with a 5-4 win over Kaiser. Waialua had gone 9-1-1 in its regular season to finish atop the standings in the OIA’s White West Division.Waialua is coached by Jay Keao.

Mililani Baseball Team Wins Play-In Game Versus Kalani To Earn League’s Last State Berth

Mililani capped a riveting run in the OIA post-season baseball tournament April 24 when it crushed Kalani 11-5 in a “play-in game” to decide the league’s fifth and final berth in the DI state baseball championships. The Trojans had gone 6-6 in the OIA Red West Conference during the regular season before posting wins in three of their four OIA tournament games.In addition to their win over Kalani, the Trojans also beat traditional powers Kaiser (8-6) and Castle (1-0). A 3-0 loss to East champion Kailua was Mililani’s only loss in the tournament. It amassed 19 runs in its last two OIA tournament games after scoring only one in their first two games. At the state tournament, Mililani followed up a tough 3-2 loss to Moanalua in the first round to tie Maui (at 1-all) in the consolation round. A coin flip moved the Trojans into the consolation final where they defeated Waiakea 3-1 in the consolation final to finish the year 10-8-1 overall.

Mililani Girls Tennis Team Wins OIA Title

The Trojans won their third straight OIA title and their 10th in 15 years under long-time coach May Ann Beamer April 27 at Brigham Young-Hawaii. Nine of the Trojans, including the doubles team of Adrienne Hamada and Kimberly Takara, qualified for the state tennis championships in early May.Hamada and Takara placed fourth overall at the event. Also qualifying for the state tournament were the doubles teams of Melissa MonetteKaylee Yamamoto and Rachel Mizuno-Melissa Ching, and Erin Watanabe, Kelsey Kennel and Taylor Oyama in the singles division.