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Waialua Turns It Around In 2006

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Waialua’s Adam Foster helped the Bulldogs earn
their first playoff berth in 13 years. Photo from
Joe Whittaker.

In the world of sports, the numbers don’t always tell the story.

Unfortunately, in the case of the Waialua football program, the numbers very often did tell the story over the past decade. Figuratively, the Bulldogs had invested in football poverty during that span, with nary a winning season on its resume and five winless seasons,dating back to 1993.

That all changed this fall, however, when Waialua returned to the high-rent district of Hawaii prep football with a riveting regular-season run - they finished 6-3-1 - that earned the school its first playoff berth in 13 years. Indeed, any review of the top prep sports stories on Central Oahu in 2006 has to begin with the Waialua football program.

In fact, the Bulldogs had been making progress for years (although traditionally hampered by a low turnout at tryouts due to a small student body) and were in position to make the playoffs in 2005 before ending up on the wrong side of a coin flip that determined the last playoff berth from the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s White Conference. That disappointment only fueled Waialua’s resolve in 2006. Behind a high-powered offense that centered around quarterback Caleb Fore and receivers Adam Foster and Edwin Rubic and a solid offensive line, the Bulldogs earned plenty of style points along the way this past fall. To hear Bulldog coach Lincoln Barit tell it,the payoff was well worth the wait for him and the Waialua community.

“The boys made a commitment in 2005 (to the program), and they

carried it on into 2006,” said Barit, who was chosen as the White Conference Coach of the Year by his peers in November.“Hopefully, these (current) kids will make the same kind of off-season commitment as those kids.

“We’re a small community, and to have a winning season in any sport is always an accomplishment,” he added.“I’d like to thank everybody for the support they gave us.”

Attendance at Waialua games multiplied accordingly, the coach said.

“I’m happy that they’re happy,” he said of the community’s out-pouring of support.“We had a lot of alumni coming out,and they kept coming out. It (the season) was a positive thing for the kids and the community.”

Waialua wasn’t the only football team to enjoy a banner year in 2006. Both Mililani and Leilehua had their now-customary stellar seasons. In fact, both squared off in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I third-place game on Nov. 11 at Hugh Yoshida Stadium with the league’s last playoff spot for the First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships at stake. Mililani prevailed, 23-21, largely behind the running of Jordan Torres (116 yards on 15 carries) and Isaiah Lawelawe (65 yards, two touchdowns). Torres ended his senior season as the West’s leading rusher with 1,509 yards and 14 TD’s for the year. Mililani’s season ended (with an 8-4 record) the following week in a loss to Baldwin in the first round of the state tournament on Maui.

Leilehua, which had beaten Mililani 23-14 in the regular season meeting between the teams on Sept. 9, finished yet another fine season under Nolan Tokuda at 7-4. Mules’ senior quarterback Bryant Moniz returned from an injury-shortened season in 2005 to throw for 1,898 yards and 20 touchdowns for Leilehua in 2006.

In soccer, Mililani’s boys and girls teams both captured Oahu Interscholastic Association titles in January. The Trojan boys team defeated previously unbeaten Kapolei 1-0 at Kaiser High School for its fifth straight OIA title and its seventh in eight years under coach Jeff Yamamoto. Solid goal-tending by Michael Smith and Dustin Shimatsu’s goal 10 minutes into the contest provided the margin of victory.

Earlier that day, Mililani’s girls team defeated Kalani 1-0 in the title game for its second championship in three years under Ray Akiona. Stephanie Yoro provided the game-winning goal on a throw-in.

The Mililani girls track and field team also stood tall against the competition in 2006, winning a second consecutive OIA title under coach Dane Matsunaga on May 6. The Trojans were led by sprinter Britney Stephens, who won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes in addition to anchoring two winning relay teams.

In girls basketball, Mililani culminated a solid season by advancing to the Hawaiian Airlines Division I State Tournament in May. Losses to East powers Kahuku and Kalaheo ended the Trojans’ bid for a state title. Mililani was 10-7 under coach Scott DeSilva, who was later named co-Coach of the Year from the OIA’s Western Division.