Kahuku Girls Face Tough Roosevelt Team In Water Polo
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usAround the Kahuku girls water polo program, it is well-known that the road to the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship invariably runs through Roosevelt.
The Red Raiders have met the Rough Riders in the conference title game each of the last three years, winning all three.
With that in mind, Wednesday’s annual regular-season encounter with the Rough Riders - at 4:45 p.m. at Kaimuki High School - figures big for both teams.
“We’ve been competing with them since ‘94 (before water polo was officially sanctioned by the OIA), so we know each other well,” Kahuku coach Aukai Ferguson said.“We’ll need to match up our best players against their weakest players. We’re always looking for a mis-match. We have superior numbers, so we have to swim hard for four quarters.”
Kahuku will dress 18 players on Wednesday, while Ferguson anticipates the Rough Riders playing 10 to 12. The Red Raiders’ depth has served them well this season, keeping them on the attack en route to tallying a league-best 64 goals. Kahuku has beaten Mililani (17-2), Castle (18-2), Kaimuki (17-2) and Leilehua (12-4) to date, with only Leilehua able to stay within arm’s length of the Red Raiders up until intermission, having outscored Kahuku 1-0 in the second quarter.
“That game was closer than it should have been,” said Ferguson, who is also the men’s coach at Brigham Young-Hawaii. “We’re averaging four goals per quarter, so to be outscored 1-0 was really a wake-up call for us, I hope. Every year we have one, and we hope that was it.”
A talented group of returnees from last year’s OIA championship team has carried the Red Raiders so far in 2006, headed by sophomore center-forward Taniya Sifton and senior co-captains Meme Moody (driver) and Mika Bailey (defender).
“Taniya has a great feel for the game,” Ferguson said. “She plays well with her back to the goal, and she’s muscular. She can protect the ball and post up well.
“Meme helped us to organize a Mainland trip over the summer, which is a big part of our off-season,” Ferguson added.“She keeps the team going and makes sure everyone is ready to play, and Mika has a really strong outside shot.”
Also back for the Red Raiders are sophomores Gina Ahue and Rosie Jaffurs and senior Shannon Ching.
Ahua and Jaffurs “are among our smartest players,” according to the coach. “Both have a good feel for the game, and Shannon does it all for us.”
In net, senior goalkeeper Morgan Wright has been the starter, after serving in a reserve role to last year’s standout, Sarah Mirels, who currently starts for Division I Pacific.
“She’s had a great attitude throughout,” Ferguson said of Wright’s waiting in the wings.“She earned the job, and she’s done a great job. She’s giving up only two goals a game.”
Should the Red Raiders get past Roosevelt, they would have the inside track to a fourth consecutive OIA title. The league’s post-season will be held May 3-6 at Kaimuki High School. The women’s state water polo championships are set for May 11-13 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center on the University of Hawaii campus. Kahuku made it to the state championship game last year, where they were defeated 13-1 by Punahou.
“The key for us is to realize our full potential and be confident,” Ferguson said.“Our kids put a lot of pressure on themselves when we play teams like Punahou and Kamehameha, and they have to be able to play with that pressure and feel confident. We have good athletes, but sometimes we’re tight.”
Kahuku will celebrate Homecoming and Senior Day simultaneously on Saturday, April 29, when they host Radford (1:45) and Moanalua (3 p.m.) at BYUH.
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