Kahuku Water Polo Team Readies For Rival Roosevelt
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usWith four consecutive OIA championships to its credit, the Kahuku girls water polo team has grown used to being the highlight of every opponent’s schedule.
Asked to identify the most anticipated matchup on the Red Raiders’ own schedule, coach Aukai Ferguson can answer without hesitation.
“It gets four gold stars next to it,” Ferguson said of the annual Roosevelt encounter.
The two teams have met in each of the last four OIA title games in addition to their regular-season encounters, with Kahuku holding an 8-0 advantage in the series. While Kahuku has dominated the OIA since water polo became a sanctioned sport, Roosevelt has always been in the Red Raiders’ blind spot.
“Of those eight meetings, more than half were two-goal games,” said Ferguson, whose current team meets Roosevelt at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Central Oahu Regional Park.“We could easily be 4-4 against them instead of 8-0. That (knack for winning the close games) plays to our advantage psychologically. It (the streak) can be inspiring, but it can also be intimidating.”
Roosevelt is coached by Susan Nishioka, a former All-American at the University of Hawaii and Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame inductee.
“They always have smart, heads-up players,” Ferguson said. “Sue’s been around, and she always trains her goalies well. They have three or four strong shooters, too. We have to watch their perimeter shooting - sometimes those outside shots are tough to time. Our perimeter defense will have to be good. They’ll be tough for four quarters. They have the talent to take advantage of your mistakes.”
For their part, the Red Raiders have looked their usual dominant selves to date in 2007, hammering both Pearl City and McKinley by identical 19-0 scores in addition to a 6-4 win over Mililani in their season-opener March 17 that brought their record to 3-0. As in past years, the Red Raiders have been on a steady scoring pace. Noe Wicker and Rosie Jaffurs currently lead the team with eight goals each, while Gina Ahue, Ella Aiwohi, Rebecca Fonoimoana, Shannon Ching, Taniya Sifton and Minnie Whitford have also figured big in Kahuku’s early-season success. Fonoimoana and Ching are the team’s co-captains.
Among the Red Raiders’ greater challenges will be maintaining their level of play, especially in light of their lopsided victories, according to Ferguson.“When we’re playing our league games, we have to be able to stay focused (in preparation) for the playoffs. You have to stay on track when you’re up 15-0. When you have a lead like that, you can get away with poor fundamentals.”
Ferguson is in his last season as the Red Raiders’ coach, having announced before the season that he will give up coaching to spend more time with his growing family, which includes wife Heidi, 7-month old daughter Ella, and 4-year old son Torin. Ferguson expects UH (and former Kahuku) standout Makana Whitford to take over the program. For the present, however, Ferguson is hoping to go out in style in his final season. Kahuku was the Local Motion state tournament runner-up to Kamehameha last year and figures to be a factor in the post-season again this year if all goes according to plan.
“So far, we’ve been doing really well,” he added. “The kids are starting to figure out their roles, and they’ve started to realize how much time you have to put in (to be successful). We’re still a work in progress.”
Following the Roosevelt game on Wednesday, the Red Raiders will return home for a pair of games Saturday at Brigham-Young University-Hawaii. Kahuku meets Aiea at 10:15 and Moanalua at 12:45.
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