Surfrider Sumner Is OIA Red East Player Of The Year

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Kailua third baseman Kale Sumner saved some of his biggest efforts for his team’s biggest games. That in and of itself was a significant feat for one who was consistent throughout an extraordinary junior season.

Sumner, who batted .514 for the year to go with four home runs and 16 RBIs, was rewarded recently for his efforts, having been named Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Player of the Year in a vote of conference coaches. Castle co-coach Chad Uyehara can be counted among those who felt the sting of Sumner’s play.

“He has a presence about him,” Uyehara said of Sumner. “He’s a quiet leader for them and a very good hitter, and they have a lot of good hitters on that team.”

Sumner’s defining moment may have come in Kailua’s riveting 8-7 win over Kaiser at mid-season, when he scored three runs and contributed a pair of doubles to help drive the Surfriders across the finish line. Kailua went on to repeat as East champion, compiling a 10-2 mark to go with another state tournament appearance by season’s end.

The Surfriders led the way in the East with three First Team selections as first baseman Jordan Limahai and designated hitter Scotty Talaesea were also chosen. Kailua also placed four players - second baseman Jared Iha, outfielder Ryan Kinoshita, outfielder Bobby Lastimosa and pitcher Jared Tamanaha - on the East’s Second Team. Like Sumner, Talaesea especially made his presence felt, offensively, where he hit six home runs to go with a batting average of .480.

Shortstop Kainoa Tom and pitcher Pulama Silva were named to the First Team from Castle, which finished 10-7 in addition to earning a state tournament berth. Tom batted a team-best .622 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI. He also tallied 12 stolen bases.

“He had a terrific senior season, the kind you’d like to go out with,” Uyehara said of Tom, a three-year varsity player. “We were glad for him. He has a good all-around game.”

Like Tom, Silva has been a fixture for Castle for the past three seasons, having turned in a multitude of stellar performances.

“He’s a dominant pitcher,” Uyehara said of Silva. “You don’t have to score too many runs when he’s throwing. He really matured as a person through the years - the coaching staff all saw that. He really buckled down and turned out to be a good leader.”

Castle also had five players - Coby Agres, Kaliko Cayetano-Tamashiro, Marcus Ofoia-Stevens, Bryan Raines and Josh Serrano - receive honorable mention.

Rob Demarsh, Keenan Tanaka, Elia Lono and Reyn Matsuki were named honorable mention from Kailua. Surfrider coach Corey Ishigo, a former college teammate of Uyehara, was named as the East’s Coach of the Year.

“Corey has so much to offer the kids,” Uyehara said of Ishigo. “I played with him, so I know he has a great mental game. His kids are always tough mentally when they step on the field.”