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A Look At Athletic Achievements In ‘09

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Belief without evidence. That’s what Milton Takenaka had to depend on three years ago when his Waipahu baseball team struggled versus a brutal OIA schedule.

That all changed in the spring of 2008 when the Marauders experienced a tide-turning season that saw them win the league’s Division II title - the school’s first OIA crown since the magical year of 1985 when it took both the OIA and state titles.

“Before we went to the Red and White, we kept telling the kids that the potential was there,” said Takenaka, head coach since 1985.“All the other coaches kept telling us we could compete with anybody. When we went to the White (Conference) and started winning, that made a big difference.They started believing in themselves and stepping it up a bit.”

The 2009 team took matters one step further. It proved that the season of 2008 was no fluke, repeating last May as OIA Division II champs.“It was a good run,” Takenaka said.“Basically, the closeness of the team (was the difference).”

Waipahu also accumulated its share of style points along the way,trailing Radford for four full innings in the OIA championship game April 24 at Waipahu, before scoring two runs in the fifth and exploding for five runs in the sixth to win going away, 9-2.

Ignatius Mackenzie, Sam Chee, Ed Agag and Cheyne Estanique provided Waipahu’s offensive output in support of winning pitcher Kaimi Haina.

Haina earned 2008 White Conference Player of the Year honors in 2008, while fellow team leader Triton Gante won the award for 2009. Together, the pair set the tone.

“Triton and Kaimi were with me for the last four years, and when Iggy came in the following year, that kind of solidified us a little bit,” he added of Mackenzie, who was a First Team All-Conference choice in ‘08 and ‘09.

Eventual champion Maryknoll ended Waipahu’s dream of a state title May 7 in a heart-wrenching 6-5 loss in the Marauders’ quarterfinal game. Waipahu finished 12-3 overall.

Any discussion of the top prep sports moments in 2009 has to begin with Waipahu’s run on the baseball diamond. A look at some of the other memorable teams and moments for 2009 follows.

Strong Post-season Run For Kapolei Boys Soccer Team In Division I

The Kapolei boys soccer team played in the OIA DI title game for the second time in three years when they met longtime power Mililani Jan. 30 at Roosevelt stadium. Although the Trojans prevailed 2-0, the Hurricanes, who were just the fourth seed out of the West for the league’s post-season, proved their mettle with yet another solid run at the state tournament the next week that saw them defeat both Hilo and fourth-seeded KamehamehaMaui to advance to the semi-finals. A loss to eventual state champion Iolani ended hopes for a state title, but the Hurricanes finished their season strong by tying Punahou 2-all in the third-place game. Kapolei finished its season 12-6-3.

Aiea Girls Volleyball Team Posts Unbeaten Season In Red West

The Aiea girls volleyball team captured a second straight OIA Red West title in early October, having won all 12 of its league games. Na Ali’i went on to take fourth in the OIA’s 2009 post-season tournament to secure one of the league’s five berths in the ensuing state volleyball championships. Aiea dropped its first-round state tournament game against KamehamehaKapalama, but bounced back to post victories over Baldwin and Kamehameha-Hawaii to capture the consolation championship. Senior Danielle Grace was named the Red West Player of the Year for the second straight season. Aiea coach Blythe Yamamoto was chosen as Coach of the Year. Mele Samisoni, Kelly Leopoldo and Kaala Leopoldo joined Grace as First Team All-Conference selections. All told, including the 2008 regular season, Na Ali’i's senior class went out having gone 24-0 in regular-season games over the past two years and 27-4 overall versus OIA opponents, including the post-season.

Pearl City Baseball Team Wins Third Straight OIA Title

Chace Numata tripled and scored a run, and Royce Murai drove in a run to lead Pearl City to a 2-1 victory over Kailua in the OIA Division I championship game April 27 at Hans L’Orange Park. It marked the third straight OIA title and the second under coach Gary Nakamoto. The win also gave Pearl City a perfect 15-0 record (12-0 in the regular season) against OIA opponents for 2008 and helped the Chargers secure the top seed for the ensuing Division I state baseball championships.The Chargers’ bid for a state title was derailed by eventual champion Punahou, 3-1, in a quarterfinal matchup May 7 at Les Murakami Stadium. The Chargers rebounded big from that defeat in the consolation bracket with a 14-2 romp over Kamehameha-Maui and ended sixth overall following a 5-0 defeat to Iolani in the fifth-place game on May 9. Pearl City ended its season at 16-2.

Kapolei Girls Bowling Team Wins State Title

The Kapolei girls bowling team saved its biggest effort for its biggest match when it captured the state bowling title Oct. 30 by outlasting Kalani in the finals at Schofield Bowling Center.

While hardly a surprise, the Hurricanes had nevertheless regrouped from a disappointing showing at the OIA finals days earlier when they had finished third overall behind Moanalua and Kalani, after having captured the Red West regular-season crown.

Raelena Mattos led the way for Kapolei at states. Her final output at the state finals - 1,620 - was tops among individuals. The Hurricanes also boasted top-10 finishers in Christalynn Bonifacio (1,580; third) and Valerie Ibarro (1,526, sixth), while Amber Aiu, Jana Okamura and Shaianne Yockman all contributed key points to the team’s final tabulation.

Road Win Over Previously Unbeaten Mililani Highlights Big Season For Kapolei Football

After missing three games because of injuries, Kapolei’s Shaydon Akuna responded in a big way in his return, leading the Hurricanes to a 41-24 win at Mililani Oct. 3 before an overflow homecoming crowd. Mililani had entered the game undefeated and ranked second in the state according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin‘s weekly poll. Akuna, who is the top-rated college prospect in the state on Rivals.com, lived up to the hype, stepping behind center to rush for three scores from his quarterback position. He also ran back an interception for a score,and the Hurricanes also received kickoff returns for touchdowns from Donnie King and Kainoa Pakele, covering 84 and 85 yards, respectively. The win over Mililani was part of a four-game win streak for Kapolei, which also defeated Nanakuli and Waipahu in that stretch to finish 4-2 in league games.A 26-7 loss to Farrington in an OIA first-round playoff game Oct. 24 ended the Hurricanes’ season at 5-4.

Aiea Football Team Makes Semifinals of DII State Tournament

Eric Badoyen’s blocked extra-point attempt and a clinching 43-yard run by running back Anae Vaa helped drive Aiea across the finish line in a pulsating 20-12 win over Lahainaluna in the first round of the DII state football championships Nov. 20. The win lifted Na Ali’i into the semifinals of the state tournament, where they were defeated by eventual champion Iolani, 21-7, a week later. Even so, the afterglow of a strong finish remains vivid for Aiea, which finished 9-4 on the year in what was coach Wendell Say’s 30th season at the school. Na Ali’i also had finished second in the OIA, having advanced to the title game where they lost a hard-fought 21-7 decision to Moanalua on Nov. 6 at Aloha Stadium.Aiea finished its regular season at 6-2 in the OIA White Conference, good for second place behind Na Menehune.

Campbell, Kapolei Softball Teams Make DI State Tournament

In an OIA Red West Conference where balance was the order of the day, both Campbell and Kapolei more than held their own, finishing 10-2 and 9-3, respectively in games last spring. The Sabers’ mark was good enough to earn them a tie for the regular-season title along with eventual state champion Mililani. Kapolei finished one game back of those teams. Mililani would prove to be a nemesis for the Sabers, who dropped tough games to the Trojans in both the OIA Tournament and the state softball championships. Campbell finished its year at 14-4 overall, defeating Castle 5-1 in the consolation final of the state tourney May 15. A 2-1 win over Castle in the OIA third-place game highlighted Kapolei’s post-season run.The Hurricanes also won their first round state tournament game over Kamehameha-Maui before top-seeded Iolani ended Kapolei’s dreams of a state title, 7-0, in a quarter-final game on May 13. Kapolei finished 13-6.