Water Polo Players Seeing Red
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usEight teams will take part in this weekend’s Oahu Interscholastic Association girls water polo tournament, and seven of them will have the same mind-set: Catch Kahuku.
The Red Raiders, lest anyone forget, can practically sign their own figure to the conference checkbook, having captured all five OIA titles since the league certified water polo as a sanctioned sport in 2003.
“It’s a program based from the bottom up,” Kapolei coach Dexter Lee said of the Red Raiders. “They have fifth- and sixth-graders playing in the summer, and they have an intermediate team that plays against ILH schools. I’ve never seen them with less than 30 on the varsity, and they dress 20.”
Pairings for the tournament, which will run Thursday through Saturday at Central Oahu Regional Park, were to be finalized over the weekend. Kapolei had all but guaranteed itself a top-four finish in the league’s regular season even before their final game against Roosevelt last Friday. The Hurricanes would like nothing more than to play for an OIA title again - after advancing to the championship game last year, only to lose to Kahuku.
“If it (the OIA’s postseason) goes well for us, we’ll see Kahuku again,” said Lee, whose Hurricanes are seeking a fourth straight state tournament appearance.
The Red Raiders won the only regular-season meeting between the teams, 8-1 on March 29, but the Hurricanes were very much in the mix at halftime, trailing only by a goal. With that in mind, Lee sees Kahuku’s depth as one of its obvious strengths.
“They don’t run out of gas, and they never lose a step,” Lee added. “If you look at their scores, most teams are close with them for the first half. I think you have to slow it down when you play them.”
As was the case last year, when Kapolei posted a 13-5 overall record and made the state tournament for the first time in its history, the Hurricanes have thrived with their offense, tallying 124 goals through their first 12 league games. Only Kahuku had scored more in that span with 162.
Senior Alexandra Jamora leads the way for Kapolei, with 38 goals in the aforementioned stretch of Kahuku’s schedule. Her output places her third in the league in scoring behind Mililani’s Valentina Knudson (44) and Shvanthia Arilla (43) of Kaimuki. “She’s our go-to player on offense,
and she’s also our best defensive player,” Lee said.“She’s quick in the water, water polo-wise. She’s averaging probably eight steals a game, and she has a great arm.”
The Hurricanes have also received stellar seasons from Shantel Chong and Kanani Mazzone. Although she splits time at goalkeeper with Kelsie Polston, Mazzone still managed to score 15 goals in her first nine games to rate among the league’s scoring leaders. Chong missed the last two-and-a-half games with a shoulder injury and was questionable for their games with Roosevelt and Kaiser last week, but figures to return for the postseason.
“Shantel has been really solid for us,” Lee said. “She’s a good defensive player, and she’s an excellent outside shooter. She can set up from far out.
“Kanani (Mazzone)‘s goals are deceptive,” he added. “Because she’s in the cage two quarters a game, she’s only out in the field for two.”
As his team enters the postseason, “staying healthy and keeping everyone fit” are the Hurricanes’ priorities.
“We’ll especially be working on that the next couple of weeks,” Lee said. “Every year, a lot of teams, including us, fade out in the fourth quarter. We have to focus in on our fitness and being able to play at top speed (down the stretch). We’re hoping to be at our best in the fourth quarter.
“We’re not there yet, but I’m confident we’ll get there.
“We have to make sure we do what we have to do,” he added. “There are some teams to watch out for, and Leilehua is definitely one of those teams - Mililani and Kalani, too, especially now that Kyla Garcia (of the Falcons) is back (from an injury).”
Saturday’s OIA title game is set for 8 p.m. at C.O.R.P. The top five teams from the OIA tournament earn the league’s berths for next week’s Local Motion state water polo championships.
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