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High School Beat
Star-Bulletin staff
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La Pietra basketball team happy with decision by HHSAA
There is peace and harmony in the jungle again.
No, the Lady Panthers of La Pietra weren't being hunted to extinction. In the world of girls basketball, the Lady Panthers' emergence as the Division II champion in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu last season was a breath of fresh air for fans.
Worries that La Pietra would be forced to enter Division I with a depleted roster are no more. Division II is precisely where La Pietra will remain, thanks to the league's policy-makers. With the Hawaii High School Athletic Association's unanimous vote on Monday to allow the Lady Panthers to compete for a D-II state-tournament berth, Katy Bourne is smiling a bit more now.
The La Pietra athletic director saw a lot of her senior hoopsters graduate, and when standout forward Courtney Gaddis transferred out due to financial constraints, her basketball team was left in serious rebuilding mode.
The current ILH policy regarding D-II champions in girls basketball, enforced for a first time, was to promote La Pietra to D-I. Bourne winced at that notion.
"We're not real strong, probably in the lower eighth," she said of the school's Intermediate-level basketball program, which the varsity draws from. "We don't have a huge pool to draw from like volleyball. We were begging kids to come out. The writing was on the wall."
The ILH, prompted by La Pietra administrators and parents, didn't take long to realize that tossing the Lady Panthers into the state's most brutal, competitive D-I basketball league could turn into a big mistake.
That's why the league asked the HHSAA board to provide an exemption that would permit La Pietra to play for a D-II state berth. In turn, the ILH's submitted total of D-I teams -- set by the HHSAA in July -- was adjusted from six to five.
In essence, everything worked out. All five leagues voted unanimously to support the exemption. Even the ILH, which usually has at least three of the state's top-five ranked teams, will likely come through ahead. With readjusted ratios, the ILH will still have two Division I state berths, according to league officials.
For tiny La Pietra, which has a high school enrollment of 150, it was a large victory.
"We want to see kids come here and see there are attainable goals for them as well," Bourne said, reflecting on last year's girls basketball playoffs. "When we were playing with St. Francis and Word of Life and Punahou (D-II), I thought, this is what it's about. No massacres. Just great games."
Bourne would like to see the league's athletic directors, who will revisit the policy again soon, adjust the window of review. Currently, promotion and demotion are based on one-year records. "I'd like to see it go to three years," she said.
More on the table:
Among other topics of discussion at the HHSAA board meeting were amateur status of five high-school canoe paddlers, and a potential, statewide transfer policy.
Two paddlers from Maryknoll have petitioned the ILH for permission to participate in the league. However, school officials have already confirmed that the paddlers surrendered their amateur status when they entered the recent Molokai Hoe. The race was sponsored by a beer company and a cash prize was offered to all competitors. The school informed the student-athletes about the risk, but they went ahead and raced in the Hoe anyway, according to ILH officials.
BOE member Mary Cochran spoke to the board on behalf of Kihei Charter School sophomore Kapono Kong, who transferred from St. Anthony to Kihei Charter School in the summer. Because Kong played football, basketball, and track and field as a freshman at St. Anthony, a league rule prohibits him from participating in the same sports at any other Maui Interscholastic League school as a sophomore.
MIL president Michael Nakano noted that exceptions have been made for student-athletes who have moved with families to new districts. Kihei Charter, which doesn't field sports teams, sends its athletes to Maui High School.
The MIL's transfer rule shouldn't apply to Kong, Cochran said, because he is not being recruited.
"The one-size-fits-all rule" doesn't work, she said.
David Kong, Kapono's father, is a St. Anthony graduate who wanted his son to follow the same path. However, they both prefer the educational methods and philosophy at Kihei Charter. Financial constraints made the switch a necessity.
"My house is 10 minutes away from Baldwin. My kid knows all the Baldwin kids, so if he was to transfer for athletic reasons, he'd go to that school," David Kong said.
Though the MIL denied the Kong family's appeal, David Kong said he hopes the HHSAA rejects any similar statewide transfer policy proposals.
Athletes of the Week
BOYS
Miah Ostrowski, Punahou football: caught seven passes for 114 yards, and ran for 67 yards, including two touchdowns, in a 31-21 win over Damien.
GIRLS
Kanani Herring, Kamehameha volleyball: slammed 25 kills and delivered two aces against Punahou, and tallied 15 kills against Iolani as the Warriors clinched a state-tournament berth.
Honor Roll
BOWLING
Rich Kodama, Hawaii Baptist: posted a 266 high game and 690 series against Punahou.
CROSS COUNTRY
Bryce Jenkins, Leilehua boys: won the OIA West championship with a time of 17:02 at Waialua.
Nicole Painter, Mililani girls: led the OIA West field with a time of 21:30.
FOOTBALL
Kama Bailey, Damien: rushed for 206 yards against Punahou. He also caught four passes for 77 yards and another touchdown.
C.J. Criado, Kaiser: amassed 18 tackles against Waipahu.
Antoin DeWalt, Pearl City: ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns against Roosevelt.
Alan Fonoti, Aiea: caught three passes for 103 yards, including a touchdown, against Castle.
Alan-Michael Gaspar, Waimea: rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns against Kapaa.
Jordan Ho-Ching, Pac-Five: ran for 78 yards and a touchdown, and caught seven passes for 61 more against Iolani.
Keoki Kaeha, Nanakuli: rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown against Waialua.
Brett Kan, Punahou: passed for 202 yards against Damien.
Mason Koa, Kapolei: threw for 133 yards and ran for 90 more, including two touchdowns, against Kailua.
Lofa Liilii, Aiea: rushed for 90 yards and caught five passes for 38 more yards against Castle.
Donovan Matas, Waialua: ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, and caught six passes for 25 more against Nanakuli.
Corey Paredes, Castle: made 10 tackles (seven solo), recovered a fumble, had an interception and caught seven passes for 67 yards against Aiea.
Isaac Saffery, Kaiser: rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown, and caught two passes for 15 yards against Waipahu.
Scott Smith, Saint Louis: had two sacks and forced a fumble against Kamehameha.
Kolten Wong, Kamehameha-Hawaii: ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns against Hawaii Prep.
Justin Yamamoto, Iolani: rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns against Pac-Five.
KAYAKING
ILH AT KEEHI LAGOON
Kaihe Chong, Kamehameha boys: paced the 2,000-meter event with a time of 10:05.
Leilani Doctur, Punahou girls: led the 1,000-meter event with a time of 6:15.
Jake Fergerstrom, Kamehameha boys: led the 1,000-meter race with a time of 5:43.
Marisa Why, Iolani girls: posted a time of 12:12 to lead the 2,000-meter event.
VOLLEYBALL
Danny Cosson, Hawaii Baptist boys: amassed 19 combined kills against Maryknoll and Mid-Pacific.
Courtney Gaddis, Kalani girls: tallied 10 kills, two aces and three digs against Kapolei.
Sarah Palmer, Hawaii Baptist girls: tallied 11 kills against St. Francis.
Bekah Torres, Kamehameha girls: switched from middle to outside hitter and had 10 kills and two roofs against Iolani.
WATER POLO
Tim Steinmeier, Punahou: Scored three goals against Kamehameha.
To nominate ...
To nominate an athlete of the week, contact the Star-Bulletin Sports Department by 11 p.m. Sunday:
Phone: 529-4782
Fax: 529-4787
E-mail: sports@starbulletin.com
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