Sports Notebook
Star-Bulletin staff
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Funeral service tomorrow for BIIF executive director Yamase
A funeral service for the late
Ken Yamase will be held tomorrow at Dodo Mortuary in Hilo.
The service will begin at 11 a.m. Yamase died in a diving accident in Puako on Aug. 28. He was in his second year as the executive director of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. Prior to that, Yamase had been athletic director at Waiakea for 20 years.
"He's always able to think outside of the box, always creative," OIA executive director Dwight Toyama said. "It was fun working with him. He was always a fair person, very fair."
Lopati still uncertain
The Kapolei Hurricanes dropped out of the Star-Bulletin Top 10 football poll this week. Linebacker
Chad Lopati, who suffered a knee injury in week 2, will undergo an MRI this week. The 'Canes are also without the services of defensive tackle
Luke Spencer.
Without Lopati, Simione Vehikite has picked up the slack at linebacker. However, the full-time gig on defense pushed the speedy 230-pound senior out of the rotation at fullback.
Northwest trek
For the second time in three years, the Punahou girls volleyball team is in Seattle this week, joining its football team for some Northwest competition.
The Buffanblu will play in the Emerald City tournament today. The format was loaded in 2005, with 15 sets in one day against a spectrum of teams. This time, the Buffanblu will play three teams and are limited to two sets per match.
Coach Jim Iams gave the thumbs up on a return trip because of the intangibles. The Buffanblu board their plane today at noon.
"Probably the biggest thing is there's certain kind of chemistry and bonding that can develop when you're in close contact with your teammates, whether it's riding buses or waiting for your plane. There will be opportunities to visit colleges and go to alumni functions where a lot of people will be able to see them," the former U.S. Olympic coach said.
"The volleyball will be good, and it's good to see different competition, a different environment," Iams added.
Co-captain Anuhea Keanini was on the '05 team that made the trip. Back then, she was an outside hitter.
"Anuhea is a force. She's hitting and setting, so that's taking some adjustments, too," Iams said.
The rest of the ILH will be in full swing over the weekend. Punahou returns on Monday and gets back on the floor Tuesday against Word of Life.
"I'm already worried about that match," Iams said. "We've got a lot of good players. We're just not playing that good yet."