Sunday, June 17, 2001
[ HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS ]
Year in Review The image of Hawaii's public school teachers walking the picket line for three weeks in April may be the lasting legacy of the 2000-01 school year. But the strike that nearly killed the spring semester only added to the mayhem of a wild year in high school sports.
'Twas the year of Kahuku,
Aiea and the strikeWhat could have been the worst year
in Hawaii prep sports history turned out
to be one of the bestBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comBy the time members of the Hawaii State Teachers' Association took their cause to the streets, dynasties had been toppled and records shattered. And when the teachers returned to their classrooms, it set off an exhausting 21-day sprint to the sports year's dramatic finish.
"I don't know if we've ever had a year like this one," said Dwight Toyama, executive secretary of the Oahu Interscholastic Association. "We have to really give credit to all the coaches and student-athletes who survived under extreme circumstances. ... They overcame and prevailed."
In the public schools' most trying year, the OIA scored some of its greatest triumphs and improved its state title tally from two in the 1999-2000 season to eight this year.
Kahuku snapped St. Louis' 14-year streak of Prep Bowlstate championship victories with a 26-20 win at Aloha Stadium Dec. 1, triggering a celebration on the North Shore that may only now be starting to simmer down.
February featured Mililani capturing its first boys soccer crown and the Kalaheo boys basketball team shedding the bridesmaid label by beating Iolani for the state boys basketball championship.
And amid the post-strike chaos in May, Kailua rallied past Mid-Pacific to give the OIA its first state baseball title since 1994. Aiea then capped the season two nights later by toppling Kalaheo for the girls basketball championship. The final matchup brought an end to 14 years of ILH supremacy in the sport.
The success of the OIA schools this spring silenced concerns that the strike would give ILH teams an advantage in the playoffs. After completing highly compressed regular season schedules and rushing through the league playoffs, the OIA teams certainly made a statement in the tournaments."It showed why it was important to have state tournaments," HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya said after watching Aiea and Kalaheo battle for the girls basketball championship. "Two teams that had to endure a three-week layoff were able to overcome that hardship and make it to the finals."
The OIA also won titles in boys bowling (Aiea), girls bowling (Pearl City) and girls wrestling (Moanalua). But Punahou again collected more state titles than any other school with seven, while Baldwin claimed three trophies for the Maui Interscholastic League.
It was also a banner season for female athletes as they provided some of the year's most memorable individual performances. A few examples:
>> St. Francis' Annie Kawasaki, spurred by the frustration of finishing behind Punahou's stable of dominant long-distance runners for three years, won the state cross country title and the 1,500-meter crown at the track and field championships.The boys also had their share of highlights this year, several at St. Louis alone. Travis Lee capped a stellar wrestling career with his third state title, while Ryan Tanoue shot his way to the state air riflery title and went on to finish second in the national championships.>> Kalaheo's Brandy Richardson hammered Aiea for 41 points May 16 as the Lady Mustangs won their fourth straight OIA girls basketball championship. But Aritta Lane and Na Alii got revenge five nights later with a 52-45 win for the state title.
>> Sacred Hearts junior Kelly Figueira long jumped 19 feet, 314 inches at the Punahou Relays, surpassing the mark set by Leilehua's Shari Fox at the 1979 state championships. Kahuku's Natasha Kai apparently shattered the record at the OIA championships a week later, until it was discovered an error in measurement added nearly a foot to the jumps that day.
>> Nicole Garbin continued her dominance on the soccer field as Baldwin repeated as state champion, while Shannon Tabion's pitching lifted the Bears' softball team to its first title.
>> The soft hands of Punahou setter Milia Macfarlane carried the Buffanblu to the state girls volleyball summit. Those same hands later lofted 3-pointers with deadly accuracy for the girls basketball team.
>> Kauai's Rachel Kyono finished eight strokes ahead of her nearest competitor to win the state girls golf championship.
Crusader running back Pesefea Fiaseu proved nearly unstoppable on the football field. Kahuku was the only team to slow him down, thanks in large part to lineman Chris Kemoeatu, who was a force on both sides of the ball.
Kalaheo's D.C. Daniels gets the award for the year's top clutch performance with his 30-point, 14-rebound outing in the boys basketball championship game.
But in a year of the unpredictable and unprecedented, some things remained unchanged, such as Punahou's dominance in several sports. The Buffanblu girls swimming team won its 40th state championship in 45 years and the boys tennis team captured its 11th consecutive crown. The boys volleyball team won its seventh championship in a row and 19th in the last 21 years. And the track and field teams swept the boys and girls titles for the 16th time.
But some of the leadership that made the Punahou athletic program so successful will have to be replaced as five coaches departed at the end of their seasons.
The state's athletic administrators met on the Big Island a week ago for the annual Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference, mapping out the direction for the coming school year. Whatever happens in 2001-2002, it will be hard pressed to match the drama of the one just past.
