The Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys basketball season opens Friday with a homecoming for Kamehameha coach Darryl Gabriel. Coach meets former team
in ILH openerBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comGabriel will lead the Warriors into McCabe Gym to take on St. Louis, the team he coached for seven seasons.
Gabriel coached the Crusaders from 1992-99, posting a record of 159-51. He led St. Louis to five state tournament appearances and two ILH championships. He was named the league coach of the year in 1994 and 1995. The Punahou graduate also coached University High to the state championship in 1988.
Delbert Tengan took over for Gabriel in 2000 and led the Crusaders to the ILH title and a runner-up finish in the state tournament in his first season. Last season, St. Louis finished second in the ILH and advanced to the state semifinals.
"He's a great coach, he did wonders with our program here, I was just fortunate enough to inherit it," Tengan said. "It should be exciting ... Kamehameha always is fired up for St. Louis, whether Darryl Gabriel is coaching or whoever."
The Oahu Interscholastic Association season opens tonight with five OIA West contests.
Leilehua begins defense of its division championship by traveling to Aiea. Mililani, led by dynamic guard Rashaun Broadus, hosts Kapolei.
The OIA East season begins tomorrow night with defending state champion Kalaheo taking on Windward rival Castle at the Knights' gym.
Junior varsity games start at 5 p.m. with the varsity contest to follow at about 7.
Wrestlers hit the mat: The OIA wrestling season begins Friday with dual-meets at six schools and continues Saturday with six more meets.
Two-time defending OIA boys champion Kahuku opens at Moanalua by facing the host Menehunes and Kaiser at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Red Raiders then host Kailua and Castle at noon on Saturday.
Moanalua shared the girls team championship with Castle last season.
The ILH regular season starts Jan. 11. The state tournament is set for March 1 and 2 at Blaisdell Arena.
St. Louis won last year's state boys championship, while Moanalua won its third consecutive state girls title.
Round one -- Trojans: Mililani and Pearl City boys and girls soccer teams met last Friday in a renewal of one of the state's underrated rivalries, with the Trojans coming away with a win and a tie.
The boys match ended in a 1-1 tie, but was as good as a victory for Mililani (5-0-1). Pearl City (4-0-2) now needs help from Campbell and Kapolei to leapfrog the Trojans in the OIA West race. Mililani won the girls match 1-0 to improve to 5-0-1 with two matches left. Pearl City is now 4-1.
But with the OIA and state championships still ahead, both schools are looking forward to facing each other again when the stakes are higher.
"It's the best," Mililani senior Vance Harris said of the rivalry. "You look forward to playing this game every year. All the boys are up for it and just play hard. ... We know we're going to meet them again and it's going to be another good game."
"It's a pretty big game every year," Pearl City boys coach Scott Keopuhiwa said. "Soccer is so popular in both communities so the parents and the siblings and everyone just gets behind their teams, so it kind of takes a life of its own.
"Last year, we played Mililani five times. So I'm pretty certain we'll see them again."
Pearl City coach Frank Baumholtz held five starters out first 10 minutes of the girls match for not meeting the team's academic requirements, and played with just 10 players in that span.
"We'll be a better team when we play them again," Baumholtz said.
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