You look at Wayne Hunter, and you wonder why no one thought of it sooner. Hunter looking good
High School Notebook
on the offensive side
of the lineBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comAt 6-feet-6 and a well-distributed 278 pounds, Hunter has the perfect dimensions to play left tackle and be the quarterback's most important bodyguard.
"How do I look in this uniform?" Hunter asked yesterday at Hawaii spring football practice, as he is now wearing offense white instead of defense green. The Radford graduate was a defensive end and tackle last year.
A week into practice, coaches and teammates think he looks great in his new garb.
"He's really smart, and that will help him a lot," coach June Jones said. "He's got great athletic ability. He has a chance to be a fine offensive tackle."
"I like what I see in Wayne Hunter," offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said. "He's a tremendous athlete and his technique is coming along. He needs to understand the concepts a little more, but that will come. There's a lot of promise there."
UH saw a lot of potential in Hunter on the other side of the line, too. The transfer from Cal was one of the Pac-10's best freshmen defenders three years ago, but never panned out last year. Injuries and a shift to tackle because the Warriors were shorthanded there hampered Hunter's progress.
Hunter, who played "maybe a couple of downs in high school" on offense, is happy with the shift, especially since it might help extend his career past college.
"I like it. I think it's a better move for me overall," he said. "I like Coach Cav. He's the best technician we have on the coaching staff. He'll get me to the next level if I meet him halfway."
Sophomore Uriah Moenoa, learning a new position himself (he's moving from right tackle to center), said Hunter is catching on quickly.
"Wayne's looking really good. He's way above where I thought he'd be at this point," Moenoa said. "Right now we're all adjusting. It's not bad."
Lui Fuata has also moved, from starting left tackle to left guard. Ryan Santos is at right tackle and Vince Manuwai remains at right guard.
Replacing Brian Smith at center, Moenoa is responsible for reading the defensive front and making blocking assignments.
"I have to be a smart guy and make the right calls," Moenoa said. "If I don't, basically the quarterback's going to get his behind handed to him."
Pisa healthy: Second-team all-Western Athletic Conference linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa has recovered from the stress fracture in his lower left leg that kept him out of three of the last four games of last season.
"It's totally healed," Tinoisamoa said. "I got it checked out yesterday and they said it's fine. Stronger than it was last year."
Tinoisamoa, who played through the injury in UH's 72-45 season-ending victory over Brigham Young, figures to be one of the Warriors' leaders on defense this fall.
He hopes he won't be a senior leader, though -- if Tinoisamoa passes enough classes in the summer, he could regain a year of eligibility he lost as a partial qualifier when he entered UH and have two more seasons to play.
"Unsure, unsure. But I'm working toward it," Tinoisamoa said. "I'm about a semester behind. If I make it up in summer school I have a chance for it."
Short yardage: The Warriors were off today -- they practice Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. ... Former St. Louis School coach Cal Lee, who has attended many UH spring practices in past years, has made it to all four sessions so far this spring. ... Slotback/kick returner Chad Owens has changed his number from 82 to 2, that of former slotback Craig Stutzmann. "I got his blessing," Owens said. Other changes include cornerback Kelvin Millhouse from 15 to 3 and Hunter from 90 to 70. ... Newcomer Bryant Stevens, a 6-1, 190-pound sophomore transfer from UC San Diego, made the catch of the day yesterday, fully extending for a diving grab on a streak pattern.
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Rodney Cavaco has stepped down as boys basketball coach at Aiea High School after 23 years of coaching Na Alii basketball teams. Aiea’s Cavaco
resigns after 23 years
of coaching hoopsBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comSince joining the program in 1979, he has coached the boys and girls teams on both the junior varsity and varsity levels. He led the girls team to Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division titles in 1987-89. The boys team won the OIA West in 1993 and '95 and advanced to the state championship game in 1993.
The Aiea boys team went 8-2 and tied Radford for second place in the OIA West this past season.
Cavaco will remain an assistant athletic director at Aiea. The school will accept applications for the head coaching position until April 3. Resumes should be sent to the Aiea athletic department.
Trio wins weightlifting gold: Three local high schoolers won national weightlifting championships earlier this month.
Kristel Ajifu, a University High School senior, Chani Matsui, a Kamehameha freshman, and Kyle Yamauchi, a Punahou junior, captured gold medals in their divisions at the U.S. National Junior Weightlifting Championships held March 8-10 in Torrance, Calif.
Ajifu won the 48 kg division for women ages 17-20. She recorded lifts of 50 kg in the snatch and 60 kg in the clean-and-jerk for a winning total of 110 kg.
Matsui won the girls 16-and-under 43 kg division with a total of 100 kg. She lifted 42.5 kg in the snatch and 57.5 in the clean-and-jerk. She finished 17.5 kg ahead of her nearest competitor.
Yamauchi won gold in the 62-kg division in the men's 17-20 competition. He lifted 92.5 kg in the snatch and 120 in the clean-and-jerk for a winning total of 215.5 kg.
Konawaena coach walks away: Roy Aukai has stepped down as football coach at Konawaena High School.
Aukai cited the demands of his job as a manager with Hawaiian Airlines as the primary reason for leaving the Wildcat program last Friday.
"He talked to me about not having the time to devote to the program," Konawaena interim athletic director James Manalili said.
Aukai coached the Wildcats to six Big Island Interscholastic Federation championships in his nine years at the school.
Aukai led Konawaena to three consecutive BIIF titles from 1986 to '88. He left coaching for eight years before returning in 1996. The Wildcats finished second in the league in 1996 and '97 and won the championship in 1999. Konawaena shared the BIIF title with Waiakea last season.
"He was a good leader and he did a good job with discipline on the field," Manalili said. "And when you talk about on-field success, I think his record speaks for itself.
"Anytime you lose a coach of his caliber, something will be missing."
Duck calls: Two Hawaii products accounted for three wins for the Oregon women's track and field team at last week's Oregon-Montana-Weber State Triangular meet in Eugene, Ore.
Eri Macdonald, a Punahou graduate, finished first in the women's 800-meter run and was a member of the Ducks' winning 4x400-meter relay.
Alicia Snyder-Carlson of Kihei won the 400-meter hurdles. The St. Anthony graduate was also on Oregon's "B" team that finished second in the 4x400 relay.
The duo's performances helped Oregon beat Montana 124-69 and Weber State 111.5-77.5.
Macdonald is one of the Ducks' leading returnees after redshirting the fall season while recovering from a stress fracture.
She won 13 state championships at Punahou, including four cross country titles.
Snyder-Carlson has worked her way up the program and qualified for the Pac-10 cross country championships last fall.
Both Macdonald and Snyder-Carlson are juniors at Oregon.
OIA baseball on its way: With most of the spring seasons already under way, the OIA baseball schedule opens next Wednesday with nine games around the island.
Defending OIA and state champion Kailua plays at Castle in its opener. OIA West champion Campbell hosts Waialua.
