Kamehameha, Punahou
girls collide tomorrow
Kamehameha (8-0) and Punahou (7-0) play to gain the upper hand in Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls volleyball this week.
The match is 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Punahou, but if you don't mark it on your calendar, don't expect Buffanblu coach Scott Rigg to remind you.
"Are we playing them (the Warriors) on Thursday?" he said, light-heartedly pretending that he's not aware of his team's biggest match of the season thus far.
"We haven't had the opportunity to watch each other play much this season," Rigg added. "So I'm sure both teams will be feeling it out early in the match."
Rigg expects "a dogfight" and welcomes the challenge the defending league champion Warriors will give his girls.
"It's going to be a good thing (win or lose) to have someone in our faces for an hour or hour and a half," he said. "Because that's just what it's going to be like."
Three players have been the backbone of the Buffanblu so far this season --hitter Aneli Otineru, setter Pohai Nuuhiwa and opposite Liz Kaaihue.
"They've carried a big load," Rigg said. "But it's going to take all 13 of us."
Hitters Mounia Nihipali and Kristen Ponce are Kamehameha's offensive forces, while middles Lori Nakamura, Rose Vea and setter Anela Iseke are big contributors.
"Punahou is a young team in age, but they work well as a team," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "Otineru finds the holes and sees what the defense is going to give her. She's not just a power hitter, but a smart player who should be able to go on to the next level."
Blake, who was an Iolani assistant a year ago, is happy to have plenty of capable starters and bench personnel.
"Competition in practice is pretty deep and if one person isn't doing the job, we have a lot of people on the bench to fill the void.
"We've got an experienced, mature team and they're doing a good job of understanding a new system. There's a long way to go, but hopefully we peak in the championships."
Cougars staff has CFL, UH connections: Two other former Canadian Football League players are on football coach David Maeva's staff at Kaiser.
Maeva and offensive coordinator Brian Ah Yat played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, while receivers coach Dylan Ching played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Ah Yat, an Iolani alumnus, started as an assistant last year in the role of quarterbacks coach.
"I always joke around with a lot of people that it's a lot tougher coaching than it was playing," said Ah Yat. "It's hard getting some of the things across to the kids that I've been taught. But the rewards are right there on the kids' faces. You kind of see yourself in them and you remember the same situations you were in in high school."
Three members of Brian's family serve as volunteer coaches -- dad Tony Ah Yat and brothers Paul Ah Yat and Akoni Ah Yat.
Paul played minor league baseball and got as far as Triple A in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization.
Ching, a former Kamehameha standout, coaches the receivers.
Former University of Hawaii linebacker Kamuela Cobb-Adams is the Cougars' defensive coordinator, while former UH defensive lineman Ben Bright coaches Kaiser's D-line.
Maeva was an All-WAC linebacker at UH. But the UH connection doesn't end there. Ricky LaBoy, who helps coach the D-line, is the brother of former Rainbow Warrior Cliff LaBoy and uncle of current Hawaii linebacker Travis LaBoy.
In addition, two of Ricky's sons play for the Cougars -- senior linebacker Richard LaBoy and junior defensive end Rusty LaBoy.
Like his cousin Travis, Rusty wears No. 1 on his jersey.
Maeva is still in amazement at the quality of game his Cougars and the Kapolei Hurricanes played in an Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference game last Friday.
The Hurricanes rallied from a 7-6 deficit for a 14-7 win.
"That was an awesome football game," Maeva said. "Kapolei played like champions. They had one more big play than we did. But I'm proud of my kids. Anything can happen in the White, which has a lot of equally matched teams."
Buffanblu seek coach: Punahou is looking for a goalkeeper coach for its girls varsity soccer team.
Anyone interested can send a resume by Oct. 17 to Punahou School Athletic Department, 1601 Punahou St., Honolulu, HI, 96822.
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