[ HIGH SCHOOL AIR RIFLERY ]
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Saint Louis' state title team members are (left to right) Eric Okamoto, Blake Cuban, Scott Perez and William Dearmore.
Crusaders hit
target again
Sacred Hearts is back on top and Saint Louis is right where it's always been.
The Lancers -- led by Deana Sin -- won the 5th Annual Civilian Marksmanship Program Girls State Air Riflery championship yesterday at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.
It was the first state title for the Lancers since they won back-to-back championships in 1999 and 2000.
The Crusaders -- led by Eric Okamoto -- took their fifth straight boys state championship.
Saint Louis and Sacred Hearts fought off challenges from Waiakea, which placed second in both competitions.
"Wow," said Zig Look, who coaches the Crusaders and Lancers. "That about sums it up. We worked toward it and trained hard and didn't take anything for granted.
"Waiakea is very good and could have gotten us today. We shot good, but not unbeatable and today could have been Waiakea's day, but it didn't turn out that way."
Sin finished with a 543 score, six points ahead of teammate Shannon Li and eight ahead of the Warriors' Chastity Yamada.
Sin's goal was team-oriented, so she feels fortunate to have won the individual title.
"I was completely surprised," she said. "When I heard the scores, I was ecstatic.
"After the prone (the position shooters attempt first, before standing and kneeling), I didn't feel very good about the way I was performing, and it shook me up and made me keep trying harder.
"This team is so close, like family, so I knew they were right there behind me."
Li won the individual state title in 2001 and finished third, one spot ahead of Sin, a year ago.
Krystle Sze and Yoo Song Kang also placed in the top 10 for the Lancers.
Overall, Sacred Hearts beat second-place Waiakea 2,111 to 2,093. The Punahou, Pearl City and Kapolei girls also scored above 2,000.
On the boys side, Okamoto shot a 541 and ended three points ahead of teammate Blake Cuban as Saint Louis defeated second-place Waiakea by eight, 2,086-2,078.
Waiakea's Mathew Haraguchi, Randy Nakashima, Steven Nozaki and Regan Ancheta captured the third through sixth individual spots.
Kapolei, Leilehua, Punahou, Roosevelt and Waimea all scored above 1,900.
"I was nervous," Okamoto said about the victory. "I tried to stay calm and relax. I knew I did pretty well in the prone and standing, but when it came to kneeling, I wasn't sure (about being able to hold the lead). Blake always puts the pressure on me.
"I'm excited. It's all about practice and the coach and my teammates."
Okamoto was the fourth from Saint Louis in the last five years to earn the state championship.
