Former BIIF head
doing well after
long hospitalization
Former Big Island Interscholastic Federation executive secretary Roy Fujimoto is back from a mainland hospital and doing well, according to Keith Morioka, who succeeded Fujimoto in the BIIF post last spring.
Fujimoto underwent several operations on his back and was forced into an extended hospital stay that lasted most of the summer.
"Roy was telling someone on the phone that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel," Morioka said. "It's good to know he's back."
Big turnout: More than 900 runners participated in the National Federation of High School Associations/Oahu Interscholastic Association invitational cross country meet last weekend.
OIA executive secretary Dwight Toyama called the event a huge success.
The event raised money for the Lanakila Rehabilitation Center. All runners were asked to donate $10 as a community service.
Another large cross country event -- the Iolani Invitational -- is slated for Saturday at 9 a.m. at Kualoa Ranch.
Red Raiders ninth: Kahuku move up two spots to No. 9 in the West Region of the Tony Poll national football rankings.
The Red Raiders (3-1) are the highest-ranked squad in the nation among teams with at least one loss.
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) fell out of the regional rankings after dropping its second straight game. The Spartans won 151 in a row before consecutive defeats to Bellevue (Wash.) and Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) to open the season.
Sanction or suffer: Kalani interim athletic director Greg Van Cantfort learned some things about the nuts and bolts of running a non-league tournament recently.
During a girls volleyball tournament at the school recently, a visiting coach asked if the event was sanctioned by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association.
Van Cantfort didn't know if it was or not, so he inquired with HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya, who told him that the tournament wasn't sanctioned and that all non-league games involving Hawaii high school teams are supposed to be sanctioned.
"So we got it done and it was a simple process," Van Cantfort said.
Without sanctioning, the schools aren't protected with catastrophic injury insurance.
At the HHSAA executive board meeting on Monday, Amemiya asked the heads of Hawaii's five leagues to remind their members about the importance of sanctioning.
"Otherwise, teams face league penalties or HHSAA penalties and are at risk of being exposed to liability," he said. "We should start imposing stiffer penalties because, frankly, some schools are ignoring it (sanctioning)."
Amemiya also reminded the leagues that Hawaii's high school teams are not allowed to play against club teams.
Fair is in the eye of the beholder: Some football fans inquired about what seems like an inequity as far as the public schools' football grade checks are concerned.
Students with poor grades at year-round schools are in session early enough (late July) to improve and become eligible for football before the season starts. Students at traditional schools, however, start later (late August or early September) and don't have enough time to bring their grades up before the first few games.
But OIA football coordinator Richard Townsend explained that it all balances out.
The year-round schools' grade checks come right around playoff time, he said.
"Year-round schools also can't have two-a-day training camps like the traditional schools.
Final tally: The ILH has an 11-4 advantage over the OIA in football games this season.
Athletes of the Week
>> Justin Lawelawe, Leilehua football: Rushed for 115 yards and scored four touchdowns in a victory over Pac-Five.>> Larissa Nordyke, Punahou volleyball: Had 15 kills and four digs in a win over Kamehameha in a rematch of last year's state championship.
Honor Roll
Football
>> Cameron Kawai, Kohala: Scored five TDs in a loss to Keaau.>> Jobe Leialoha, Keaau: Scored three TDs in a win over Kohala.
>> Jon Medeiros, Kapolei: Ran in the winning 74-yard TD in a victory over Aiea.
>> Kali Kuia, Aiea: Completed 15 of 19 passes in a loss to Kapolei.
>> Joshua Tokunaga, Pearl City: Threw for 163 yards in a loss to Waianae.
>> Darius Fuller, Waianae: Rushed for 101 yards against Pearl City.
>> Blaine Kobashigawa, Castle: Caught five passes for 177 yards and scored three TDs in a victory over archrival Kailua.
>> Tarann Bajet, Castle: Scored the game-winning 2-point conversion against Kailua with 2:25 left in the game.
>> Louis Mansanas, Castle: Threw for 202 yards vs. Kailua.
>> Damien Torres, Kailua: Rushed for 226 yards and scored three TDs against Castle.
>> Stanford Leti, Moanalua: Scored three times in a win over Kalani.
>> Isaac Laupola, Campbell: Scored two touchdowns and one 2-point conversion and also threw a TD pass in a win over Waialua.
>> Kekoa Crowell, Kauai: Threw for 213 yards in a win over Kapaa.
>> Bryant Moniz, Leilehua: Completed 11 of 12 passes in a win over Pac-Five.
>> Jon Santos, Mililani: Caught seven passes for 169 yards and scored twice in a key 21-7 OIA Red West win over Nanakuli.
>> Maka Kahoano, Mililani: Threw for 211 yards against Nanakuli.
>> Alex Daniels, Radford: Scored the eventual game-winning TD in a 23-21 win over Kaiser.
>> Shannon Wise, Kaiser: Scored a TD and had three sacks against Radford.
>> Matt Ching, Kaiser: Caught four passes for 105 yards and two TDs vs. Radford.
Bowling
>> Kristen Tom, Sacred Hearts: Rolled a 234 game and a 570 series in a win over Academy of the Pacific.>> Jayson Nip, Iolani: Rolled a 237 game and 661 series in a win over Damien.
Cross Country
>> Anthony Barreras, Mililani: Ran to victory in the NFHS/OIA Invitational boys race.>> Nicole Anderson, Iolani: Won the NFHS/OIA Invitational girls race.
