Lunas have inside
track to MIL crown
» Buffanblu in the spotlight
With Lahainaluna's stunning 21-14 win over defending MIL football champion Baldwin on Saturday, the Lunas have the inside track to the crown. There's a long way to go, of course, but the Lunas can thank themselves for having the chance to win the MIL crown.
Lahainaluna, which won its first football title in 1939, had low turnout numbers over recent years. This year, the numbers nearly doubled for the varsity and JV programs. With a plethora of young talent, the Lunas had to choose: A rough route in Division I or an easier path in Division II.
They chose right by remaining in Division I. Not only has Lahainaluna dominated the league's D-II teams, the Lunas (6-0-1 overall) have yet to lose a game to MIL powers. Now ranked No. 5 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, Bobby Watson's team has gone from the lower half of the league to the very top.
Warming up or warming down: The 49th annual running of the Punahou Invitational drew few of the state's top runners Saturday at Central Oahu. In fact, several top runners were on the Big Island at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy Invitational.
HPA is the host school for the state championships. Located at Waiaka, a few miles west of Waimea, the HPA campus rests on the bucolic slopes of the Kohala Mountains, and the hilly terrain is at altitude, to boot.
The chance to test out the track that will host the state's most important race took some of the luster off the 49-year old Punahou Invitational.
Off the old tracks: Not far from the old railroad tracks near historic Renton Road is the campus of Lanakila Baptist Academy.
There, athletic director Michael Schwab is literally hands-on with every sport. The Kahuku graduate is also the boys volleyball and basketball coach. By spring, he hopes to field the first-ever Lanakila Baptist baseball team.
Ewa-based Lanakila Baptist normally sends seven or so players to town daily to practice and play for Pac-Five. However, with so many athletes already on campus, Schwab believes the school can field its own team with a little prodding.
"We have a few players who played for all-star teams at Ewa Beach," he said. If the players are as good as they were in basketball, Lanakila Baptist could be competitive.
The boys basketball team, without a senior, went 7-5 in Division II last year.
Lanakila Baptist's emergence is stretching the boundaries of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu with recent additions Hanalani (Mililani) and Redemption Academy (Kaneohe). Hanalani has a recently-completed student center and gymnasium facility, allowing the Royals to host games for the first time.
Schwab has high hopes for Lanakila Baptist. Though it has no gym -- volleyball players practice on an asphalt court -- the school has access to a field nearby. Schwab would like to see his program make the old field usable again. And down the road, pun intended, Schwab dreams of starting a baseball preseason tournament at Hans L'Orange Field.
For Schwab, who used to commute from Kahuku to Ewa daily, it all starts with a dream. After all, if you build it, they will come.
Down on bended knee: In the final minute of play, there are many ways to end a game that has been decided. There are even more opinions about how to finish a contest.
Case in point: Castle-Kahuku and Leilehua-Mililani.
At Kahuku nearly two weeks ago, the Red Raiders led 45-10 in the final minute. Castle turned the ball over deep in its own territory. Kahuku, the No. 1 team in the state, snapped the ball and handed the ball off to its running backs until the final seconds ticked off.
The clock wasn't the only thing ticked off. Later, some fans wondered aloud why the Red Raiders were still trying to score with a 35-point lead.
At Mililani on Friday, the host Trojans had the ball deep in Leilehua territory with less than a minute remaining and a 28-14 lead. Kekoa Perbera, who finished with 185 yards, was still in the game. The sturdy junior scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left, providing the final 21-point margin for third-ranked Mililani.
Again, some fans were perplexed at what seemed to be another case of running up the score.
Should Kahuku and Mililani have taken a knee like UH did at the end of its blowout win over Nevada Saturday? Perhaps, but the situations aren't simple to dissect. Kahuku is a team with close to 100 players, and when the second and third string finally get to play, an entire community--several thousand at every home game--is cheering for a touchdown, not a kneel.
At Mililani, the situation was exacerbated when the visiting Mules called a timeout in the final minute to stop the clock. Perbera's run was straight up the middle against a tired Leilehua defense. The Mules wanted the ball back, and they got it back on offense with 17 seconds left.
The X Factor? In the OIA Red East, Kahuku's main rivals include Castle. In the West, Leilehua is Mililani's archrival.
There is more than one way to complete a victory.
Athletes of the Week
>> Lauren Ho, Hawaii Baptist: Set new course record (12:48) at the HPA Invitational Friday.>> Micah Strickland, Kahuku: Rushed for 305 yards, including 85-yard TD, in win over Roosevelt.
Honor Roll
Air riflery
>> Andrew Doi, Roosevelt: 268 Thursday.>> Mary Guo, Roosevelt: 248 Thursday.
>> Laura Perreira, Waipahu: 248 Thursday.
Cross country
>> Nicole Anderson, Iolani: Placed second (13:12) in girls race at HPA Invitational Friday.>> Emmett Weatherford, HPA: Won the HPA Invitational boys race with a time of 17:49.
Football
>> Jayson Rego, Kamehameha: 148 rushing yards in 21 attempts against Iolani.>> Chris Quiocho, McKinley: 13 carries, 126 yards against Kaimuki.
>> Radford Raquedan, Kapolei: 20 rushes, 123 yards and two touchdowns at Waianae.
>> Kekoa Perbera, Mililani: 185 yards on 18 carries against Leilehua.
>> Chester Wilson, St. Louis: Intercepted two passes, including one for a score against Pac-Five.
>> Royden Nabarro, Hilo: 21 carries for 114 yards, two touchdowns against Waiakea.
>> Krypton Taito, Waipahu: 13 carries for 158 yards against Kalani.
>> Richard Akau, Kalani: 28 of 38 for 340 yards and two TDs at Waipahu.
>> David Pershin, Kalaheo: Had an 87-yard punt in loss to Radford.
Bowling
>> Vaseem Anwar, Maryknoll: 264 game, 686 series.>> Shane Dias, Kapolei: High game of 257.
>> Darin Villegas, Aiea: 245 high game, 710 series.
>> Jarret Mizo, Roosevelt: 278, 699 series.
>> Jan Bangal, Waipahu: 246 game, 595 series.
>> Cherish Saunders, Kapolei: 246 high game.
>> Ryan Takahashi, Maryknoll: 256 game, 677 series.
Volleyball
>> Brandi Higa, Hawaii Baptist: 40 assists and 10 digs in two wins.>> Kim Mow, Hawaii Baptist: 13 kills (.478) in HBA's wins.
>> Danie Hout, Moanalua: 13 kills against Farrington.
>> Leilani Kleman-Maeva, Aiea: 13 kills at Leilehua.
>> Larissa Nordyke, Punahou: 15 kills Saturday at Iolani.
High school football
ILH
| Division I | League | Overall |
||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| Saint Louis | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 214 | 77 |
| Kamehameha | 2 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 45 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 168 | 68 |
| Punahou | 1 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 69 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 132 | 128 |
| Division II | League | Overall |
||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| Iolani | 2 | 1 | 0 | 86 | 89 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 161 | 123 |
| Pac-Five | 0 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 101 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 115 | 190 |
| Damien | 0 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 82 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 70 | 113 |
OIA
| Red East | Conference | Overall |
||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| y-Kahuku | 5 | 0 | 0 | 228 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 273 | 81 |
| x-Castle | 4 | 1 | 0 | 128 | 101 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 187 | 131 |
| x-Farrington | 3 | 2 | 0 | 93 | 113 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 120 | 178 |
| Kailua | 2 | 2 | 1 | 139 | 105 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 172 | 139 |
| Roosevelt | 2 | 3 | 0 | 103 | 130 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 122 | 163 |
| McKinley | 1 | 3 | 1 | 60 | 115 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 104 | 183 |
| Kaimuki | 0 | 6 | 0 | 61 | 201 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 61 | 265 |
| Red West | Conference | Overall |
||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| y-Mililani | 5 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 53 |
| x-Leilehua | 4 | 1 | 0 | 116 | 98 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 193 | 109 |
| x-Kapolei | 3 | 2 | 0 | 89 | 99 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 115 | 161 |
| x-Aiea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 105 | 85 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 146 | 126 |
| x-Nanakuli | 2 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 77 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 62 | 139 |
| Waianae | 1 | 4 | 0 | 82 | 87 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 84 | 122 |
| Pearl City | 0 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 132 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 83 | 148 |
| White | Conference | Overall |
||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| x-Campbell | 5 | 1 | 0 | 217 | 55 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 217 | 57 |
| x-Waipahu | 5 | 1 | 0 | 172 | 104 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 178 | 153 |
| Radford | 4 | 2 | 0 | 119 | 118 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 122 | 153 |
| Moanalua | 3 | 3 | 0 | 99 | 96 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 133 | 116 |
| Kalaheo | 3 | 3 | 0 | 123 | 151 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 129 | 181 |
| Kaiser | 3 | 3 | 0 | 162 | 117 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 176 | 137 |
| Waialua | 1 | 5 | 0 | 64 | 170 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 61 | 183 |
| Kalani | 0 | 6 | 0 | 78 | 213 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 99 | 232 |
y-clinched conference No. 1 seed
x-clinched playoff spot
KIF
| Conference | Overall |
|||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| Kauai | 3 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 41 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 86 | 107 |
| Waimea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 93 | 80 |
| Kapaa | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 63 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 110 |
MIL
| First round | Overall |
|||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| x-Lahainaluna | 3 | 0 | 1 | 113 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 202 | 54 |
| x-Baldwin | 3 | 0 | 1 | 135 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 163 | 41 |
| King Kekaulike | 2 | 2 | 0 | 97 | 88 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 143 | 88 |
| Pac-Three | 1 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 102 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 134 | 151 |
| Maui | 1 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 136 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 106 | 179 |
| KS-Maui | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 84 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 101 |
| Second round | League | Overall |
||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| x-Lahainaluna | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 134 | 37 |
| Maui | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 68 | 167 |
| King Kekaulike | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 97 | 88 |
| KS-Maui | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 84 |
| x-Baldwin | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 149 | 27 |
| Pac-Three | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 35 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 79 | 137 |
x-first round tie
Note: second-round champ will be overall champ
BIIF
| Conference | Overall |
|||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | W | L | T | PF | PA |
| Hilo | 6 | 0 | 0 | 256 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 283 | 52 |
| Hawaii Prep | 6 | 0 | 0 | 276 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 303 | 102 |
| Konawaena | 5 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 109 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 209 | 147 |
| Kealakehe | 4 | 2 | 0 | 168 | 78 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 187 | 106 |
| Waiakea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 119 | 133 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 139 | 167 |
| Keaau | 3 | 3 | 0 | 107 | 168 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 107 | 168 |
| KS-Hawaii | 2 | 4 | 0 | 93 | 137 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 110 | 151 |
| Honokaa | 1 | 5 | 0 | 62 | 169 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 62 | 215 |
| Kohala | 0 | 6 | 0 | 100 | 304 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 100 | 304 |
| Ka'u | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 213 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 268 |
