Shoots! It’s Warriors,
Lancers
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The Warriors made the trek to Honolulu and dominated the Civilian Marksmanship Program state championship tournament yesterday afternoon with a 75-point win over runner-up Saint Louis at Neal Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.
Steven Ozaki, Reagan Ancheta and Matthew Hariguchi gave Waiakea the top three individual finishers. A fourth, Reyn Takahashi, placed fifth in one of the most impressive team performances in state championship history. Waiakea amassed 2,112 points.
"It feels great. I'm surprised," said Ozaki, a senior who may follow in the footsteps of Waiakea alums Ryan and Shannon Kohatsu. Those two compete in air riflery at Ohio State and Akron, respectively, on scholarships.
Ozaki, however, was simply happy to help Waiakea win its first state title in the sport after many close finishes. "All these years we've been trying to do it, and we finally did it," he said. "And it wasn't just us. The parents have been really supportive."
Waiakea coach Bryce Kaneta-Oga is in full control of the program for the first time at the tender age of 21. "They really deserved it. They've been shooting well all season, and I tried to make it more enjoyable for them," he said. "They practice hard and have fun trying to excel."
Ozaki compiled a grand total of 538 points, followed by Ancheta's 529 and Hariguchi's 525. William Dearmore of Saint Louis placed fourth with 523, and Takahashi rounded out the top five with 520 points.
The girls competition brought at least one surprise when Heather Horn, a Punahou junior, captured the individual crown. Horn finished in a tie with Sacred Hearts' Deana Sin at 535 points.
The first two tiebreakers were the first and second sheets of the kneeling aggregate, which Horn and Sin tied in again.
The third tiebreaker, the standing score, gave Horn a three-point edge and the title.
Carolyn Horiye of Sacred Hearts placed third with 531 points, followed by Calimari Billings of Pearl City and Sophie Luc of Sacred Hearts.
Sacred Hearts won the girls team title with 2,108 points. It is the Lancers' second state title in a row, and fifth in the last six years.
Horn, in her second year on the varsity, saved her top performance for yesterday. "Today is my best score this year," she said. One key for her was a change in equipment.
"I borrowed someone else's sights. My old sights had a loose post," said Billings, who placed fifth at the state championships last year.
Sin wasn't overly disappointed about finishing second. "Last year was the first year I got to be part of a state championship, and this year we rebuilt our team. Three-fourths of the team graduated," she said. "I'm happy. It's a relief to know it's over."
Sin, a senior for the Lancers, has no immediate plans to compete in air riflery at the college level.
Ozaki, though, has his sights set, pun intended. He spent part of the spring on Oahu with top competitors from Saint Louis and Punahou. "I was in precision riflery, and that gave me more experience. It helps to be around high-caliber shooters," said Ozaki, who had a top-eight finish a year ago.
Kaneta-Oga, who graduated with Ryan Kohatsu, believes the sky is the limit for Ozaki. "In my opinion, Steven is a half-step higher than Ryan was," he said.