High School Beat

Kaahaiali'i gets offer from BYU

Walter Kaahaiali'i, an offensive lineman for the Kamehameha-Maui football team, has been offered a scholarship by Brigham Young.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound senior is the first football player from the Pukalani campus of Kamehameha Schools to be offered a scholarship.

"He's got a good frame, and he's a good student," Warriors athletic director Kurt Ginoza said.

Kamehameha-Maui, on the strength of its offensive line, won its first Maui Interscholastic League Division II title. The Warriors advanced to the semifinals of the state championships, losing at Radford last Saturday, 37-27.

State title games on air: Starcomm Media will broadcast the Division I and II finals of the HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships on Friday.

The games (Radford vs. Iolani at 5 p.m., and Punahou vs. Kahuku at 8 p.m.) will air locally on 97.5-FM. The broadcast begins with a pregame show at 4:45 p.m.

There will also be an Internet streaming broadcast on www.hi50sports.com.

Near perfection: Kalehua Moniz put the onus of the loss on himself, but that's not surprising.

The senior quarterback carried quite a load for the Baldwin Bears this year, leading them to the MIL football title. It was their third league crown in four seasons.

Moniz had a scintillating season with 23 touchdown passes and just nine picks in 10 league games. He got off to a hot start in the state-tournament semifinal game against Punahou, but the Buffanblu defense adjusted.

After a 7-all first half, Punahou dominated the second half, shutting down Moniz's bomb attack. Baldwin finished with seven turnovers.

"Any time you have that many turnovers and penalties, it's tough," coach Jimmy Morimoto said.

Baldwin, a relatively young team, suffered through a series of unforced errors that led to yellow flags.

"I can't think of a call that was unjustified. The officials did a good job," said Morimoto, a former defensive coordinator now in his first year at the helm.

Replacing Moniz won't be easy. Sophomore Jordan Helle will bring a strong arm to the quarterback battle next season, but he isn't as nimble as Moniz.

"We'll miss Kale's leadership and athletic ability," Morimoto said.

They'll also miss Moniz's honesty.

"Everybody played hard today," he said after the 30-7 loss. "We knew we could stay with Punahou, but they made more plays and I turned the ball over too much."

Alegre tourney nears: The seventh annual James Alegre Invitational Basketball Tournament tips off Dec. 8 at Radford High School. The field includes defending state champion Iolani, Kahuku, Kamehameha, Leilehua, Moanalua, Punahou, Radford and Alegre's alma mater, Honokaa.