|
High School Beat
Star-Bulletin staff
|
Fehoko takes a step back and withdraws his commitment to Aztecs
By Paul Honda
phonda@starbulletin.com
When the football season started, Sam Fehoko had a plan.
Patience. He wanted to be patient about any possible choice of college. As a scholar-athlete at Farrington, college is in his future regardless of athletics. However, as one of the top defensive players in the state, he was heavily recruited.
Then came a barrage of attention, including a home visit by the San Diego State coaching staff. Fehoko gave SDSU an oral commitment to play football.
That was two weeks ago. Now, he's going back to Plan A. Instead of a guarantee that he'll play with older brother Whitley Fehoko at SDSU, he has taken a step back and has reopened his door of opportunities. He called the Aztecs on Monday.
"I talked to them ... told the defensive coordinator I decommitted. I want to sit down and focus," Fehoko said. "They were really sad. I could tell there was some frustration. I don't want to make a wrong decision that's going to affect my life. Usually where you go to college is where you end up living. San Diego State is still in my heart."
Fehoko visited Texas Tech over the weekend, and the Red Raiders staff flew into Honolulu yesterday for a home visit.
"I really felt comfortable there. The coaches said I'll have a lot of opportunities to play," he said of the trip to Lubbock, Texas.
He says he won't make a decision right away, not again.
"I don't base my decision on people's opinion. I want to base my decision on my feeling. The guys who say I'm a hypocrite, that doesn't bother me," Fehoko said.
Through the process, he turned down Hawaii, Oklahoma and a host of other schools. Arkansas and Auburn were interested, too. The Arkansas coach who was recruiting Fehoko left, ending that possibility.
"I gotta sit down and make my decision. I really worked hard for this decision to come and I don't want to make the wrong decision. I want to make this decision for myself," he said.
Publication picks Herring:
The honors keep piling up for Kamehameha's
Kanani Herring.
The two-time Star-Bulletin girls volleyball player of the year was named a first-team All-American by Volleyball magazine. That comes on the heels of a Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year honor.
The 5-foot-9 Warrior is only a junior.
Punahou senior Larissa Nordyke, a Star-Bulletin All-State first-team selection, was named to Volleyball magazine's All-America second team.
States on radio:
Starcomm Sports Radio will broadcast the Data House/HHSAA State Softball Championships Division I semifinals on Friday.
The semifinal games at UH's Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium start at 6 and 8 p.m. and will be aired on KORL 1180-AM and on the Internet at www.hi50sports.com.
On Saturday, softball fans can log on to www.hi50sports.com to hear the Division II championship game at 6 p.m. and the Division I title game at 8 p.m.
Waianae a dark horse:
The Waianae Seariders are, in many ways, the mystery card that could surprise during the Oahu Interscholastic Association boys basketball playoffs.
After all, how often does a 3-6 team push an unbeaten frontrunner (Mililani) to the brink? The visiting Seariders had control of the game in the final quarter, but the deeper Trojans pulled through.
Waianae led most of the game, thanks to the shooting of Ramsey Beers, Jesse Lafua, Bryson Kekahuna and Jarred Burns. Beers, a 6-foot-1 shooting guard, finished with 18 points on 6-for-17 shooting. Lafua had 12 points and five rebounds, and Burns and Kekahuna each finished with 10 points.
"Down the road, we'll get better," Beers said. "We'll work as a team. We just gotta control our turnovers, have composure at the end of the game."
First-year coach John Simbahon has mixed emotions about another close loss.
"A lot of our games, we've been playing tough, but we can't get over the hump," he said.
Mililani shot 54 percent from the field (25-for-46) against Waianae's man-to-man defense, but committed 17 turnovers and was below average (15-for-27) from the free-throw line.
Waianae was outrebounded 26-16, but shot 8-for-18 (44 percent) from the 3-point arc.
Mililani, which defeated Waianae 70-58 on January 9, swept the two-game series.
Still, Waianae and its tough starting unit could pull a surprise or two in the postseason.
Athletes of the Week
BOYS
Brandon Dela Cruz, Mililani basketball: led the unbeaten Trojans to key wins as they improved to 10-0 in Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West play. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound senior had 13 points and eight rebounds against Waianae and 19 points and 10 boards against Radford.
GIRLS
Samantha Niver, Saint Louis/Sacred Hearts air riflery: shot a 269 against Punahou.
Honor roll
BASKETBALL
Beau Albrechtson, Kaimuki: scored 21 points in a win over Castle.
Derek Alik, Lutheran: scored 23 points in a win over Lanakila Baptist.
Nick Castello, Assets: scored 25 points in a win over Le Jardin.
Joshua DeLeon, Kealakehe: scored 26 points at Keaau.
Scott Keiter-Charles, Castle: scored 19 points, including a game-winning bank shot as time expired against Moanalua.
Jonathan Lee, McKinley: scored 20 points in a win over Kalani.
Nainoa Lessary, McKinley: scored 22 points in a win over Kalani.
Mike Makinano, Campbell: scored 21 points in a win over Waianae.
Spencer McLachlin, Punahou: scored 23 points in a win at Saint Louis.
Chris Newcomb, Waimea: scored 20 points in a win at Waimea.
Miah Ostrowski, Punahou: scored 21 points in a win at Saint Louis.
Gary Satterwhite, Radford: scored 23 points against Kapolei.
Tristan Sealy, Thompson: scored 25 points at Farrington.
Shayne-Keith Searle, Lutheran: scored 20 points against Redemption Academy.
Scott Smith, Saint Louis: had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Punahou.
P.J. Wood, Hanalani: scored 20 points in a win over Christian Academy.
AIR RIFLERY
Nigel Kojimoto, Punahou: shot a 279 in a win over Kamehameha.
Davin Lee, Punahou: scored a 276 in a win over Kamehameha.
Katie Moloney, Kamehameha: scored a 256 against Punahou.
Gianna Piro, Kamehameha: scored a 257 against Punahou.
Ariel Takata-Vasquez, Saint Louis/Sacred Hearts: shot a 269 against Punahou.
SOCCER
John Lau, Pac-Five: scored three goals in a win over Damien.
To nominate ...
To nominate an athlete of the week, contact the Star-Bulletin Sports Department by 11 p.m. Sunday:
Phone: 529-4782
Fax: 529-4787
E-mail: sports@starbulletin.com
|
