By Paul Honda These Hoosiers hung tough, but there was no Hollywood fairy tale at the end of the 'Iolani Classic. Instead, the nation's Goliath of a prep basketball team, No. 1-ranked Findlay Prep (Nev.), laid to rest any doubt that it deserved the ultimate prize.
By Jerry Campany The Punahou boys basketball team found its range on Saturday night, and Wilson (Ore.) paid for it. The Buffanblu beat the Trojans 83-49 for third place in the Punahou Basketball Invitational on Saturday night.
By Star-Advertiser staff The Owls led 19-17 at halftime with solid free-throw shooting, sinking 12 of 16, but a fourth-quarter Punahou rally denied any chance of an MPI upset.
By Jerry Campany ‘Iolani striker Kama Pascua is good for at least a goal a game, no matter how long it takes. Pascua scored in the final seconds to forge a 1-1 tie with ILH rival Kamehameha on Saturday at Kamehameha in a rematch of last year's state championship final.
By Jerry Campany Nothing is given to any wrestler, even if his name is Terukina. Kamehameha freshman Blaysen Terukina finished second at 108 pounds in the Hawaii Officials Association Scholarship Tournament at Leilehua on Saturday. It was his first varsity tournament.
By Jerry Campany With preseason tournaments wrapping up, the defending state champions are on the verge of being just another team without a title.
By Paul Honda It took ballers from the Hoosier State to put an end to Oak Hill’s dynastic hold on the ‘Iolani Classic.
By Paul Honda There won’t be a pep rally this time, but the joy is just as large.
By Billy Hull No. 1 Findlay Prep (Nev.) took care of business in its first ‘Iolani Classic game. But by no means was Moanalua a pushover.
By Star-Advertiser staff Alissa Pacarro scored 10 points as St. Francis improved to 2-1 in ILH Division II girls basketball with a 33-25 victory over Le Jardin on Monday.
By Paul Honda Waianae's Furtado keeps on scoring • Punahou works on pushing it up
By Paul Honda Top athletes of the week • Honor Roll • Girls Basketball Top 10 • Boys Basketball Top 10
By Jason Kaneshiro The ‘Iolani Classic might have reached its current status even if Stu Vetter hadn’t picked up the phone that afternoon in 1984.
By Paul Honda The Kahuku Red Raiders promised to have some trickeration in store, but the warning didn't help Mililani. Kahuku's defense came up with five first-quarter turnovers — eight total for the game.
By Nick Abramo With a handful of huge, game-turning plays in the second half, the Radford Rams wrapped up the OIA White football championship Friday night at Aloha Stadium with a 21-6 comeback victory over Nanakuli.
By Billy Hull Narrow wins in the OIA Red quarterfinals and semis made No. 1 Kahuku look beatable this late in the season. That label was erased in one 12-minute span in which defensive back Kawehena Johnson said, "it felt like nobody could stop us."
By Jason Kaneshiro In the fifth straight meeting between the programs in the title match, Punahou fought off Kamehameha in four sets to repeat as Division I champion of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championship.
By Jerry Campany The Saints rallied from a 2-0 hole to beat Seabury Hall 19-25, 19-25, 25-14, 25-19, 15-9 for its second straight Division II state title at the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships on Friday night at the Blaisdell Arena.
By Star-Advertiser staff The incumbents from Pearl City won in a landslide. The Chargers boys threepeated and the girls repeated in the Billy Tees/HHSAA Bowling state championship in Lihue on Friday.
By Jerry Campany When the book is closed on Punahou's 2012 season, one of the more memorable sets will be a largely meaningless one against Mililani in the state semifinals.
By Jason Kaneshiro For the 10th consecutive year, Kamehameha will close the season playing for a girls volleyball state championship. But getting back to the final was far from a given for much of Thursday night.
By Billy Hull No. 1 seed Saint Francis rallied in the third set to complete a 25-23, 25-21, 26-24 sweep of fourth-seeded Ka‘u in the semifinals of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division II Girls State Volleyball Championships on Thursday night.
By Billy Hull Division II Maui Interscholastic League champion Seabury Hall stood tall, rallying for a gut-wrenching 14-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 16-14 win to advance to the championship game of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships on Thursday night at Kalani.
By Paul Honda East to West. Smashmouth to run-and-shoot. Over the past several seasons, the tide has shifted as the population base of Oahu has changed locale, generally.
By Billy Hull Kahuku setter Penina Snuka is one of the best at spreading the ball around to different teammates. But when things get tough, Snuka knows exactly who her go-to-girl is.
By Paul Honda The Mililani Trojans used superior serving, with five aces from Jordyn Keamo and five more from Jayierra Kapowai for a 25-18, 20-25, 25-10, 25-23 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii.
By Jason Kaneshiro Saint Francis had already overcome some adversity to position itself as the top seed in the HHSAA/New City Nissan Division II Girls Volleyball State Championship.
By Jerry Campany The Trojans got their wish, sweeping Castle 25-20, 26-24, 25-18 in the first round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division I Girls Volleyball State Championships at McKinley on Tuesday night. The Trojans move on to play unbeaten Kamehameha-Hawaii in the quarterfinals today at 5 p.m. at McKinley.
By Star-Advertiser staff Brianna Hollister led all shooters with a 541 to take medalist honors at the Civilian Marksman Program Hawaii State Air Riflery Championships on Tuesday at Kamehameha-Hawaii. Gavin Au of Leilehua was the top boy at 540, and Waiakea took both team titles.
By Paul Honda Once they stepped onto the court at Kaimuki High School, nothing else mattered to the Pearl City Chargers.
By Nick Abramo Aofaga Wily jogged onto the Aloha Stadium turf like he was sauntering into a park for a picnic. But this was no picnic. This was fourth and goal from the 1 in the OIA Red football semifinals against Leilehua on Friday night. Score knotted at 7.
By Paul Honda Top Athletes • Honor Roll • Volleyball Top 10 • Football Top 10
By Paul Honda Tsunami warning stopped games • Falcons lose ‘home' field?
By Jason Kaneshiro On the eve of the Raiders' homecoming game, 'Iolani coach Wendell Look had the team watch a documentary on the football program's patriarch, Father Kenneth Bray, to remind them that the ILH Division II crown was just part of what they were playing for on Saturday.
By Billy Hull Most football teams call it a great week getting that one big win they work so hard for. Two program-changing wins in six days? Now that's something to brag about.
By Fred Guzman / Special to the Star-Advertiser So much for the adage that the best offense is a good defense. In the case of Lahainaluna on Saturday night, it was an opportunistic defense that set the stage for an opening-round victory in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II football tournament.
By Paul Honda Thankfully, for the Leilehua Mules, the one player with the right shoes happened to be Tim Momiyama.
By Fred Guzman / Special to the Star-Advertiser WAILUKU, Maui » A statewide television audience found out on Friday night what folks on Maui have known for the past two seasons. Namely, that Keelan Ewaliko can beat you with his strong right arm and his legs.
By Paul Honda He’s been described by old-time watchers at Julian Yates Field as anything from a younger version of Ray Lewis to a recent version of the late Jesse Mahelona.
By Cindy Luis As the crowd watched in semi-darkness on the Moanalua High tennis courts Wednesday night, a full moon broke through the clouds, allowing for two words on the blue mesh fence to be visible. Just barely.
By Paul Honda Pristine Hanalei.
No-frills Anahola.
For everyone who played football at Kapaa High School since 1990, there was always great natural beauty in their backyard, but no mantle on which to hoist their hopes and dreams. No Kauai Interscholastic Federation championship. No participation in the old Neighbor Island Football Championship. Not even a state-tournament berth.
By Paul Honda They’ve gone down this road before, but perhaps never with so much expectation.
The Farrington Governors saw a perfect season — and a rare No. 1 ranking — slip away with a loss to Kahuku.
By Paul Honda A dynasty like Kealakehe isn’t exactly familiar with the role of underdog.
This time, it’s more than that. With their top playmaker out for the season, the Waveriders might be the longest of long shots as the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships kick off this week.
By Billy Hull DeForest Buckner is impossible to ignore.
At 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, Buckner's size alone makes him one of the more recognizable players on the field.
By Star-Advertiser staff Jonathan Paleka's 27-yard field goal with 9 seconds left lifted Kapaa over Waimea 17-14 for the Kauai Interscholastic Federation championship on Monday afternoon at Vidinha Stadium.
By Star-Advertiser staff Fairbairn picks UCLA • Wildcats to Wazzu • Rubasch retires • OC 16 volleyball to start
By Paul Honda They flew in from near and far, five days before the start of the state football championships. No, by Friday, it will be all business, and with Kahuku and ‘Iolani seeded first in Division I and II, respectively, all teams are taking aim.
By Paul Honda He twists and turns, springs up and dives to the floor. Micah Christenson is arguably the finest 18-and-under setter in the nation. His play on the junior national team for several years is proof of that.
By Paul Honda In the end, the neighbor islands didn't really want an extended stay in Honolulu. A proposal to allow all teams to play a minimum of three games in team sports at state championships was shot down by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive board Monday.
By Star-Advertiser staff Pearl City's Mariel Galdiano will be the youngest player at next month's U.S. Women's Open. LPGA Hall of Famer Betsy King, whose first win came on Maui, will be the oldest.
By Paul Honda On paper, there's not much to distinguish Kalei Contrades from Chevas Numata. They performed in the clutch as ace pitchers for their teams.
By Curtis Murayama They all started out as standout student-athletes. Some became professional athletes, others politicians, a few became Olympians. But most have found a way to give back, either as coaches or educators.
By Paul Honda Long before she wore the green and white of the Molokai Farmers, Abbiggaile Kalei Adolpho’s running shoes knew wear and tear.
By Paul Honda Buffanblu wrestling coach Matt Oney takes a fatherly approach to coaching, which is why he gave Chrissy Chow the ultimate compliment after she won her third state wrestling championship last winter.
By Paul Honda He’s a fan of the underdog, which is why Micah Christenson is ultra geeked up this week. His favorite NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, are in the NBA Finals.
By Paul Honda The motor never stops revving in the Dydasco household. Caprice Dydasco simply picked up where her older brother, Dane, left off when he flew to Colorado Springs and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
By Paul Honda The banner year for Kamehameha’s great student-athletes continues with induction of the gentle giant, Koa Kaai.
By Paul Honda In the words of Castle softball coach Jon Berinobis, Leisha Liilii is the kind of athlete “who comes around once in 30 years.”
By Paul Honda As a sophomore, Maiki Viela was quick as a cat, unstoppable on the basketball court as long as she went to her right.
By Paul Honda She is a combination of fire, power and … smile power.
By Paul Honda Shea Shimabukuro has always been more than a scholar-athlete with a 3.88 grade-point average.
By Paul Honda Through the ups and downs of its athletic program, the coveted status among Saint Louis alumni has always been, “Gentlemen of Kalaepohaku.”
By Paul Honda It’s the fury. It didn’t help that hardly a soul had heard of Island School just a few years ago, but it probably didn’t hurt Pierce Murphy to know that strangers could only shrug their shoulders.
By Paul Honda At the center of it all, Zhane Santiago has an unlimited supply of hope.
By Paul Honda Often enough, the annual Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference boils down to big fish and small fish.
By Paul Honda For Bobbie Awa, a labor of love wasn't about titles or glory.
By Paul Honda So much for all-star pitching duels. The Red squad, hitless for two innings, erupted for 21 hits en route to a 19-11 rout of the Green team in the Sugar Mill Senior Classic on Monday at sunny Hans L’Orange Park.
By Paul Honda One was a big-time slugger before her teens, swinging for fences. The other was never physically imposing, but the heat coming off her hand never cooled off.
The final Top 10 high school boys volleyball teams as voted on by coaches and media from around the state.
By Paul Honda If there were still any doubters left, Micah Christenson answered them in full this weekend. The two-sport standout anchored Kamehameha to the boys volleyball state championship on Saturday as the Warriors surprised top-seeded Punahou in a sweep.
By Brian McInnis Belief can be a powerful thing. Kamehameha drove home that point with a rousing defeat of top-seeded rival Punahou, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23 yesterday in the Division I title game of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships at Keaau High School.
By Paul Honda The Eagles, spurred by pinpoint offensive execution and coach Teoni Obrey's defensive game plan, swept Seabury Hall 25-22, 25-23, 26-24 in a tightly contested Division II final at the New City Nissan/HHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships.
By Ann Miller In her last golf tournament, Hee Sue Condry and her Punahou teammates overcame 35-mph winds and every other team to win their fifth straight state high school championship.
By Brian McInnis KEAAU » Kamehameha has just one final job to do, one more champion to knock off.
By Brian McInnis KEAAU » Kamehameha-Hawaii's stellar season came to a crashing halt into the wall that was Punahou's Benjamin Lam.
By Paul Honda There were no flurries by the feisty Castle Knights this time.
Seabury Hall saw to it, enforcing a permanent wall at the net from start to finish.
By Brian McInnis HILO >> Over the course of an hour, a rollicking crowd of nearly 1,000 at Waiakea High School had less and less to cheer about. At the end, all you could hear were the coqui frogs.
By Paul Honda They're big, they're hungry, and when they play without a hitch, the Seabury Hall Spartans are dangerous.
By Brian McInnis KEAAU » Pearl City went from stunned to stunners.
The Chargers met a fierce Waianae comeback attempt with one of their own in a 25-20, 25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 15-10 marathon match on the first day of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships at Keaau High.
The final Top 10 high school baseball teams as voted on by coaches and media from around the state.
By Star-Advertiser staff Lorens Chan, in pursuit of his second state golf title in three years, opened with a 6-under-par 66 yesterday at Waikoloa Village.
By Paul Honda It was a championship game that came down to small ball, defense, finesse and … cousins. Isaac Shim, facing second cousin Bronson in the most clutch moment of their young careers, came through with a two-run single with two outs in the top of the seventh, and Pearl City pulled out a miraculous 2-1 win over Moanalua in the Division I final of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.
By Jason Kaneshiro All Isaac Shim wanted was a chance. Little did he know the opportunity he craved would come against his own bloodline.
By Paul Honda Moanalua's Harpole, a former football player, is now a crucial part of Na Menehune volleyball team
By Paul Honda Souza retires as Kamehameha athletic director • Kaimuki hires new coach • Sister power
By Paul Honda Outstanding athletes on and off the field.
The Top 10 high school softball and boys volleyball teams as voted on by coaches and media from around the state.
By Brian McInnis There is always room to grow, still more to show — even for two-time defending state champions. Top-ranked Punahou put together a clean, unbeaten run through the gauntlet that is the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
By Jason Kaneshiro In a tournament hampered by less-than-ideal conditions, Kauai found a perfect ending. With a steady rain falling for much of the afternoon at Les Murakami Stadium, the Red Raiders captured the Division II title in the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championship with an 11-2 win over Pac-Five yesterday.
By Billy Hull Four days of off-and-on rainfall finally caught up to the DOMO turf at Les Murakami Stadium. The Division I championship game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation Baseball State Championships between Pearl City and Moanalua was rained out yesterday and will be made up tomorrow night at 6.
By Jason Kaneshiro For Mid-Pacific, one of the perks of winning a state championship was getting fed instead of getting dirty. Usually after the final game of the season, the Owls gather to tidy up the campus softball field.
By Dave Reardon If life's fair, Devin Jenkins of Kapolei will have a calm, placid venue next year at which to defend his state championships and blast for some records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
By Paul Honda Sometimes, the most valuable skill for a dynastic program is as simple as knowing basic math. Up only 4.33 points going into the final event, Punahou knew what was necessary to fend off upset-minded Seabury Hall last night at the Island Movers/HHSAA Girls Track and Field State Championships in rollicking War Memorial Stadium.
By Star-Advertiser staff Perfect. It's the only way to describe the season for the Punahou girls water polo team. It's the only way to describe the careers of the four Buffanblu seniors.
By Brian McInnis Mid-Pacific senior David Terao capped an impressive high school judo career by taking his fourth individual state championship in four years with a stunningly fast ippon throw on Moanalua's Kelson Onigama yesterday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
By Star-Advertiser staff It started with an entire island pitching in so the Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA Tennis Championships could be played Thursday. It ended yesterday with someone old, someone new, something rare and something blue — again.
By Jason Kaneshiro Mid-Pacific appeared to put Castle away once.
Faced with having to do it again, the second time the Owls made sure.
By Paul Honda All in all, Kristine Felix did pretty well for someone who had a broken leg four months ago.
By Jason Kaneshiro Pac-Five scored via the long ball and in the short game.
In the end, it added up to a second consecutive Division II state softball championship for the Wolfpack.
By Brian McInnis The self doubt was gone and the moment was theirs for the taking.
Third-ranked Kamehameha jumped on the back of senior hitter Micah Christenson and rode his 28 kills all the way to Hilo in a 25-16, 19-25, 25-23, 25-15 defeat of No. 2 ‘Iolani last night.