The Nanakuli softball team proved it is big on grit and determination in winning last week’s Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference championship — the school’s first league title in the sport.

The Golden Hawks, who have only 10 players on their roster, were just following the lead of coach Ricky Gusman.

Gusman, 54, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer, but put off chemotherapy so he could coach the Golden Hawks.

"These young ladies we coach are special and Nanakuli is a special place," he said. "I felt I needed to be there for them. I wanted to keep the continuity among the team. I knew I needed radiation. I took it on faith I didn’t have to do it right away. I prayed about it. I felt comfortable putting it off."

Gusman, who said he will undergo chemotherapy shortly after the season, also had an appendectomy and was forced to miss the Golden Hawks’ doubleheader against Radford on April 7.

Last week’s path to the OIA White title wasn’t easy for Nanakuli. The Golden Hawks finished the White West season in third place at 6-5. In the tournament, they won at East runner-up Kahuku 19-15, at West champion Waipahu 5-3, and against East champion Kalaheo 12-2 in five innings at Central Oahu Regional Park.

The victory over Waipahu was the biggest shocker. The Marauders had been undefeated, and routed Nanakuli 14-3 and 13-0 during the regular season.

"The kids dug deep and started to rely on each other, had faith in each other," Gusman said. "We don’t have the best athletes on the field, but we have the best mechanism right now as far as continuity. Everybody’s playing well. They got each other’s back. They don’t get down."

Nanakuli did not qualify for the OIA White tournament in Gusman’s previous two years as coach.

After the Golden Hawks’ rout of Kalaheo on Friday night, sophomore shortstop Alexis Meyers said: "I’m just grateful for this team. We’re very excited to win this game. We normally don’t have these kind of things."

Nanakuli started the season with 16 players, but injuries and other factors trimmed the roster to 10.

"We’re really close," sophomore pitcher Chyanne Koko said. "There have been some ups and downs, but we got through it."

The attrition has forced Gusman to get creative with his lineup.

Nanakuli sophomore first baseman Katherine Aiwohi and senior catcher Kehau Silva were recently forced into starting roles after both having played about "20 percent" of the time during the regular season, according to Gusman.

Lauren Ku, a junior, shifted from center field to right field, sophomore Shaina Souza went from right field to left field and freshman Precious Meyers, the sister of Alexis, moved from first base to second base.

"The team knew we had a couple of good starters out and we had to shore it up and we had to shore it up with the people we had," Gusman said. "People were playing out of position and we had backup players (in the lineup)."

Gusman also said a dedicated coaching staff has played a big part in the team’s success. The coaches often start practices without him because he works in Honolulu and can’t get to Nanakuli by 4 p.m.

The Golden Hawks assistants are Kalani Beck, Chris Clark, Anthony Dela Cruz, Lonnie Felise, Kaua Kaeo, Cora Koko and Waldo Meyers.

Meyers, the infield coach, and Koko, the pitching coach, are parents of Nanakuli’s top players: Alexis Meyers and Chyanne Koko.

"With parents who do the work off field with the kids, it makes my job a lot easier," Gusman said.

Alexis Meyers went 6-for-14 in the Golden Hawks’ three tournament games. In the final against Kalaheo, she hit leadoff and went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored.

"Alexis Meyers is kind of the heart of the team," Gusman said. "She’s an excellent fielder and hitter. She knows the game real well. It’s like having a coach on the field. She’s not vocal, but she knows how to play the game and she brings steadiness."

Chyanne Koko, a left-hander, won all of Nanakuli’s tournament games. Against Kalaheo, she pitched a five-inning four-hitter with five strikeouts.

"I’m going to use her throughout states," Gusman said. "I have two more (pitchers), but if she can go, I’ll go with her. She has a bulldog mentality. She doesn’t get rattled."

Nanakuli hasn’t had many strong athletic programs recently, so Gusman hopes the softball team’s OIA White title can inspire others at the school to try out and dedicate themselves to a sport.

"I always tell the kids I want our softball program to be the program to change the mind-set and attitudes of the other student-athletes," Gusman said. "There is talk around town the softball team is doing well. It should rub off on the other students."

Nanakuli will be looking to continue its amazing run as one of four OIA teams in the state Division II tournament to be held May 2-5.

"I told the girls before the season, this is going to be a special season and this is a special team," Gusman said. "I really didn’t know how special it would be. Now I know what special means."