Last year, Punahou’s reign atop the Division I baseball kingdom came to an end with Pearl City’s run to the crown. This year, both teams are back as unseeded contenders and Kailua is the top seed when the Wally Yonamine/HHSAA State Championships begin for Division I teams today.

Mid-Pacific, which eked out a win over Kamehameha for the ILH title last week, is seeded second and Waiakea is third. MIL champion Baldwin is seeded fourth. Last week, when seeds were announced, Kailua was ranked No. 5 by coaches and media in the Star-Advertiser Top 10 and Waiakea was No. 1.

It seems that voters and the seeding committee don’t see things eye to eye.

"You get the (opening-round) bye, so it doesn’t really matter," MPI coach Dunn Muramaru said.

The Owls (15-2), like other teams, have battled the cold bug lately. Only 11 of their 25 players suited up for practice on Saturday, though Muramaru was relived to see shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa back on the diamond. The junior injured an ankle in the game with Kamehameha.

Kailua (14-1) had its own health scare at midseason when coach Corey Ishigo felt ill. He said doctors still aren’t sure what caused it, but he’s been back without a glitch as the Surfriders won their final 11 games in OIA play to win the league title.

Waiakea (14-0), meanwhile, features three future UH players and has perhaps the best staff of starters on the mound. Quintin Torres-Costa hurled the Warriors to victory in the BIIF title game against Hilo.

Waimea, the top seed in the D-II tourney, won the championship in 2010 and follows in a line of KIF programs that have dominated over the past four years. Three of the four D-II trophies since classification was installed in baseball in 2008 have been taken home to the Garden Island.

Ties that bind

It was in the moments after Kamehameha-Hawaii’s semifinal win over Moanalua that brought the boys volleyball state tournament into a different light.

There were Punahou’s elite, national-level standouts Larry Tuileta and Micah Ma‘a, embracing KS-Hawaii’s durable hitter, Evan Enriques. There was less than 24 hours before they would face off for the state crown, but they high-fived like best buddies.

Turns out they actually are. The three played together for Kaulukoa Volleyball Club, coached by Ma‘a’s father, former UH player Pono Ma‘a. In all, the team won four Junior Olympic tournaments in the past two offseasons, losing a total of one set.

"Can you imagine Micah setting Tui and Evan. They’re two of the best hitters in the country, on one team," said KS-Hawaii coach Guy Enriques.

Punahou edged KS-Hawaii in five sets on Saturday to win the state championship.