Pearl City junior Ryan Kajihiro stayed consistent for six frames and finished strong to win the OIA boys individual bowling championship Thursday afternoon at Schofield Bowling Center.
He was not the only champion for the Chargers. The school captured both the boys and girls team crowns, and defending state champion Chelsi Morishige came through for the top girls individual honor.
"I was steady all the way through," Kajihiro said. "Still, there was some super good bowlers out there."
As a matter of fact, Kajihiro, who won with 1,388 pins, trailed Kalaheo’s Dylan John Peters by 32 going into the final game.
"I thought it was his (Peters’) day," Kajihiro admitted.
Peters, however, said drying lanes hurt his aim, and believes Kajihiro’s "experience" was the difference.
"I need to learn to adjust (to drying lanes) more quickly," said Peters, who was runner-up by 42 pins.
Kristopher Yadao (third), Skyler Wakumoto (fifth), Bradley Nakamura (seventh) and Aaron Rafael (eighth) aided in bringing the team title to the Chargers.
"The team bowled very good, and the morale was there," said Pearl City boys coach James Hayashi, whose team won its fifth OIA title in a row. "They cheered each other on."
The Chargers boys team (6,426 pins) outdistanced second-place Kapolei (5,841) by a wide margin.
Morishige (1,228) held off teammate Ashlyn Castro (1,190), Kalani’s Ashley Honda (1,154) and Leilehua’s Gwen Maeha (1,140).
Maeha, a freshman, was in the lead after four games, but her 177 in the sixth hurt.
"Just being that close was a great experience," she said. "Now I know what to expect in the future at events like this."
For Honda, who got extended hugs from her grandmother and uncle, it was a big climb up from her previous best OIA finish (11th).
"No words can really describe it," said Honda, who attributed her rise to the ability to not lose focus.
The Pearl City girls team (5,579 pins) won by a hefty margin over second-place Mililani (5,041) to earn its fourth straight OIA championship.
Kylie Malilay-Madrona (eighth), Kristin Frost (10th) and Sydni Inafuku (10th) were also instrumental in the Chargers’ run to the title.
Boys team standings
1. Pearl City, 6,426
2. Kapolei, 5,841
3. Moanalua, 5,466
4. Castle, 5,342
Girls team standings
1. Pearl City, 5,579
2. Mililani, 5,041
3. Moanalua, 4,990
4. Kalani, 4,819
Boys individual standings
1. Ryan Kajihiro (Pearl City), 1,388
2. Dylan John Peters (Kalaheo), 1,346
3. Kristopher Yadao (Pearl City), 1,336
4. Richard Akamine (Aiea), 1,316
5. Skyler Wakumoto (Pearl City), 1,315
6. Travis Takamiya (Kapolei), 1,302
7. Bradley Nakamura (Pearl City), 1,277
8. Aaron Rafael (Pearl City), 1,261
9. Wesley Hadano (Moanalua), 1,249
10. Kristian Adams (Campbell), 1,231
11. Cody Arquero (Castle), 1,226
12. Devin Parker (Aiea) 1,221
13. Matthew Perry (Kapolei), 1,219
14. Bryce Takenaka (McKinley), 1,195
15. Jonathan Kanno (McKinley), 1,182
Girls individual standings
1. Chelsi Morishige (Pearl City), 1,228
2. Ashlynn Castro (Pearl City), 1,190
3. Ashley Honda (Kalani), 1,154
4. Gwen Maeha (Leilehua), 1,144
5. Katherine Clouse (Radford), 1,140
6. Lindie Esteban (Kapolei), 1,134
7. Taryn Sugimoto (Moanalua), 1,128
8. Kylie Malilay-Madrona (Pearl City), 1,127
9. Michelle Onomoto (Kalani), 1,113
10. Kristin Frost (Pearl City), 1,107
11. Kiana Saito (Aiea), 1,095
12. (tie) Ciana Pelekai (Aiea), 1,093
(tie) Hilary Martin (Moanalua), 1,093
14. Tyra Sanchez (Moanalua), 1,080
15. Paisley Tanaka (Kapolei), 1,073
