Like the 12 honorees, featured speaker Weems has great back story

Over 32 years, some 384 student-athletes have celebrated induction into the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Hall of Honor, each with a story behind the accomplishment.

A decade after her selection to the Hall, the story of Fran Weems still ranks among the most compelling.

Homeless as a child, Weems bounced around the foster care system and didn’t attend school until she was 8. Despite the hardships, Weems settled into a supportive home on the Big Island and excelled upon enrolling at Kealakehe.

A track and field standout, she won five state championships — sweeping the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dash in her senior year — while maintaining a 3.91 grade-point average and earning admission to the University of California.

Befriended as a child by Neil Everett — now an ESPN anchor and last year’s Hall of Honor speaker — Weems embarked on a career in sports media and returned to Hawaii this year as a reporter with Hawaii News Now.

A member of the Hall of Honor’s class of 2005, Weems will address the 33rd 12-member class at Sunday’s banquet at the Pomaika’i Ballroom at Dole Cannery.

Weems will be joined in the Hall of Honor by a class brimming with state championship credentials. Each will receive a $2,000 scholarship courtesy of Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Punahou’s Micah Ma’a and Hawaii Baptist Academy’s BJ Hosaka contributed to four-year sweeps of the Division I and II boys volleyball titles. Ma’a was also part of Buffanblu championships in basketball and football.

Mid-Pacific swimmer Lena Hayakawa and Campbell pitcher Ian Kahaloa led their teams to breakthrough titles, while Kawika Lam helped extend Punahou’s boys tennis reign as the first to win four state championships.

Kamehameha’s Tiyana Hallums helped lead the Warriors to a girls volleyball championship along with teammate Sarah Lau, who also won a title with the 

soccer program. Kanoa Kaleoaloha collected 10 state swimming golds and shared in bringing two team trophies to Kapalama Heights.

The versatility of ‘Iolani’s Kamuela Borden, Hawaii Prep’s Gabrielle Ewing and Waipahu’s Sabrina Hollins highlighted their inclusion. Punahou’s Kanawai Noa was simply the most productive receiver in the history of the state.

Twelve more stories to add to an already impressive collection.