Like a drawn-out buildup to a heavyweight prize fight, a two-year break from competitive action has helped swell the rivalry between four-time defending Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association champion Lanikai and 36-time defending Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association champion Hawaiian Canoe Club.

The epic competitors will duke it out as headliners at Saturday’s Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta at Keehi Lagoon. The regatta marks the end of what has been a frenetic summer sprint-racing season following a two-year pause of competitive paddling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two-time defending state champion Lanikai enters the race fresh off completing an undefeated season two weeks ago at the OHCRA Championships, while Hawaiian, winners of 15 of the past 21 state titles, blitzed through its local competition, as has been the case for the past four decades.

“Going into states, I know Hawaiian is going to be solid as far as their kids and overall numbers,” said Lanikai head coach Scott Freitas. “Our goal is to strengthen our numbers at the end of the day to counter what their kids do early in the regatta. But you never know, anything can happen.

“I’ve been preparing for this all year. I watch (Hawaiian’s) race times and try to compare us to them, but it’s difficult because their racecourses are really affected by wind. There is one race that I use as a gauge because it is like our Kailua and Waimanalo races. If we can weather the storm early and stay within 150 points in the morning, that’s my goal. Our strength is in the afternoon (during the open adult races), and it’s been like that all season.”

More than 3,000 paddlers ranging in age from 12-and-younger to 70-and-older will represent 58 clubs from six outrigger canoe paddling organizations in the regatta’s 43 races ranging in length from 1⁄4- to 11⁄2 miles.

Winning crews in each race will earn 15 points, with 13 points going to second place, 12 for third and continuing in descending order, with last place earning one point across the 14-lane field. The scoring system rewards clubs for consistently placing high and scoring points across the board, a practice that Lanikai and Hawaiian have mastered.

“During the OHCRA Championships, we tried our best to qualify as many crews as possible because it’s a numbers game,” Freitas said. “At Keehi Lagoon, you want to be in the inside lanes because the water is so unpredictable.”

Hawaiian qualified a regatta-high 42 crews for the state competition, while Lanikai and OHCRA runner-up Hui Nalu have 39 crews apiece in the AAAA Division (21-plus crews entered). OHCRA members Kailua and Outrigger, and four-time defending Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a champion Manu O Ke Kai (27 crews apiece) will look to play spoiler in the large division.

Veteran Hawaiian coach Paul Lu‘uwai, who has helped build and perpetuate the club’s powerhouse youth program, noted after the state race at Hanalei Bay, Kauai, in 2019 that his club’s kids are used to rising to the competition when called upon — even when it means racing against larger, sometimes older foes.

He likens the state competition to a “track meet” in that winning early in the regatta is important, but it will be crucial for Hawaiian to perform across the full slate of races on Saturday.

AAA Division (13-20 crews entered) defending champion Kihei will look to hold onto its title, while Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association members Kai ‘Opua and Puna represent Hawaii Island, all with a projected 20 crews apiece. OHCRA medium-division champion Keahiakahoe and Hui Wa‘a runner-up Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i will also be in the mix with 20 crews each.

A combined 46 clubs will compete for the AA Division (7-12 crews entered) and A Division (1-6 crews entered) titles.

The home-island waters of Keehi Lagoon have been friendly to Lanikai as of late. In the 2008, 2010 and 2012 editions of the state regatta — all at Keehi Lagoon — Lanikai won the first two instances by a combined four points and shared the title with Kailua 10 years ago.

In 2014, Hawaiian broke through with a 48-point win over runner-up Kailua, and the Maui squad won again in 2016 after dominating the competition that featured a depleted field as many clubs did not race due to the potentially hazardous water conditions caused by then-Tropical Storm Darby’s runoff.

The 2018 state competition at Keehi, which ended up being the last HCRA race there prior to the COVID-19 pause, saw Lanikai triumph with a 455-377 victory over Hawaiian, which it followed up with a 21-point win over Hawaiian in 2019 on the Garden Isle.

Lanikai paddler Karel Tresnak Jr. will help lead Lanikai’s open men’s crews, including the undefeated senior men’s squad looking to cap a perfect season. The steersman explains that his team’s success is linked to its diligent practice regimen coupled with strong bonds that trace back to when some of the paddlers were keiki picking up the sport at Lanikai.

“One guy alone can’t make that boat move, so we do our best to make as many practices as possible and put in the work; so far this year, when the combination has worked, it really works well,” Tresnak Jr. said. “A bunch of us are good buddies, so it makes it easier to put in that work for your friends, and it’s really nice to have that support in and out of the canoe.

“We’ve been paddling really well, and while we’ve continued to improve, the great thing about our crew is that everyone can look in the mirror and say, ‘I think I’m the weakest link,’ and that motivates us to get better and smoother.”

On paper, Lanikai appears to have the right tools, but execution of the team’s plan of attack will prove crucial as it looks to nail down a third straight state crown.

“We’re bringing our hammers,” said Lanikai women’s coach Mike Lum.