With the 2008-09 public school year well underway, Kahuku High Athletic Director Joe Whitford had a lot to say about Red Raider sports…starting, of course, with the "king":

Football

"We started off pre-season losing to Kamehameha, 35-0," he said, adding this wasn't as much a surprise as some might think. "We have a very young team this year, with 13 sophomores, but we have a good nucleus of kids."

"After this first loss, there were some issues, but the boys are committed," Whitford said. "Since that loss, we've beaten Kailua in our first league game, 28-14; and we took a trip to Kealakehe, Kona, and won that game, 30-0, and on September 6 we beat Roosevelt 28-0."

Even though the Kealakehe Waveriders were no match for Kahuku, Whitford described the opportunity as a good chance for the team to bond. "Head coach Reggie Torres has also established a leadership council, similar to the BYU football team, where the players in each position select their respective captains, who have an active in say in how the team should be run. The leadership council has come up with some new things, which help coach Reggie to get the word out, relative to rules and regulations. Now they're easier for the players to follow. It also helps the council members become leaders."

In addition, Whitford noted that Torres has also appointed Kela Miller as the team's new parent liaison. Miller has two grandsons on the team: Martin Miller and St. John Lessary III. "We wanted to have a better pulse on some of the community concerns relative to the football team. She's done very well and is accessible."

Whitford pointed out Kahuku will play McKinley and Kaimuki to finish out September, "and on October 3 and 10 we play Farrington and Castle, respectively, at home. They're probably the second and third-best teams in our conference."

"The October 3rd game will be on television, OC16, so the JV game will start at 4:30. That's a switch from the normal 5 o'clock start on a Friday, because they want to insure that the varsity game starts at 7:30."

"We all feel very positive about where we are at this point," he continued. "We think the coaching staff is together, everybody's on the same page, communication lines are terrific, and the kids are upbeat.

#32, RB St. John Lessary III…#96, DE Kona Schwenke
Kahuku-Roosevelt, 28-0
photos by Jon Bello www.jonbphotography.com

Whitford said the JV football team, under coach Ikaika Plunkett "hasn't lost a game this year. They're doing pretty good. The varsity took a lot of their players up.

Finally, Whitford said he's grateful for help from Hawaii Reserve, Inc. (HRI), "for helping us maintain the football field. They've been very gracious by helping us cut the grass on a very consistent basis. We're fortunate to have their help."

Grade-check policy change affects all sports

Whitford said that this year there's been a major change in Kahuku athletics grade-check policy for all sports. "We previously had a waiver for our grade-check policy, which was way more stringent than any other public high school — and way beyond what the DOE [Department of Education] required: A 1.6 [GPA] to even try out, a 2.0 to play, and we grade checked every athlete whether they are eligible or not. The state standard is we only grade-check those under 2.0."

He explained the DOE recently notified Kahuku that "our waiver is no longer in play, so we've had to revert back to the state policy. Under that policy, anybody can participate, even if they have a 0.00 GPA. Only those who are under 2.0 get grade checked, and those above 2.0 don't get grade-checked at all."

"Our concern is that now we won't know a student's academic status until quarter grades come out," he continued, adding the first quarter ends in the first week in October. "If a student has an F, or a couple of Fs, we won't know until then, at which time the student will become ineligible. For the football team, that means being ineligible for the OIA and state playoffs."

"We are in the process of applying for another waiver through the SCC, our School Community Council. Then it has to be approved by the District and ultimately by the Board of Education."

"That could take a while. We've been very fortunate that we've only had a few people being grade checked so far," he continued, encouraging parents "to stay on top of this. They can go online and check their kids' grades. Most of them are posted online each week. Students and parents need to be vigilant about this."

Girls volleyball

"Our varsity girls volleyball team is doing very well. They're undefeated [as of Kaleo press deadline]," Whitford said. "In their first season match, they beat the perennial power, Moanalua, in four sets. This year the new rule in varsity volleyball for both girls and boys is the best-three-of-five; JV and blue will still be two-out-of-three, and the games will be to 25, rally scoring."

"Our JV and blue teams are coming along," he continued. "We have new coaches: Bonnie and James Blake for the blue team, and JoAnn Moea'i for the JV."

Cheerleading

"We just purchased a used spring floor for our competition cheerleaders, which we've put in the tumbling room above the gym. That's what gymnasts use for health and safety issues in their floor exercises." He added Kahuku currently has about 22 cheerleaders under second-year coach Dallyn Mesarch.

"In kind of a partnership, Cassandra Miller is going to pay for part of it so she can use it for her gymnastics group on Wednesdays, and we'll use it the rest of the time." Whitford explained Miller is a former world-class gymnast from Laie who studied under Bella Karolyi for two years in Houston.

Bowling

"We have 31 bowlers this year, who practice at BYU-Hawaii and have two matches a week at Kaneohe Bay Lanes, under coach Joe Holtzman," Whitford reported. "They're doing okay."

Air riflery

"Air Riflery, under coach John Shaw, our safety security manager, has got another pretty feisty team this year," the AD continued. "We're grateful for these smaller sports, which help accommodate students who are not interested in the more physical sports. Some of these kids are pretty good at shooting." He added that the Olympics includes a number of air rifle and pistol shooting categories.

Budget items

Transportation surcharge: Whitford noted that despite a 15% increase in transportation fuel costs, the DOE did not increase their travel budget. "We're trying to do the best we can. In pre-season I tried to limit the teams by relying on parents, but for regular season games we have to transport the students."

"To help offset the increased costs, we've asked every athlete to pay $20, which will exclusively go to transportation for the athletic department. This will happen throughout the year," he said. "This should cover us for this year."

Increased officiating fees: Whitford added that game officials now also get higher pay this year to cover increased transportation costs.

Other Koolauloa sports reports

• Sisters Rachel and Savanna Christensen, daughters of Perry and Martha Christensen of Laie, won their respective girls 12–13 and 8–9 tennis divisions. This is the second consecutive year the two have qualified for the national tennis finals in the 2008 Jr. Olympic Skills competition held in Chicago on July 30. Rachel is the first Jr. Olympic Skills finalist to win three consecutive gold medals; and for the second time in Jr. Olympics history, Savanna also qualified and placed second in basketball. 

• Zachary Frampton, son of Alan and Debbie Frampton, also of Laie, won a bronze medal in the Jr. Olympic Skills tennis event for the 12–13 boys. The USOC-sponsored program also includes events in soccer, track and field.

• Kamaile Aluli, daughter of Sandi and Noa Aluli of Hauula, was just one of two kids from the U.S. selected by the Jr. Olympics Skills Competition and the McDonald's Champion Kids Program to experience the recent Olympics in Beijing. Kamaile's mom, a Laie Elementary School teacher, accompanied her to China where they attended one of the events, saw the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and giant Pandas.

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