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Kahuku High Athletic Director Joe Whitford recently gave Kaleo his final reports on 2010 spring sports as well as an assessment of the Red Raiders’ performance over the past school year.

Track and Field

”In track and field, our major spring sport, Zhane Santiago did really well. In the OIA East championships, she won six individual events, including the 100 meter hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the triple and long jumps, and she was on the 4x100 relay,” he said. “Then we ended up third in the state finals.”

In the HHSAA/Island Movers State Girls Track and Field Championships, held May 15 at Kamehameha, Santiago repeated several of her wins, taking the top titles in the 100m hurdles — setting a new state record of 14.71 seconds — and long jump. She also placed second in the triple jump and 800m hurdles.

Other Kahuku girls placing in the state meet included Nalia Tafua, fourth in discus; Joshlyn Noga, fourth, shot put; and Kayla Taulapapa and Alysha Cummings, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the long jump.

“Overall we took third behind Punahou, first, and Iolani, second. Punahou is especially tough: They won 10 out of 12 state titles this spring,” Whitford continued. “I wish we had a couple more girls like Zhane: She’s one of a kind, and she’s only a junior, so she’ll be back next year. She’s also a really good athlete in soccer."

Judo

Whitford noted that on May 8 the Kahuku boys took third in the HHSAA Judo Championships in the Stan Sheriff Center on the University of Hawaii/Manoa campus, and the girls team tied for seventh place.

”Punahele Soriano won the state title in the 178-pound division,” Whitford said. “He doubled this year: He was also a state wrestling champion.”

Other Kahuku judoka included Gaston Carr, third, 162 pounds; Warren Mamizuka, fourth, 198 pounds; Jheryl Makaiau, third, 220 pounds; and Amber Ah Sue, second, 154 pounds. “Jheryl, who is also a state wrestling champion, is only a junior and will be back next school year,” Whitford added.

Girls water polo

Bolstered by three goals from junior Marissa Del Ray in overtime, the Lady Raiders won the OIA championship on May 1 by defeating Roosevelt, 12-11 bringing their season record to 13-1; and the team came in third in the HHSAA State championships, behind Punahou and Iolani. “They lost to Iolani in the semifinals, 9-8,” Whitford said. Penn Anderson of Kahuku was named to the State All-Tournament Team.

”Last year was the first time they didn’t win the OIA championship,” he added. “So, in seven years, we’ve won the OIA title six times. The girls are going to a camp in California next week., and five out of the seven starters will be coming back next year, so they’ll be pretty good.”

Boys volleyball

”Our boys didn’t do very well. They didn’t win one game all season,” Whitford said. He attributed this to some of the boys not coming out. “We had the same issue in basketball, so we have to come up with a strategy to encourage the kids, especially the upper classmen, when the coaches are counting on them.”

Girls softball

”The girls did really well, and made it to the playoffs,” Whitford said, noting the girls won their first game at that level, but were eliminated with a second-round loss.

”We’ve already decided we’re going to move down to the OIA White Division next school year, which is more even with their level of ability to play; we can’t compete in the Red Division.” He added another 15-16 girls are playing in a summer league. “That’s why we’re really optimistic about next year.”

Baseball

”We came in second in the OIA East,” he continued, “but lost to Kaimuki, 6-5, in the playoffs.” He added that Kaimuki ended up spending $3,000 going to the Big Island for the next round, where they lost 22-0 and were eliminated.

Tennis

Whitford reported that Josh Christensen was the only Kahuku player to go to states this year, “but he lost in the first round. He’s a junior, so he’ll be back next year and will hopefully do better.”

Golf

”We didn’t even make the playoffs,” Whitford said. “We have a relatively young team, so we should be better next year.”

Spring football

”It was only a 40-play scrimmage, and we didn’t go red against white this year; we just went offense against defense in spring football practice,” Whitford said.

”In August we’ll have the first inter-league game at home: St. Louis is coming out for the first-time for the past decade. Normally we go to the stadium,” he continued. “Then we travel to play Bingham, Utah, on September 11. They’re one of the better teams over there. We wanted to play Timpview, but we had to settle for the best team. Bingham will be good competition for us.”

He added Kahuku will also play Kaiser again this coming season, and Moanalua a couple of times. “Both teams were in the OIA White Division last year.”

The school year in sports

Whitford pointed out that while Kahuku athletes won individual championships, Red Raiders did not win any state titles this past school year. “We took second in girls wrestling — that’s the best we did this year; but I think overall, we’re still very competitive in many of the sports. We could do better, but it’s not as if we’re lagging behind. We’re still competitive, and next year’s going to be a very good year for us athletically. For example, we won the most state titles of any public school in the past decade.”

In other developments for the coming school year, Whitford said he just learned the school needs a new air riflery coach, “and we’re going to bring back bowling, which we took out last year because of budget cuts. Also, we won’t have JV tennis girls, but we do have varsity girls.

— Photos and video by Mike Foley

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—Photos, video and montage by Mike Foley

Baseball

"We ended up number-two seed in the White Division of the OIA East, so we'll be in the playoffs this weekend to determine the OIA championship," said Whitford, who added, "It could have been a lot better."

"This is their second season under coach Roger Van Ness, and if they beat Waialua on Thursday, they'll go on to play Radford on Friday. The winner of that game will advance to the championship on Saturday."

Whitford summarized this past baseball season by pointing out that "some of the student athletes didn't work hard enough in the classroom, so some of our key players did not qualify to play in all the games. Getting the kids academically eligible to play is still a work in progress."

"For example, we had to cancel the JV baseball season over the Christmas break because we only had six eligible players," he continued. "Other teams also have this problem, but we have to stay on top of baseball even more so we can participate in a full season with a full complement of players."

He added that some of the sophomore players were able to move up to the varsity team, "so we have a huge sophomore contingent on the team and if things work out grade-wise, we should be pretty formidable in baseball the next couple of years."

Asked if interest in baseball is waning compared to other popular sports at Kahuku, Whitford replied, "There are still kids who play baseball who never played football, for example; so I think there's a niche for some of the kids. Unfortunately, we don't have the supporting leagues around here, Little League and so forth which act as a feeder system into the schools, like they do in Mililani and Pearl City."

"I can point to the same thing in soccer, as another example, where they have hundreds of kids competing," he continued. "We have AYSO [American Youth Soccer Organization] out here, but because of our population base, we don't have the number of kids like they do in Pearl City and Mililani."

"So, for what we've has been able to accomplish, we still have to hand it to the Kahuku players," Whitford said.

Golf

"We had a pretty interesting year in golf, which is already over for this year," Whitford said. "We may have to tweak next season, because we couldn't get as many tee times for our athletes, so consequently we've had to qualify to participate at other golf courses on the island. They give us discount rates, but they also still have to make money with their regular pay-and-play customers, which limits the number of tee times. That's the hurdle we ran into this year."

"Unfortunately, the state tournament is at Turtle Bay Resort, but we won't have any players there. We're fortunate we get to practice for free there, and historically, we've had many state championships in golf and individual champions. We just need to do a better job, going forward," Whitford said.

"Jovan Joaquin, who was the girls coach, now coaches both the girls and boys, because of our reduction in the budget for coaches. We had seven boys and one girl playing this year."

Judo

"Our judo team just completed the OIA East championships, with, Punahele Soriano, Jheryl Makaiau and Amber Ah Sue [pictured at left; photo by Mike Foley] winning their weight classes," said Whitford.

He pointed out that Soriano and Makaiau were also 2010 state wrestling champions while Ah Sue, who was top-seed and favored to win but declined for religious reasons to wrestle for the state championship when the recent tsunami alert postponed the matches to Sunday, recently won a gold medal for her weight class at the Oceanic Games in Samoa.

In the process of winning in Samoa, Ah Sue defeated the reigning Oceanic games champion from Australia as well as the New Zealand national champion. Her win also tentatively makes her a contender for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, and perhaps even the next summer Olympics, assuming Ah Sue sticks with competitive athletics after she enrolls at BYU Provo in the fall.

Whitford said Ah Sue's recent judo wins are "even more impressive, because she was away from her judo training for several weeks while she was in Samoa."

"Next week is the OIA championships," he continued. "We'll have some individual standouts and I think we'll finish in the top two or three teams, but we don't have the competitive numbers this year like the other schools.

[April 25, 2010 follow-up]: Soriano, Makaiu and Ah Sue each won the OIA titles in their respective weigh classes.]

Tennis

Whitford reported that OIA championships are going on right now, with Josh Christiansen, a junior, competing as our best player. "He should make states."

The AD noted that the team practices at BYU–Hawaii, and Gillian Yamagata is the coach, but budget restrictions have forced the school to cut former paid-coach Carl Yamagata. "I had to cut 34 paid coaching slots," Whitford said, "so we're fortunate that some of these people still want to coach as volunteers."

Track and field

"The highlight this year has been the girls team," Whitford said. "For example, last week at the OIA East championships Zhane Santiago, a junior, won six events — the 100 meter dash, the 110 high hurdles, the 300 low hurdles, the long jump, the triple jump and tied for first in the high jump. She's going to be formidable."

"Those who have participated in track and field know that from one venue you have to run over to the next venue, to the next one, and so forth, still trying to get to all the events and not be tired enough to compete at your best. So, Zhane completed a super feat; very few can do that. Last year she played higher-end club soccer and was hampered by injuries, but this year she specifically concentrated on just doing track. That's been a big plus."

Whitford predicted that "our girls will probably do well in the OIA championships in a couple of weeks. Even though we don't have the team numbers like Radford, with our individual championships we should be close to the top in team awards."

Garth Spurrier is the coach for both the girls and boys. "On the boys team we need to be a lot more competitive," Whitford added. "We've had some awesome teams over the years, so we need to reevaluate."

Girls softball

"We've completed the regular season and had some close games, but we ended up only winning two of them. Despite our record, the girls have a positive attitude," Whitford said.

"We also have great coaching staff under Ed Davis, and the girls are getting better. For example, we beat Castle for the first time in about 10 years; but we'll probably go down to the OIA White Division next year." He added the team might play together in a summer league. "That's how you get better," he said.

Whitford explained the girls play home games at Hauula District Park, while in the fall the JV team plays at BYU–Hawaii. The diamond at Kahuku District Park is not within softball specs.

Boys volleyball

"Our team struggled this year," Whitford said. "We didn't have any wins."

"That was very surprising, but one of the things we need to strongly consider as an athletic program is to encourage our better athletes to participate. Some of them just want to take a break, and we've had some instances where highly gifted athletes chose not to play. So, we could have done better, but that's a debate we have with ourselves."

The AD noted that fourth-year boys coach Kaniela Kalama is also taking over the girls program next season.

Girls water polo

"We just finished our OIA East Division, losing to Roosevelt by one goal," Whitford said, "which now means that out of the last seven titles, we've won six. Our season record is 10-1, and junior Keola Kehaulelio has really shined the last couple of weeks, along with junior Tahnei Roy and goalie Penn Anderson. The juniors, of course, will be back next year, so we're going to be strong again."

He added the team was missing two starters who failed to qualify academically. "This is another sport where we've suffered that way. When the team is only eight-or-nine deep, and we lose two players, it hurts."

Whitford also said that the team's coach, his daughter Makana Whitford, "is doing well, but took the loss hard." He also explained that the Red Raiders will compete for the OIA championship in two weeks, "so we'll get another shot at it, and will probably also get seeded in the state championships."

Spring football practice

Whitford said Red Raider Spring football practice will commence in the third week of May, "and over the summer break we'll train and do conditioning as a team."

Other Kahuku High sports news

• Basketball: Kahuku High senior Nehoa Akina was recently named to the Honolulu Advertiser's All-State Boys Basketball First team, and teammate Shairone Thompson received All-State Honoralbe Mention. The OIA Red Conference Eastern Division earlier named Akina Player of the Year, and Thompson as division First Team members. Division Honorable Mention also went to Jackson Kaka, Sage Kaka and Mua Malufau. Akina averaged 17.2 points per game (ppg) in regular season play, and 20 ppg in the playoffs.

Kahuku High's Joshlyn Noga was also received Honorable Mention in the Advertiser's 2010 Girls All-State Team.

• Soccer: The Honolulu Advertiser recently gave Honorable Mention to Tehei Hauata on its All-State Boys Soccer Team, and to Zhane Santiago on the All-State Girls Soccer Team.

OIA league coaches also recently named Hauata and teammate Trayson Medeiros to the Red Conference Eastern Division All-Star Second Team, and gave Honorable Mention to Eathan Christy, Kyle Harvey, Josh Schatz, Kekoa Kaaihue-Hughes, Viliami Pasi and Micah Shepardsen.

• Chris Chun, an attorney, has succeeded Keith Amemiya, as executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, the governing body for all the leagues. "The highlight of Mr. Amemiya's tenure was the S.O.S. — Save Our Sports — campaign was raising $1.6 million in a time when nobody was giving money, in a time when everybody needs money."

• Speaking of budgetary matters, Whitford said, "We won't know until the end of this month when our state legislature closes exactly what our budget will be, but we'll probably lose another 7% across the board. So, we're taking a hard look at cutting sports, and definitely cutting more coaching positions, even though I think we're already at a bare minimum. It's going to be a challenge."

He explained this doesn't automatically mean eliminating "small sports," but rather considering which cost the least to run as well as ones that don't generate revenue. "We won't cut football and basketball, because they generate a lot of revenues, and playoffs make us a lot of money. But, for example, baseball might be in trouble, because we cannot charge fees at city park venues, plus we still need to pay officials and transportation costs. Compare that with our air riflery team, which shoots at our own range and emails the scores in, so we don't use a bus to travel to another venue. That costs us almost nothing."

"We probably wouldn't cut any girls sports because of gender equality issues," Whitford added, citing the recent lawsuit on Maui where parents of girls softball team members successfully sued because their kids were relegated to a distant, lower-quality playing field while the boys team practiced and played under ideal conditions.

"We don't have this problem at Kahuku, but we're vigilant," he continued. "For example, we can't have the girls basketball team practice at 5 o'clock every day and the boys practice at 3. I've told the coaches, make sure we alternate weeks so the girls get to practice early one week, and the boys practice early the next week. It's not like one always has the better time and gets home early."

Whitford added that decisions to make cut would also probably be carried out on a league-wide basis, so competition brackets balance in the future.

Asked if he ever foresaw a major cut in OIA sports, Whitford answered, "I think people want to see us keep going. For example, right now we have a lot of volunteers."

"Sports are a fantastic supplement to the educational process. They make high school experience of our student athletes a lot better and broader. We still have a lot of kids who keep their grades up so they can play; so, I would argue that if we didn't have athletics, these kids might not do as well in school and we would have a lot more social issues, especially out here in the country."

"Then there's the pride factor: Kahuku has a tremendous athletic tradition."

• Amanda Tonga recently received a scholarship offer to play volleyball for New Mexico State University. "We'll find out at graduation if she'll take it," Whitford said.

• Whitford announced that the new athletic yearbook he and Angus Christy are producing will be published online on May 20 at http://kahukuhs.org. "This is the first of its kind that I know of," he said.

"We'll probably offer a hardback issue, that will include things such as all-decade teams for each of the sports from 2000-2009. We've also tried to list the more than 200 champions in the past decade." He added that because of printing deadlines, the regular school yearbook has a cutoff date of February 5, whereas the new digital athletic yearbook will run up to the end of the school year.

In other Koolauloa sports news…

• The Brigham Young University–Hawaii women's tennis team continued to dominate the Pacific West Conference by claiming the 2010 title after winning their 28th consecutive match on April 17 at the PacWest championship finals in Glendale, Arizona. BYUH junior Elwen Li, who went 6-0 over the three-day event, was named the tournament's most valuable player.

The title win most likely guarantees that the NCAA Division II West Regional tournament, which begins on May 6, will be played at the BYU–Hawaii courts in Laie.

Wrestling

"The Kahuku High girls won the OIA and came in second in the Chevron/HHSAA State Wrestling championships, losing the title by only two-and-a-half points [to Punahou, 146.5–144], but we had three individual state champions this year," Whitford said. The three are:

• Anela Santiago, 140 lbs.
• Punahele Soriano, 171 lbs.
• Okala Makaiau, 285 lbs.

Whitford explained that "because the tsunami evacuation [on February 27, 2010] postponed the finals from Saturday to Sunday, Amber Ah Sue, one of our finalists chose not to wrestle for religious reasons. Being a team captain, she had some backlash from others and some felt she should have wrestled, but she chose not to."

Whitford added that he admired the strength of character Ah Sue showed, and said from another perspective, "If any of the girls had won one more match, or even by a pin, we would have won the title. There were five other opportunities to squeeze out these points."

"Actually, I'm sure head coach Reggie Torres was pleasantly surprised that we did as well as we did, because he was talking last year about the gap between Punahou and the other schools," Whitford continued, noting that Kahuku has previously won several state wrestling championships. "But he was pretty optimistic by the end of the first day: Of the 11 weight classes in the girls' tournament, we had wrestlers in 10 events; and after the second day we still had eight girls in the event."

"They did well," Whitford said, adding that Torres has won seven-or-eight state championships in wrestling and judo, "and we have some of the girls coming back next year, so we'll be fine."

On the boy's side, Whitford pointed out that Soriano defeated the defending state champion in his final match, and Makaiau final opponent defeated the former state champion in the semifinals. "Those two guys really worked hard, and I know Coach Reggie is trying to get Okala to come out for the football team next year."

"In short, we had a very successful season," he said.

Basketball

"We were very successful in our basketball program, with all four of our Kahuku teams makinge it to the OIA finals: We were the only school to do that," Whitford said.

"In OIA JV boys basketball, we lost the finals to Leilehua, 52–45. The JV girls won the title by beating Kaiser, 66–47. The varsity girls made it to the finals — against Kaimuki, for the fifth time this season, but they beat us out and became the eventual state champion. And the boys varsity team made the OIA finals last week against Moanalua, losing 55–48."

"I should mention that both the varsity teams had to go through the loser's brackets, so they had a few more games to play," Whitford continued. He also commended boys head coach Hiram Akina: "He did a tremendous job with the talent he had, and the injuries that impacted some of our boys. Their making it to the OIA finals is a tribute to them and him."

"I also want to make note that the girls will be moving back up to the Red Conference, or Division I play. For the past two years they've been playing in the White Conference," he explained. "I did petition last year for them to move up, but the OIA rules are that if nobody else wanted to move down, we had to stay down." Whitford added that power rankings and records of both JV and varsity, as well as the size of the schools, are also used in determining conference placement.

"That's been a perennial debate for Kahuku. Size-wise, we're the exception: We have less than 1,100 students, so if they just went on size we'd be in the OIA White Conference, but nobody else would want to play us in almost all the sports. For example, I remember one football game about a decade ago we stopped the game in the third quarter because we were leading 80-to-something. Now there's a ‘mercy rule' after half-time: If you're up by 35 points, the clock just runs."

"Next year, girls basketball will be back in the Red Conference, and the competition will be better."

Soccer

"Both our girls and boys varsity teams made it to the OIA playoffs," Whitford said, especially commending the varsity girls under first-year coach William Mahoni. "Both the JV teams also made it to the made it to the playoffs."

Swimming

"We did have an OIA champion swimmer," Whitford said, citing Alax Shea in the 50-meter freestyle. "She's perhaps the second-fastest girl swimmer in the history of Kahuku," he added. Unfortunately, the team — under head coach Makana Whitford — did not have budget to go to the state meet in Hilo.

In other Kahuku High sports news:

Coaching changes

Whitford said at the moment he is not anticipating any changes among the current coaches, but he has recently named several new ones. First, he explained that every OIA high school coach in all sports is on a year-to-year contract. "So when each season is over, I evaluate them; and if everything is favorable, then we invite them back. This is also a two-way street, and sometimes coaches step down for a variety of reasons. For example, we're not paying them much for all the time they put in."

He noted the school has recently hired three new coaches:

• Girls volleyball: Intermediate science teacher Kaniela Kalama — a Kahuku alum — will now coach the girls volleyball team in the fall as well as the boys in the spring. "He's very familiar with the program, which is one of our more prominent sports in terms of the numbers and successes," the AD said. "We're pretty much a perennial OIA powerhouse in volleyball." He added that former girls head coach Uila Vendiola has stepped down to concentrate on her teaching. "Fortunately, we have enough depth of people in our community to draw from, who are anxious to help our kids," Whitford said, "in spite of all the budget shortfalls, the time that it takes, and the issues that come with coaching. We have people in the community who still want to give up a lot of their time to help Kahuku athletics."

• Cross-country: A BYU–Hawaii student, Brendon McMasters, who just completed his collegiate eligibility, will coach Red Raider cross country teams next year. "He's been helping with our track team the past couple of seasons," Whitford said.

• Cheerleading: 2002 Kahuku alumna Kawai Chee — a former cheerleader, wrestling and judo champion — will oversee the cheerleading squads. "She earned a college degree in biology, and came out to help a little last year," Whitford said. "She was excited to get the job, and we're fortunate to have her."

In one other bit of coaching news, Whitford explained that "head coaches pretty much picked their assistants," but in the future school officials will screen their recommendations "to make sure they understand and are willing to comply with all our regulations."

Spring sports

Whitford reported that boys volleyball, judo, varsity boys baseball and varsity girls softball, water polo, golf and tennis seasons will be played before the end of the school year in May.

"Every sport is allotted 14 weeks, except football," he said, "so we're going to be busy for the next couple of months; and next school-year it's going to be 13 weeks."

Budget and other issues

Whitford announced that the school has already has preliminary discussions "on what our budget cuts might look like for next school year. "As an example, for my transportation budget for 52 teams this year I received $9,500 — down from $22,000 the previous year. Next year there's going to be at least another five-percent cut; and if tax projections are not as good as hoped, the cut may get bigger."

"Similarly, we're looking at another five-percent off our coaches next school-year, salaries were reduced from $116,000 last year to $73,000 this year. This translates into losing about three more coaching positions," he continued. "Most of our head coaches already do not have a paid assistant coach."

Whitford noted that in the monthly OIA athletic directors meeting on March 2 at Radford High School the question was raised: "Are we going to cut sports collectively, so the pressure is not on individual school ADs? So he doesn't have to pick and choose, and become a bad guy? That happened last year with our decision to cut the bowling program."

"It's an option, but there was no consensus, and we'll continue to hash over this discussion. We're probably going to have to make some hard decisions in the future," he said, noting that Kahuku has already reduced the size of the paid staff. "For example, this past season we only had nine paid varsity coaches, but the year before we had 13; and we've limited the varsity football team to 65 players — or the number that fills only two buses. Next year we're limiting the varsity and JV squads to a total of 70 each, whereas in the past the team had as many as 200 boys"

Whitford expressed appreciation to the bus company the school uses, Kailua Local, "which didn't raise their rates the past two years." He also stressed that he doesn't want to cut programs, "because we know athletics make students on campus a lot more well rounded.

Because such budget shortfalls and other changes continue to impact all OIA sports. At Kahuku High, for example, Whitford noted the school has recently decided to drop girls JV tennis. "Because we have varsity girls tennis, interested freshmen and sophomore girls can still try out for that team," he said. "Gillian Yamagata is still our girls tennis coach."

Whitford also pointed out Kahuku had to cancel boys JV baseball: "We had enough for a team, but unfortunately only six boys were academically eligible to play. This is the first time we've ever had to do this."

On a more positive note, Whitford said Kahuku High recently received about $15,000 from the OIA-wide "Save Our Sports" program. "Most of that will be going to transportation costs," he said.

‘Our students are resilient'

"Despite all these cuts, and the facts that a lot of our assistant coaches receive no pay, our students are still resilient. Last year we had about 700 out of 1,100 students who played sports, and I expect we might take a little drop in the numbers next year," Whitford said in conclusion. "I'm grateful for everybody helping out — especially the parents, who've pitched in to help with transportation."

"All in all, we're doing a pretty good job trying to make due with what we have and provide the best possible athletic experience for our kids."

— By Mike Foley

Kahuku High football team members show the professional NFL players
how to do a haka at the Kemoeatu Brothers first annual football skills clinic.

Former Kahuku High and now professional football players Chris and Ma'ake Kemoeatu — who play for the Pittsburg Steelers and the Carolina Panthers, respectively — brought about 30 of their fellow National Football League teammates and NFL friends home with them on February 18, 2010, to put on the First Annual Kemoeatu Brothers Football Camp at Kahuku High, as well as several other associated events on Oahu.

To help kick off the skills clinic for kids in grades 3-to-12, the NFL players asked the Kahuku High football team members to show them how a real haka is done. Earlier, the Kemoeatu brothers and others held a private training session with the team.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvwWcHaUa80

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"Basically, we're just giving back to the community, trying to motivate the kids in a positive way, and having fun," said Chris Kemoeatu [pictured at right greeting other NFL players at the clinic], the Hawaii All-State Defensive Player of the Year when he graduated from Kahuku in 2001. He went on to play for the University of Utah on a football scholarship and has been starting left guard for the Steelers since 2008.

"It's not about us: It's for the kids, and it's family oriented," he added. "It's a great turnout. Watching these kids perform and practice, I feel like it was just yesterday I was doing the same thing. It brings back a lot of memories, a lot of tradition. We're glad to be back home."

Chris noted that his parents — Rev. Manako and Ahea Kemoeatu — still live on Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku, and brother Benji Kemoeatu is playing football for West Virginia. "Everybody's graduated from Kahuku High, except my little sister, Ana [Kemoeatu] who is still a Kahuku Elementary School student." His older brothers, Ma'ake and Tevita Kemoeatu, also played football for the University of Utah after graduating from Kahuku. Their father, a Methodist minister, was in Tonga during the clinic for a family funeral.

Chris and Ma'ake started the Kemoeatu Brothers Foundation to encourage youth to "never give up on their dreams," and to promote the benefits of learning life skills and values through participating in team sports — especially football and rugby. For example, the nonprofit foundation held its first annual rugby tournament the week of July 13, 2009, at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. They will hold another football clinic at Radford High School on Saturday, February 20.

— Photos and video by Mike Foley

Kahuku alumni Chris and Ma'ake Kemoeatu, along with over 20 current NFL players, will put on a football clinic at Kahuku High. Grades 3-8 kids interested should apply online at kemoeatubrothers.org; high school kids should see Coach Reggie Torres. Enrollment is limited.

Three Red Raiders accept Division I football scholarships

Family members, classmates, friends and media in the Kahuku High gymnasium watched as eight Kahuku High athletes signed letters of intent on February 3, 2010, accepting scholarship offers to play college football this Fall.

And even as school officials were getting ready to start the annual ceremony, at least one other current athlete sat out while she decided which offer to accept, and several additional scholarship offers came in by fax for two alumni.

Those signing during the ceremony included:

• Hauoli Jamora, University of Washington
• Jackson Kaka, New Mexico State University
• Kona Schwenke, Notre Dame
• Veteson Sauni, Weber State University
• Jaron Compoc-Hurlbutt, Pasadena City College
• Johnny Tupola, Pasadena City College
• Jase Toomalatai, Pasadena City College
• Shaun Fuataga, Pasadena City College
• And from Farrington High, signing in Honolulu, the heavily recruited former Hauula resident VJ Fehoko, University of Utah

After the ceremony, former girls volleyball head coach Uila Vendiola said that Amanda Tonga is "still looking at her options" to play at the next level. "Amanda hasn't made a decision yet. BYU–Hawaii has expressed interest, HPU has been wanting her, and there are some colleges from the mainland. I think Cal State Fullerton is one of them. She wants to make sure she's happy with the school she goes to."

She added that "five of the seven" senior girl volleyball players "are also looking at colleges, and because they play club ball, they're still being recruited."

Football head coach Reggie Torres said the faxed offers came from Golden West College (in Huntington Beach, California) for Kahuku High alumni Pita Tanuvasa and Kimball Niumatalolo. Torres also said that several other Red Raiders are still working on tentative offers, including:

• Ikaika Keoho and Bernard Salazar, Pasadena City College
• Blaze Kubota, Golden West College
• Sage Kaka and Vili Pasi are preparing to serve Latter-day Saint [Mormon] missions before accepting offers…

…but at least one name was missing from the lists above — All-State kicker Cameron Mercado. Torres explained that UH, Northwestern and Wyoming want him, but "he hasn't been answering phone calls" since he returned to Florida for family reasons at Christmas break.

Athletic director Joe Whitford pointed out that these latest athletes join 31 other Kahuku High alumni who are currently on Division I football scholarships, "and we're hoping to continue this trend as we send more of our student-athletes out to these great universities."

"It has always been the ultimate goal of our program for our students to pursue higher education," Coach Torres added. "There are a lot more [former] Kahuku athletes in junior colleges and Division-II schools. We're proud of these kids and we wish the boys the best of luck as they continue their education."

"We're also happy to see these kids going to different colleges, and opening the door for us. For example, we have a first-timer for Washington and Notre Dame, and Benji Kemoeatu's already at West Virginia, so we're setting new grounds."

Going into the signing process, family and friends watched with interest as two of Kahuku's most heavily recruited players received lots of media attention while they changed their minds from earlier verbal commitments:

Hawaii All-State Defensive Co-Player of the Year Hauoli Jamora [pictured at right, being interviewed by KITV] had verbally committed in June 2009 to play for BYU, the first Division I school to offer him a scholarship; but by mid-season last fall he was looking at Boise State and the University of Washington, with the Huskies ultimately getting the nod.

Jamora said making the decision "was kind of hard. There was a lot of pressure from the coaches, family and the community. Staying home would be nice: I love my family and a lot of people could watch me play, but ultimately going away is the best thing for me." That, plus "the whole package" Washington offered, gave the Huskies the edge, he said. "After my visit, they blew [the others] away."

Kona Schwenke's recruiting path took some interesting turns, especially in the past few weeks: BYU was the first D-I school to extend a scholarship offer to Schwenke, in 2008 yet, while he was still a junior. Over time other offers came from Colorado, Oregon State, San Diego, UNLV, Utah, Wyoming, UH and Washington . . . before the tall defensive end verbally committed to the BYU Cougars in July 2009. However, Kona's decision to make an official visit to Notre Dame the last weekend in January 2010 prompted BYU to pull its offer . . . setting the stage for Schwenk'e signing with the Irish.

"When I went to visit [Notre Dame], I really liked the school. I came back and talked with my family about it, and a day later we decided that was the place for me to go," Schwenke said. "BYU is a great school, too, and I love the coaches; but, unfortunately, it didn't work out." He added that he's thinking of majoring in engineering, and contemplating serving a Latter-day Saint [Mormon] mission.

Asked about the earlier verbal commitment, McKay Schwenke, Kona's father [pictured at left with his wife and son], said, "It sounded as if BYU gave us an ultimatum, if Kona was to visit Notre Dame, they would pull the scholarship. It's sad what happened, but we have no ill feelings toward BYU and, hopefully, they have no ill feelings toward us. Kona, of course, had to make a decision based on what was left on the table, and he chose Notre Dame."

"It was a very hard decision, and we wanted to make sure it was the right one for him," the father added. "Knowing that we were LDS, Notre Dame also set up an interview with the local bishop up there, and also got to see the church facilities up there. He reports June 6: He's going to take six credits over the summer and get his workouts in as well. We're all excited."

On another note, the senior Schwenke mentioned that Kona will be their first child to leave home [older sister Telavie Schwenke graduated from Kahuku last year, but is still at home]: "You dread this moment, and sometimes you can't wait for it to happen; but when it finally gets here, it's hard. I know my wife and I are going to get emotional as we get closer to his graduation."

Taking another perspective on going away to play football, Jackson Kaka, son of Jim and Julie Ann Kaka of Laie, said he doesn't think winters in New Mexico will be much different from those he knew in his native New Zealand. He added he put the rugby skills he acquired there into play on the gridiron when he moved here in the ninth grade.

After the ceremony, Kahuku High Behavioral Health Specialist Kingsley Ah You of Laie, who went through his own signing process 22 years ago, said, "I'm very proud of the parents and the student-athletes for the opportunities that their God-given talents have afforded them in furthering their education, and most importantly helping out the parents in paying for it."

"Thanks, too, to Coach Reggie and his staff, and the wonderful teachers here at Kahuku," Ah You continued. "I just hope the young men do their very best in finishing off this school year and getting ready for college." He added it's an even more exciting time because his oldest son, Quayd Ah You, is a freshman. "If he can play just a little like his grandpa [Junior Ah You], I'll be real happy."

As the last people were leaving the gym, Joe Whitford said, "It's another good year. The legacy continues. I also hope the student-athletes take full advantage of these opportunities, because they will continue to open the doors for the kids coming down the road."

— Photos by Mike Foley

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Red Raider AD announces 2010 mainland football match

Before talking about Kahuku High's second-place finish behind Kamehameha in the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) state football championship at Aloha Stadium on December 4, 2009, Red Raider Athletic Director Joe Whitford made special announcements about a mainland football game and a new athletic yearbook:

"Next school year the Kahuku High football team will be traveling to Utah to play Bingham High on Saturday, September 11, in the 20,000-seat Real Soccer Stadium [Rio Tinto] in Sandy [near Salt Lake City]," said Whitford, who spent approximately the last two months of 2009 temporarily serving as Vice Principal for grades 9-10 — while Assistant Athletic Director Garth Spurrier took over as interim AD.

"They were the Utah State 5A champs last year. The last time we went up and played them we lost 28-0, but the score was 0-0 until the beginning of the fourth quarter when we cleared our benches and let everyone play. That same thing probably won't happen this time."

"A sponsor for the game is picking up our air fare, accommodations and two dinners for 65, so if we take more than that, we need to come up with the funding," Whitford continued. "We may fly out Tuesday or Wednesday night and come back on Sunday."

"There were several hurdles we had to jump to make the mainland match-up. First, we had committed to play Waianae for home-and-home preseason games: They were scheduled to come to our stadium this coming Fall, so I had to find an opponent for them to play — Nanakuli, at Nanakuli," he explained, "and we will keep to our second-year commitment and travel to Waianae in 2011."

Whitford added he also had to get OIA approval to go, "but my fellow athletic directors voted 20-0 in favor of us going. Everybody supported our proposal."

"With traveling to the mainland we lose our only preseason game here, which is normally like a fundraiser for us because we normally get to keep all of the gate receipts. We knew this as part of our decision-making process, but still felt it was better for the kids to have an opportunity to travel in these tough times."

Whitford also said next Fall Kahuku would first play its inter-league game against St. Louis of the ILH, "then go right into our season for two regular games before going to Utah." While there, he said the coaches would also try to visit either the University of Utah or BYU "so the boys can get exposure to one of those programs."

2009 Hawaii State football finals:
Kamehameha 34, Kahuku 21

"It's unfortunate we didn't win state in football, but making it to the finals was an accomplishment," Whitford said, pointing out that Kahuku has "won the OIA league title eight out of the last 10 years, with Leilehua and Castle winning the other two, so that's a very high standard. Plus, we have a lot of young players returning next year. It's exciting, and we're optimistic about what's ahead of us."

Going into the game, Kahuku was seeded number-one against the 11-1 second-ranked and second-seeded Kamehameha Warriors of Kapalama campus — coached by Kawika Stant Jr., who grew up in Laie, graduated from Kahuku in ‘81, and now lives in Hauula after a long career coaching professional football in Japan.

Over 21,000 saw the game in person, and an estimated 50,000-plus viewed the match billed as a "battle of defenses" on OC16 pay-per-view. In the end, the description definitely proved true for the Warriors, who kept Kahuku from crossing mid-field in the first half.

The game was also notable locally for generating some intra-family rivalry. For example:

• Walter Santiago Jr. — son of Kahuku offensive coach Walter Santiago Sr. and his wife, Kehau Santiago, both Kahuku alumni of Hauula — played for Kamehameha. The senior Santiago was the Red Rider's all-star quarterback in '86 and '87.

• Kawika Stant III of Hauula is the son of third-year Kamehameha head coach Kawika Stant Jr.; and Kahuku senior linebacker Keanu Yoshida lives with the Stants after originally attending Kamehameha.

Post-season football honors galore

So, even though the Red Raiders had to content themselves with the second-place finish in the 2009 Hawaii state championship, the record they accumulated in getting there generated significant post-season honors, beginning with…

The Honolulu Advertiser Hawaii State All-Star team named 6'3" 235-pound senior Red Raider lineman Hauoli Jamora Co-Defensive Player of the Year (along with Beau Yap of Kamehameha), and third-year Kamehameha head coach Kawika Stant Jr. as Coach of the Year.

The Advertiser reported the All-Star selections were made by a cross-section of Division I coaches and consultations with other coaches, media and independent sources.

Other All-State First Team Honors went to: OL Jase To'omaletai; DL Kona Schwenke, Ben Mamea, Johnny Tupola, Hauula resident Kawika Stant III, who plays linebacker for Kamehameha, and former Hauula resident VJ Fehoko, who played for Farrington; and kicker Cameron Mercado.

All-State Second Team honors went to OL Jamal Napeahi and Steven Si'ilata.

Honorable Mention went to: DL Veteson Sauni, linebacker TJ Tito; DB Tigi Hill and Kawehena Johnson.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin's picks were similar, but also included:

First Team: LB Ben Mamea; Second Team: LB TJ Tito, CBs Johnny Tupola and Walter Santiago Jr., the latter of Hauula who plays for Kamehameha; and Third Team: DT Veteson Sauni.

OIA Red Football All-Stars

The Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Red Conference also recognized the skills of the following Kahuku players:

Kona Schwenke, DE: Defensive Player of the Year; and head coach Reggie Torres, Coach of the Year.

First Team: Steven Si'ilata and Jase To'omaletai, offensive linemen; Hauoli Jamora and Kona Schwenke, defensive linemen (as well as former Hauula resident VJ Fehoko, who now lives in Honolulu and played for Farrington); linebacker Ben Mamea, and DB Johnny Tupuola.

Second Team: Quarterback Evan Moe, running back Hans Brown, and receiver Lopaka Morris; defensive lineman Veteson Sauni, linebacker TJ Tito and DB Tigi Hill.

Honorable Mention: Andrews Crowell, Kawehena Johnson, Trayson Medeiros, Viliami Pasi, Christopher Thee, Shairone Thompson and Punga Vea.

In the private-school Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Kawika Stant Jr. of Hauula was also named Coach of the Year for leading Kamehama to the ILH title, and his son, Kawika Stant III, was named to the First Team. Walter Santiago Jr. of Hauula, who plays for Kamehameha, was named to the Second Team

The Advertiser also recognized the following three Kahuku players for their outstanding performance in Division I football for the 2009 season:

• Cameron Mercado ranked first in specialist scoring and fourth in overall scoring for accurately kicking 12 field goals and 49 point-after-touchdown conversions, for a total of 85 points. His 49-yard field goal in the finals was also the longest in the season.

• Viliami Pasi ranked seventh for rushing 633 yards in 143 carries, completing seven touchdowns in the process, for an average of 4.4 yards per carry.

• Evan Moe ranked eighth for completing 80 of 173 passes (with 14 interceptions) for a total of 1,169 yards.

First All-Decade (2000-2009) football honors:

A bunch of names very familiar to Koolauloa fans and family recently popped up in online voting for the Honolulu Advertiser's first All-Decade (2000-2009) high school football team:

• Former 2002 Kahuku quarterback and now UH senior Inoke Funaki of Laie, Offensive Player of the Decade. Former 2001 running back Mulivai Pula was voted Co-Player of the Year.

• Former 2009 Punahou linebacker Manti Te'o who now plays for Notre Dame, Defensive Player of the Decade. Te'o, who started the last eight games for the Fighting Irish and tallied 63 tackles in his freshman season, recently announced he will return for another season with Notre Dame before deciding if he will serve a Latter-day Saint mission. Of the difficult decision, the Associated Press quoted Te'o as saying: "I'm not sure if I'm going to take it after next year or later on in life."

• Former Kahuku head coach Siuaki Livai — who won four of Kahuku's five state titles during the time span, Coach of the Decade.

• Other All-Decade Football Team honors went to: WR Spencer Hafoka, OL Benji Kemoeatu ('06 and '07) and Jeremy Perry ('03); kicker Cameron Mercado ('09); DL Chris Kemoeatu ('00) now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jonathan Mapu ('01), Kaniela Tuipulotu ('05 and '06) and former Hauula resident VJ Fehoko (Farrington, '08 and '09); DB Aaron Francisco ('00) who played in the 2008 Super Bowl for the Arizona Cardinals, and Al Afalava ('03 and '04).

During the same decade, Kahuku topped the OIA records by winning 107 games vs. 16 losses, or an 87% win ratio and capturing eight titles — almost double its closest competitors: Mililani and Waianae.

• Former Punahou star and now Notre Dame player Manti Te'o of Laie, Defensive Player of the Decade. Te'o, who started the last eight games for the Fighting Irish and tallied 63 tackles in his freshman season, recently announced he will return for another season with Notre Dame before deciding if he will serve a Latter-day Saint mission. Of the difficult decision, the Associated Press quoted Te'o as saying: "I'm not sure if I'm going to take it after next year or later on in life."

• Former Kahuku head coach Siuaki Livai — who won four of Kahuku's five state titles during the time span, Coach of the Decade.

• Other All-Decade Football Team honors went to: WR Spencer Hafoka, OL Benji Kemoeatu ('06 and '07) and Jeremy Perry ('03); kicker Cameron Mercado ('09); DL Chris Kemoeatu ('00) now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jonathan Mapu ('01), Kaniela Tuipulotu ('05 and '06) and former Hauula resident VJ Fehoko (Farrington, '08 and '09); DB Aaron Francisco ('00) who played in the 2008 Super Bowl for the Arizona Cardinals, and Al Afalava ('03 and '04).

Other Koolauloa athletes recently in football news include:

• Cameron Mercado kicked two field goals — of 25 and 27 yards, respectively — for the Hawaii/Polynesia team only scores in the Aloha Prep Bowl All-Star 26-6 loss to a mainland all-star team at Aloha Stadium on December 12, 2009.

• Reggie Torres coached the Hawaii/Polynesian All-Star Team in the Aloha Prep Bowl.

• The Western Athletic Conference recently named several Kahuku alumni to its latest Fall 2009 All-Academic Team, including Paipai Falemalu, Inoke Funaki and Tuika Tufaga.

All-State Girls Volleyball

Kahuku senior 6'1" middle blocker Amanda Tonga was named to the All-State Girls Volleyball Team. Honorable mention went to: Amanda Blake and Malia Tonga.

In the OIA Red Conference, the Kahuku girls volleyball team finished at 11-1 and tied with Moanalua for the Eastern Division title. OIA Red girls volleyball All-Star honors went to:

Amanda Tonga: Player of the Year, and head Coach Uila Vendiola: Coach of Year

Other OIA Red honors went to junior Amanda Blake, First Team; Malia Tonga, Second Team; and Ho'onani Apo, Liza Domingo, Natalia Cravens and Teuila Nautu, Honorable Mention.

Upcoming scholarship offers

Whitford said he expects "for sure, we'll have four kids sign Division I scholarship offers: Cameron Mercado, our kicker, has already gone back to Florida for the spring. He spent one year here, and he's being recruited heavily by USC [the University of Southern California]. Jackson Kaka just went on a trip to New Mexico State, Kona Schwenke spent a weekend at BYU on his official visit, and Hauoli Jamora still has a couple of more visits to make."

"Amanda Tonga, our 6'1" middle blocker in girls volleyball, may also sign a Division I scholarship," Whitford continued. "She's still considering her decision."

Boys basketball

Turning his attention back to 2010 sports, Whitford reported that the boys basketball team is currently undefeated. "They're 6-0 in the first round, and have started the second round," he said.

"Shairone Thompson, the junior forward, is doing really well this year. He scored 26 against Kalaheo. We were down 18-6 at the end of the first quarter, and then we went on a 25-7 run, I think, to take the lead. It was a convincing win."

Whitford said the JV players are 5-1 for the season, "currently tied for first place. They lost to McKinley early on, but beat everybody else."

Girls basketball

"The varsity girls are also tied for first in the OIA White Division. They recently lost to Kaimuki by two points, 40-38," Whitford continued, singling out the play of guard Rachel Ta'ilele, who's on the Hawaii Select Team, and Natalia Cravens: "She transferred from La Jolla, near San Diego, and she's been a surprise. We also have a transfer from Roosevelt, whose parents live in the area — Joslyn Noga."

"They'll play their last season game this Thursday, then they'll go to the playoffs. The girls are two weeks ahead of the boys in their schedule."

Soccer

Whitford reported "our soccer teams are doing okay. Our girls JV team is in second place, under coach Glenn Fujita; and our varsity girls, who just lost to Kalaheo, have a 7-4 record. Their new coach is William Mahoni, who's replaced Krisha Kai."

He added that the boys, under coach Richard Oei, are in fifth place, "barely hanging on to a playoff spot: They could make it." He also said a new transfer from Tahiti has helped the team: "He's been on the French Polynesian national team."

JV baseball cancelled

The AD reported Kahuku has had to cancel its JV baseball team this winter season because "we didn't have enough eligible players: We had enough boys who wanted to play, but only six of them were eligible after we ran grade-check. So, we'll let the varsity coach know who the eligible JV players are for his consideration in the Spring."

"We've never had to cancel a sport before because we haven't had enough eligible players," Whitford said.

Other sports

Whitford noted other winter sports include paddling and wrestling. "The girls and boys are doing very well," he said of the latter.

Athletic yearbook

The AD announced that the Athletic Department is publishing its own yearbook this year. "We will still provide team photos for the regular school yearbook, but our major concern was that Spring sports weren't getting adequate coverage because of deadlines: Everything has to be handed in by the end of February, so we can get the yearbook by the end of the school year."

"Our athletic yearbook will afford us a little more flexibility, especially in covering Spring sports. We can go to print at the beginning of May, and have most of the statistics and results," Whitford continued.

"Angus Christy has a big hand in this, and we may bring in other people to help. Right now we're looking at about $15 per copy of a 112-page yearbook. We're doing this on our own time."

"As an Athletic Department, we've been trying to get our own yearbook for years," Whitford said. "We're going to try it for the first time ever, and just want to see if we can do a decent job." He added that a new name is "still under wraps, although we did have a competition to name the new yearbook: We had about 50 suggestions, and we offered prizes."

Looking for new coaches

Whitford said he is looking for new coaches in cross-country, cheerleading, and girls volleyball: "Uila Vendiola has stepped down after four years," he added. "Résumés need to be into me by February 16, and we'll interview right after."

"Once we hire the varsity coaches, they will pick their own JV and assistant coaches," he continued, noting however that current budget constraints mean assistant coaches serve as volunteers without compensation.

"They've been understanding, which is how we've gotten by. We lost $40,000 from our budget for coaches salaries, so the assistant coaches in some sports have been responsive, while others only have the one paid coach."

Other budget issues

Speaking of budget, Whitford reported the various teams have "raised their own money" to make up for transportation cuts. "The school pays for weekday buses, but either the parents take them or pick the players up on Saturday, or they raise their own money for buses."

And on the state level, Whitford reminded us that HHSAA Director Keith Amemiya is stepping down in June after serving for 11 years, so they're accepting applications and hope to get the new person on board in March.

"In reference to the HHSAA Save Our Sports program, his goal was to raise an extra $1.2 million, but he has already eclipsed $1.4 million. That money is going to be disbursed among the 44 public schools, depending on the number of teams. We should see something come down to our level in the next month: That will be a boost, but some of that money might have to be held over for next year, in which the budget could be just as bad as this one."

"Sometimes it's good to tighten your belts, make sure you're more efficient in different areas and account for everything," Whitford continued. "I need to thank all the parents who have been supportive, as well as the coaches and student athletes. We've been able to carry out the programs thus far because of everyone's dedication."

… vs. Nanakuli: Varsity plays 15 minutes after the end of the JV game.

… vs. Kalaheo: Varsity plays 15 minutes after the end of the JV game.