BIIF Boys Track & Field All-Star Selections Announced

Jacob Edwards, Athlete of the Year in BIIF track & field

Athlete of the Year: Jacob Edwards (Ka’u)

Coach of the Year:  Kimo Weaver (Kamehameha)

First Team:

Ka’u – Jacob Edwards, 300 hurdles, triple jump

Hawaii Prep – Shane Brostek, shot put;

Kamehameha – Kanakalele Silva, 100 dash; Francis Blas III, 110 hurdles;

                Kaenen Akau, long jump; Isaac DeRego, pole vault                     

Keaau – Daniel Brooks, 800;

Kohala – Ethan Meikle & Kelson Kawai, high jump

Honokaa – Chayce Moniz, 1500 & 3000

Waiakea – Ka’imi Scott, 200 & 400

 Second team: Luca Walter (Kealakehe), Tyde Kunishiro (Hilo), Cameron Calistro (Hilo), Manta Dircks (Kamehameha), David Kekuewa (Kamehameha)

 Honorable mention: Richard Moylan (Christian Liberty), Jesse Huihui (Kea’au), Rocky Lominario (Kealakehe), Everett McKee (Kamehameha) Christian Lee (HawaiiPrep), Dylan Steele (Kealakehe), Casey Chai (Kamehameha), Jordan Decoito (Hilo), Juan Sepulveda (Kealakehe) Shawn Andrada (Kea’au) Tyler Tsubota (Hawaii Prep), Jackson Halford (Waiakea), Joshua Robinson (Honoka’a) Geoff Whitener (Kealakehe), Kevin Olsen (Kea’au), Damien Packer (Kea’au), Dylan Oakes (Hawaii Prep), Easten Tanimoto (Kamehameha), Rick Micheals (Hilo), Cliff Eriksson (Kea’au), George Twigg-Smith (Hawaii Prep), Robert Mockchew (Kealakehe), Kainoa Crum (Kamehameha), Ka’u Eggers (Kea’au)  Nelson Enos (Kea’au)  Greg Matias (Kea’au), Alika Kaopua (Ka’u), Travis Winters (Waiakea), Hawk Hanoa (Kamehameha), Dathan Toribio (Kea’au), Jake Jordan (Kealakehe), Maunaku Palama-Danielson (Waiakea)

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BIIF Best Headed to Oahu for HHSAA Track & Field Championships

Kamehameha's Kana Silva, left, leads the BIIF in sprints, while Honakaa's Chayce Moniz leads in mid-distance

If things go as planned Big Island track & field athletes will need to carry extra luggage when then return from the state championships on Oahu this weekend as they will be carrying a lot of extra hardware with them.

  The Hawaii High School Athletic Association state track & field championships will be held May 14-15 at Kamehameha’s Oahu campus and the Big Island Interscholastic Federation will be looking to bring home medals in a variety of track and field events.

   Leading the way for the BIIF are state defending champions Kau’s Jacob Edwards and Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s Ku’uipo Nakoa.

   Edwards who has been billed as the “King of the Hurdles” has dominated both the 110 and 300 meter events and holds the best times in the state this season.  To go along with his picture perfect hurdling Edwards also has the best distance in the state in the triple jump and could win gold in all three events.

Jacob Edwards

“I think Jacob (Edwards) could also medal in the long jump,” Kau coach Bob Martin said.  “I’d also look at Kaenen (Akau) and Manta (Dirks) from Kamehameha to medal in the long.”

  Nakoa, who single handily scored 58 points in helping HPA win the girls BIIF team title, also ranks as one of the top hurlers in the state.  The senior Ka Makani is expected to fight for top honors in the 100 and 300 hurdles, but will face stiff opposition in the high hurdles from Kahuku’s Zhane Santiago.

   Santiago leads the state in the triple jump while Nakoa leads the state in the long jump going 18 feet earlier this season.  Nakoa also has a good chance of medaling in both the 100 and 200 meter dash.

   Konawaena freshman, Ua Ruedy, has already made a name for herself in the 300 hurdles and on Oahu the youngster will focus entirely on that event as a gold or silver medal is within her reach.

  The fastest sprinter in the state this year is Punahou’s Ashley Satterwhite who has dominated the 100, 200 and 400 meter events.  But Satterwhite has decided to forego the 400 dash to concentrate on the 100 and 200 leaving the door open to HPA’s Zoe Sims to compete for gold in the 400.

   Sims is the only BIIF girl to break the 60 second barrier in the 400 this season and if she goes under 59 seconds will have an excellent chance at taking top honors.  Teammate Mindy Campbell is the defending state champion in the high jump and should also pick up a medal in that event.

Shina Chung

Hilo’s Shina Chung is ranked in a tie for second in the state in the pole vault, clearing a height of 10 feet 7 inches.  Chung, just a sophomore, is the two time defending BIIF champion in the vault and has a good chance of breaking the 11 foot barrier which would put her in contention for the gold medal.

   BIIF girl’s team champions, Kamehameha, could also see Kaopua Sutton at discus and Victoria  Evans-Bautista in the long jump claim medals in those events.

   The Punahou girls are the clear favorites to win the team championship as they have the depth and the “big point earner” in Ashley Satterwhite.

  “At states our athletes get to pick their favorite events,” HPA coach Pat Lau said.  “Ku’uipo most likely will stick with both hurdles and jumps.  Our relay teams are all underclassmen and the experience of running in states will be great for them.”

   Lau believes that HPA has a shot of coming in the top five as a team.  “The girl’s team title will be a fight between Punahou, Radford and Kahuku,” he said.

   While Edwards is the best hope for the BIIF boys to bring home gold a host of other talented Big Island athletes will be fighting to gain one of the top six medals presented in each event.

   Kamehameha coach Kimo Weaver sees his team’s depth as bringing them a long way this season.  “At the state level we should be competitive in the relays, hurdles, sprints, jumps, throws and in the pole vault,” Weaver said.

   Kana Silva, Keanen Akau, Manta Dirks, Keli’I Kekuewa, Francis Blas, Maka McKee, and Isaac DeRego are the Warrior boy’s hopefuls to medal at the state, according to Weaver.

   “There are other kids that could step it up and hopefully medal for us,” Weaver said.  “At the state level anything can happen and we are hoping it goes our way.”

   Also watch for Waiakea’s Ka’imi Scott in the 200 and 400 meter dashes as the two time BIIF defending champion in those events has the quickness and ability to get out of the blocks fast and maintain a lead.

   Kohala high jumpers Ethan Meikle and Kelson Kawai both cleared 6’ 4” during the BIIF championships which rank them in the top five in the state.  Kamehameha’s Shane Brostek ranks third in the state for the shot put and Keaau’s Daniel Brooks third in the 800 meter run.

   A big question mark is whether or not Honokaa’s distance runner Chris Mosch will be fully recovered to run in the grueling 3K.  Mosch hurt himself prior to last week’s BIIF championships and wasn’t able to compete.  Should he be at full strength he would be the BIIF best hope to medal in that event.

   Unlike the girl’s team title, the boy’s title appears up for grabs with several schools vying for top honors.  “Kamehameha-Kapalama has the inside track to win the team title for the boys,” Weaver said.  “Waimea of Kauai and Punahou look to be contenders as well.”

   As for the BIIF boys team champions: “It’s our goal to finish in the top 10 at state,” Weaver said.  “If things go our way it is possible, but you never know as anything can happen at a state meet.”

HPA girls, KS-Hawaii boys win BIIF Track & Field Team Titles

KS-Hawaii scored 15 pts in the 110 hurdles with Blas, McKee & Tanimoto. Also pictured Hilo's Calistro, Keaau's Packer & HPA's Oakes

KEALAKEKUA – The Hawaii Preparatory Academy girls and Kamehameha boys are flying high after winning the Big Island Interscholastic Federation track & field team titles Saturday at Yates Field in Konawaena.

   HPA got a spectacular performance and 58 points from the “Queen of the Hurdles” Ku’uipo Nakoa.

Ku’uipo Nakoa

Nakoa, a state leader in the 100 and 300 hurdles, captured the BIIF individual crown in both events and also won the 100 and 200 dashes, along with the triple jump.  Nakoa’s long jump second place finish, by half an inch, during the first event of the day ignited the senior Ka Makani to a near perfect performance.

    Kamehameha’s Victoria Evans Bautista saved her best jump for last leaping 17’ 3.75” to set a new meet record in edging out Nakoa for the long jump crown.

     Moments later Nakoa responded by winning the 100 meter hurdles and in the process set a new meet record in a blistering time of 15.16 seconds.  Later in the day Nakoa won the 300 hurdles of 46 seconds flat also set a new championship meet record.

   “The 100 (dash) felt comfortable for me as I needed to play catch up,” Nakoa said.  “This season I learned that I needed to run for me and not for anyone else.  I always run for improvement and today I achieved what I had set my heart to do.”

   HPA also showcased another “Queen” in the hurdles, Lana Queen; running on the heels of Nakoa all season long Queen helped her team by placing second in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300.

   Ka Makani also gained points from middle distance runner Kela Vargas who finished fifth in the 800 and third in the 1500.

  The real surprise for HPA came from freshman Zoe Sims in the 400 dash when she ran the race of her life winning in 59.55 seconds.  “I’ve only run the 400 a couple of times this season, but I really enjoy this distance,” Sims said.

   “We decided to save her (Nakoa) for the individual events and pull her out of the relays,” HPA coach Pat Lau said.  “We needed her to carry us, points wise, in those events and she did extremely well.”

   Lau also had high praise for his coaches.  “We (coaches) make decisions together that are best for the team.  Everything is a group effort and this year was tough for us as our track is under construction,” he said.  “I also give a lot of credit to our AD (Steve Perry) who made sure we got what we needed to produce a good track program.”

   While Nakoa was tearing up the track with her blistering speed the Kamehameha boys were racking up points with their sprinters.

Kana Silva

Warrior Kanakalele Silva dominated the 100 and 200 meter dashes and provided the additional fire power to anchor the boys 4×100 relay team to victory.

   Silva was aided in the sprint department by teammates Kaenen Akau and Everett “Maka” McKee and Francis Blas III in scoring which propelled Kamehameha to the team title.

   Blas, in the 110 hurdles, took advantage of Kau’s Jacob Edwards false start during the preliminaries on Friday by winning the finals.

   Akau, along with fellow Warrior Manta Dircks added points in the jumps with Akau winning the long, 21’ 5.5” and Dircks taking second. Dircks returned later to the jumping pit, taking second in the triple.

   Discus thrower David Kekuewa placed second in the finals and scored additional points by finishing second in the shot put with teammate Hawk Hanoa taking third to round out the major scoring efforts for the Warrior boys.

  In the finals of the boy’s pole vault, held on Friday, Warriors Isaac DeRego and Max Shimamoto went one-two respectively to aid 18 points to the team count.

  Kamehameha coach, Kimo Weaver, was all smiles with his team’s title.  “Our boys had real team depth,” Weaver said.  “Our goal was to come into the championship meet and try to score points in all 16 events.”

   Weaver contributed a lot of the Warrior success to the confidence gained while participating on Oahu during the season.  “After going to Oahu the kids confidence level went really high,” he said.  “We believe our team can get into the top 10 in the state and our relay teams will be very competitive.”

  Last season it was Hilo winning the boys team title with Kamehameha edging out HPA by two points for the girls crown.  This season Ka Makani runners and jumpers left little doubt on reclaiming the BIIF crown beating runner up Kamehameha girls by more than 40 points.

   “Every year people expect HPA to win team championships,” Coach Lau said.  “Those expectations make us work harder and is the reason why we have such a good program.”

   A total of eight BIIF championship records were set, according to track official, Bob Martin. 

“We had two records broken during Friday’s preliminaries and six more broken during Saturday’s finals,” Martin said.  “This was the most records set during a championship meet this past decade.”

BIIF Track Season Finale Pays Dividends for DeRego

Kamehameha's Isaac DeRego clears 13-6 at Last Chance Meet

KEEAU- Sometimes in life a last chance is all one needs to prove his mettle.  Kamehameha senior Isaac DeRego was given a last chance this past Saturday during the Big Island Interscholastic Federation track & field regular season finale held at Keaau.

    DeRego, who has been pole vaulting for the Warriors for four years, had never gone higher than 12 feet prior to Saturday’s meet.  Needing to clear 13 feet to gain an automatic spot in the HHSAA state championships DeRego took full advantage of his last chance opportunity and cleared 13 feet.

   But the private school Warrior wasn’t done, having the bar raised another six inches, DeRego went on to a stellar performance day by clearing 13-6.

   “I felt good today,” DeRego said after the meet.  “There is something about being at this track (Keaau High School) that gets all us vaulters doing really well.”

   After clearing 13-6 DeRego asked that the bar be raised seven inches and attempted to clear 14-1.  Normally the bar is raised six inches at a time, but DeRego had something bigger he was shooting for.

   “I knew our school record was 14 feet and I wanted to break the record,” he said.  “I’m still really happy with what I did today and will try to go after the record at the BIIF championships in Kona.”

   While DeRego was complimentary of the Keaau track the Fully Automated Timing System or FATS was trying to get the Gremlins out of the software.  The FATS turned from an automated system to an animated system and left computer technology wizards Bob Martin, Chris Drayer and Curt Beck scratching their heads.

  The FATS crew needed to depend upon the ‘old school’ method by using hand times for the entire meet.  The only thing that remained fully operationally was the finish line photo system that came in handy during the girls 800 meter run.

  In the girls two laps race around the track Waiakea’s Kaitlyn Chock, the BIIF leader with the league’s best time in the 800 and fifth best in the state, took the lead and appeared to be in control of the race, clocking 75 seconds on her first lap with the rest of the field content to hang back.

Nishimura-Thornton

In the final 100 meters of the second lap, with Chock maintaining her pace, Keaau’s Deann Nishimura-Thornton made a late charge and closed in fast as both girls hit the line in what was a “photo finish.”

  FATS official Chris Drayer made a careful review of the finish line photo’s and declared Nishimura-Thornton the winner.  “The Keaau girl won by the thickness of her jersey,” Dryer said of the 1/1000^th of a second difference.

   “I had an adrenaline rush towards the end of my race and I just went for it,” Nishimura-Thornton said of her winning kick.  “I felt really confident today, but when we hit the finish line I didn’t know if I had won or not, I just couldn’t tell.”

   For Chock it was a perfectly equal race, with the senior running 75 seconds for each of her two laps.  “It was the first time I’ve ever run even splits,” Chock said.  “I was supposed to have gone out faster, but I was tired from running the 400 race prior to doing this race.”

   “The 800 is my favorite race because you’re in pain during the entire race, but it feels really good when it’s over,” Nishimura-Thornton said. 

Mosch winning 3K

Honokaa continues to rule the 3K distance race with BIIF cross-country champions Tialana Greenwell and Chris Mosch both winning their seven and a half lap races.

   Mosch, who had the second fastest time in the state at 9 minutes and 23 seconds coming into the race, ran by himself at Keaau to win in 9:32.38.

  “I’m happy with my effort and performance, but it’s difficult to run alone,” Mosch said.  “I ran my fastest time of the season when I was in Honolulu and there were a lot of people around me to help me keep my pace.”

   Mosch was hoping to get out to a 4:52 in the first four laps and found himself already four seconds off his self imposed pace.

   “I’ll have to be able to run a sub 9-minute race to win at states and that’s not going to happen unless I try,” he said.

King Jacob

While many athletes were using the regular season finale as a spring board in preparations for this weekend’s BIIF championships, others were just out to have fun and enjoy the near end of their prep careers.

   The “King of the Hurdles,” Kau’s Jacob Edwards showed his business side by winning both hurdle events and the triple jump while finishing second in the 200 dash.

   But the “King” also entered the high jump for the first time in his four years of BIIF track and field competition.

   “I’ve always wanted to try the high jump,” Edwards said.  “Since this was the end of the regular season, it was the last chance I had to give it a try.”

  The “King” used his Midas touch and turned the high jump into pure gold by winning at 5-8.

 “I never expected to win the event, I just wanted to have fun doing it,” he said.  “If the season was a little longer I probably would like to give the 1500 a try.”

  The BIIF track & field season concludes this weekend with the league qualifiers and finals on May 7-8 at Konawaena.

Shiroma Ready to take Mat at start of BIIF Judo Season

Kamehameha's Kalena Shiroma

   The Big Island Interscholastic Federation Judo season is about to get under way and Kamehameha’s Kalena Shiroma can’t wait.

   Shiroma recently returned from a nine day trip to Tokyo where she practiced with judo players from Shukutoku University while staying in the dorms on campus.

   “I went with four people from the Hilo Hongwanji,” Shiroma said.  “While in Japan we practiced daily and even got to visit the Kodakan Judo Institute in Tokyo.  I believe that the trip helped me to develop my judo technique.”

   Shiroma, a senior, is the two time defending BIIF judo champion winning the title her sophomore year at the 129 weight class and last year at 139.  It was during the 2009 season that Shiroma made it to the finals of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championship and finished in the runner-up position, the highest finish of any BIIF competitor last season.

   “I will compete again this year at 139,” she said.  “My goal this year is to once again make it to the finals and hopefully win it.”

   Shiroma, a three sport athlete, started the fall season with cross-country, then moved to soccer during the winter and finds herself at the top of the spring judo season.

  “I like soccer and judo equally,” she said.  “I’ve been playing soccer since I was five and enjoy the team aspect of it, and I’ve been doing judo since I was 10 and like that it is an individual sport.”

   Shiroma, at 5’ 7” tall, is currently a brown belt in judo and has used her height to her advantage.

   “I’m pretty tall for a girl and I like using my long legs during competition,” Shiroma said.  “Judo is very exciting and when you win you feel really good.”

  The Kamehameha girls team returns to the mat as the BIIF two time defending champions and head Coach Calvin Enoki is all smiles as the Warriors are loaded with experienced judoka.

  “We have a very strong girl’s team as three of our girls return as BIIF champions in Megan and Jenna (Aina), along with Kalena (Shiroma),” Enoki said.

   “Our girls should be the team to beat as we have the numbers to fill all but the two heaviest weight divisions and the quality that we do have is very good,” he said. 

   Kamehameha girls return BIIF individual defending champions Megan Aina at 103, Jenna Aina at 122 and Shiroma at 139.  Added to the experienced firepower are Kanoe Padaken and a host of up and coming freshmen.

  The Aina sisters have made a name for themselves in judo as Jenna is a three time BIIF champion and Megan returns as the defending champion.

   Megan Aina is also the HHSAA state wrestling champion at 98 pounds and she finished third at the Judo championships last season. 

   Sister Jenna finished second at the Junior Judo National Championships held in Chicago in 2008 and also finished second at the High School Junior National Championships held at Bingham Young University College Auditorium on Oahu that same year.

   “I’m really excited about starting the (high school) judo season,” Jenna Aina said.  “We were worried that the public schools might cancel the season due to budget cuts and since we are the only private school competing on the island it is a relief that we’ll have a season.”

   Aina has captured all three BIIF titles and placed at the HHSAA state championships all three years at the 122 weight division and will fill that same division in her senior season. 

   “I’ve been doing it (judo) since the fourth grade and I just enjoy the experience of meeting new people and being physically fit,” she said.  “My goal going into my final season is to make the finals at states and to medal.”

   Aina is a first degree black belt and belongs to Hilo’s Shudokan Judo Club where she continues to practice regularly following her prep practices at Kamehameha.

  Coach Enoki sees his solid core of experienced judoka as the strength behind a powerful Warrior squad, but also believes that Kamehameha is working on a judo dynasty by creating a building block into high school.

    “We just started a judo middle school program and are now starting to see the results in some very talented incoming freshmen,” Enoki said.

  The Warrior boys will see BIIF runner up Sky Kekona-Souza return at 121 and will be complimented by seniors Eric Young at 161 and Isaac DeRego at 198.

   Enoki believes that defending BIIF boys champions, Hilo, is again the team to beat.  “I think our boys will be at least third in the team race,” Enoki said.  “Any finish higher than that would be a real surprise.”

  Hilo veteran coach, Jack De Lima, will see a talented boy’s team take to the mat on Saturday.  Tyler Vaughn,12; Sean Arakaki,11;  Jens Beets, 11; Jordon Enos, 11; Isaiah Kanakanui, 11; and Sheldon Graham, 10; will head line a strong Viking squad.

   “We have some talented new players that will give us a lot of help,” De Lima said.  “This should be a very exciting season for us.”

   Waiakea returns BIIF boys individual champions Harlan Wilbur, 108; and Tyler Yonemori, 145; along with girl champions Kaylyn Otsubo, 115; and Lisa Nakagawa, 129.

   “I think the Kamehameha girls and the Konawaena boys may be the teams to beat this season,” Waiakea coach Greg Yonemori said.  “But don’t count out the Hilo boys as they always find a way to field a good team.”

   The BIIF judo season gets under way this Saturday with a Novice/Open meet starting at 10:30 at Hilo High.