Fall sports give KS Hawai'i a lot to cheer about

The girls volleyball team won its fifth consecutive Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) title this year. Photo: Glen Pascual | ScoringLive.com

Dec. 11, 2014

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

This fall, the student athletes, coaches and administrators at Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i campus had a lot to cheer about.

“We have experienced a humbling amount of athletic success this fall from league team and individual titles to sportsmanship and scholarship awards,” shares KSH Athletic Director Kimo Weaver.

“We are proud of the accomplishments of our teams. It brings us great joy seeing the maturation of our young athletes as evidenced in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the community. We are looking forward to the remainder of our sports seasons this year and as always…..we wish them luck!”

The girls volleyball team repeated for the fifth time as Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) champions. The talented team featured three USA Volleyball A-1 players in seniors Kaiulani Ahuna, Zoe Leonard and junior Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker. Despite a tough quarterfinals loss to Punahou in the HHSAA tournament, this team has a lot to be proud of in what it has accomplished with another consecutive title.

In football, the Warriors under the strong leadership of seniors Micah Kanehailua and Pono Davis, won a division II BIIF championship, ending a title drought since 2010. This year’s team also earned the school’s first state tournament win, with a 42-20 victory over Nānākuli.

Girls cross country also won a BIIF championships and continued their success at the HHSAA Cross Country Championships, placing 5th in Division II. Their male counterparts were also successful on the state level, placing 3rd.

Individually, two students took home BIIF championship titles this fall. Sophomore Seth Yamaguchi rolled his way to earning honors in bowling and junior Logan Aruga hit the mark in air riflery.

Seniors Hali’a Nahale-a and Hanale Lee Loy were two of the four statewide winners of $1,000 scholarships from the Positive Coaching Alliance. While their classmaates, Kobi Candaroma, Kekaulike Alameda, Kaiulani Ahuna and Emmett Enriques participated in a national letter-of-intent signing day ceremony, ensuring they’d continue their education, along with their athletic pursuits at the next level.

The successes of these student athletes and their coaches have been well documented through local papers like the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and West Hawaii Today. Below, find links to athletics stories done throughout the fall and read more about these exceptional accomplishments.