Lahainaluna's Lindsey Bates scored 42 points in the Lunas' three games at the Kaiser Invitational. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Kaiser's Caanan Saole recorded a game-high 12 tackles and rushed for 84 yards on 10 carries against Lahainaluna. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Male Athlete of the Week: Canaan Saole, Kaiser football
All season long, the Kaiser football team has been blowing teams out by wide margins. That was hardly the case Saturday, however, when the Cougars had to rally past top-seeded Lahainaluna in a Division II state semifinal game and Canaan Saole was a big reason why they prevailed on the Valley Isle.

Saole, who is listed as a senior defensive back on the roster, made contributions on both sides of the ball to help fourth-seeded Kaiser to a 20-9 upset over the Maui Interscholastic League champion Lunas. Saole, who was aligned at outside linebacker on defense most of the night, recorded a game-high 12 tackles and rushed for 84 yards on 10 carries in his first extensive time at running back on offense.

"You have Thomas (Buntenbah-Leong), who likes to run it outside and Fitou (Fisiiahi), who is a bruiser type-of-guy," Kaiser coach Rich Miano said. "Canaan is so tough and so fast that we have been experimenting with him in practice. We were joking that we were saving our secret weapon in the playoffs, but he is a difference-maker on offense, defensive and special teams. He's been playing fantastic."

Leong, a lightning-fast tailback and kick returner, had 19 rushes for 91 yards — both game-highs — and Fisiiahi, a punishing fullback, added 76 rushing yards and two touchdowns on nine attempts. Saole provided a change-up to the duo of Leong and Fisiiahi.

Saole broke off a 24-yard run in the first half and late in the third quarter, he had a 21-yard run that set-up Fisiiahi's 1-yard touchdown run one play later. That score, in addition on the Matt Sai extra point, gave the Cougars a 20-9 lead they would not relinquish.

"In practice coach said 'hey, jump in and get some reps (at running back),' and out of nowhere I got used to running the ball and everything fell into place," said Saole, who played for Campbell last year. "Over here, it's my first time playing running back in the game."

Kaiser briefly used Saole at running back in a first-round game against Konawaena, when he had three carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Cougars allowed just 209 yards of total offense by the Lunas, well below their per-game average of 352 yards. The 20 points allowed by Lahainaluna were the most scored by an opponent all season.

"First, on defense we started off slow and coach talked to us to keep our eyes focused," said Saole, who is 6-feet tall and weights 185 pounds. "Second half, we made the adjustments and it clicked."

Saole and Cougars will try for their first state championship in the D2 final Saturday against Kauai. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.

Co-Female Athletes of the Week: Lindsey Bates, Lahainaluna girls basketball
The Lahainaluna girls' basketball team has been the class of the Maui Interscholastic League for the better part of the last decade, but coach Todd Rickard wanted to put his team through the rigors of a tough preseason — which is just what it got last week.

Lahainaluna, which has won the the past nine MIL titles and has an 87-game league winning streak, traveled to Oahu last week to compete in preseason tournaments hosted by Farrington and Kaiser. The Lunas went a combined 5-1 with wins over Kahuku, Farrington, Kapolei, Kaiser and Punahou. Their lone loss came to reigning Division I state champion Kamehameha.

"I just was trying to see who we should put out there on the court, try to find some chemistry, get a lot of the girls involved and see how they can help us over the course of the season," Rickard said. "At this point in time, we just wanted to see where we stand while playing against some top competition and use that as a gauge."

One player that Rickard is counting on for the upcoming girls' basketball season is junior point guard Lindsey Bates, who scored 42 points in the Lunas' three games at the Kaiser Invitational. She scored of 14 points in a one-point win over Punahou Thursday and 13 points in a 15-point loss to Kamehameha Saturday — both efforts were team-highs. Bates scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in a 49-point win over Kaiser Friday.

"Lindsey is definitely, I think, the key to our team," Rickard said. "She's the point guard, so she basically runs the show. She's terrific defensively, she handles the ball well, shoots well, passes well. She's just a great leader, she's the captain of our team and everyone follows her lead. I think she'll lead us to a great season."

Bates, a third-year member of the varsity team, has been a key cog for the Lunas since her freshman season, but is making the move from off-guard to the point this year.

"She's been a major contributor since she joined us, but she stepped up as s sophomore," Rickard said. "We lost our point guard to graduate, so we moved Lindsey there because she's our best ball handler and she just has the leadership qualities that we're looking for."

It's a role that Rickard says Bates relishes.

"She likes the challenge, she likes the leadership role and she accepts that responsibility," Rickard said of the 5-foot-4 Bates. "When she says something, the girls listen — they all look up to her — and she does a pretty good at it."

Bates will not have to solely shoulder the load for the Lunas, who are loaded with talent this year, including King Kekaulike-transfer Cameron Fernandez, last year's MIL Player of the Year.

"She was just a freshman last year and a sophomore now, but she's the real deal and she's definitely going to help us," Rickard said of Fernandez, who did not play last week due to an ailing foot injury. "She can shoot, she can dribble, she can rebound. She just has a great all-around game."

Other standouts include Fiemea Hafoka, Folau Hafoka, Keleah Akio-Koloi and Taylor Bates.

"We're well balanced this year because we have so many players who can contribute — of all the years I've been here, this is probably the deepest bench we've had," Rickard said. "No matter who we bring off the bench, we don't lose that much so it's a great chance for us to go at full speed."

Most of the group has been playing together since the sixth grade in the Lahaina Menehune Program.

"They've been playing with each other since elementary school so they play well together," Rickard said. "Basically, this program has an 87-game win streak, which is the longest in the (MIL) in any sport without a loss. A lot of the girls who come through our program start at a young age and when they go the high school, they don't want to be the ones to lose so they work hard in the offseason  to maintain that win streak."

Lahainaluna returns to the court next week, when it hosts its annual tournament before participating in the Konawaena tournament the following week.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Chanetelle Arce, Kaiser — Scored 15 points with five steals and two assists in a loss to Konawaena

Lindsey Bates, Lahainaluna — Scored 13 points in a loss to Kamehameha and 14 points in a win over Punahou

Taylor Bates, Lahainaluna — Scored 15 points in a win over Kaiser

Fiemea Hafoka, Lahainaluna — Scored 20 points in a win over Kaiser

Tiare Kanoa, Kamehameha — Scored 25 points in a win over Lahainaluna

Keleah Akio-Koloi, Lahainaluna — Scored 16 points in a win over Kaiser

Tyra Moe, Punahou — Scored 15 points in a loss to Lahainaluna

Chanelle Molina, Konawaena — Scored 10 points with three steals and three assists in a win over Kaiser and had 16 points in a loss to Kamehameha

Jordan Passas, Kaiser — Scored 18 points in a loss to Lahainaluna

Jasmine Perea, Konawaena — Scored 20 points in a win over Kaiser

Alohi Robins-Hardy, Kamehameha — Scored 11 points in a win over Konawaena and 10 points in a win over Lahainaluna

Aloha Salem, Lahainaluna — Scored 15 points in a win over Kaiser

FOOTBALL
Roger "Tre" Boyd, Farrington — The senior defensive back made seven tackles in a D1 state semifinal loss to Mililani

Ruairi Brady, Punahou — The senior defensive end made four tackles, including three sacks, in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Tristan "Pono" Bukoski, Kauai — The senior defensive back made three tackles, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass in a D2 state semifinal win over Iolani

Thomas Buntenbah-Leong, Kaiser — The senior running back/kick returner scored on a 77-yard kickoff return, rushed for a team-high 91 yards and caught two passes for 30 yards in a D2 state semifinal win over Lahainaluna

Boyd "Kalama" Chung, Punahou — The junior linebacker made a team-high nine tackles, including one sack, in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Makoa Filikitonga, Lahainaluna — The junior defensive back/quarterback made a team-high eight tackles, including a sack, and rushed for a team-high 69 yards in a D2 state semifinal loss to Kaiser

Filou Fisiiahi, Kaiser — The senior running back/linebacker rushed for 76 yards and touchdowns of 44 and 1 yards and made seven tackles, including two sacks, in a D2 state semifinal win over Lahainaluna

Dayton Furuta, Mililani — The senior running back/linebacker scored on runs of 3 and 1 yards and made two tackles in a D1 state semifinal win over Campbell

Isaiah Gibson, Campbell — The junior linebacker made four tackles, including two sacks, and forced a fumble in a D1 state semifinal loss to Mililani

Kanoa Iwasaki, Kauai — The senior receiver scored on runs of 6 and 31 yards in a D2 state semifinal win over Iolani

Austin Jim On, Iolani — The junior quarterback completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts for 189 yards with a touchdown in a D2 state semifinal loss to Kauai

Kalawaia Judd, Kauai — The junior defensive end recorded a pair of sacks in a D2 state semifinal win over Iolani

Aaron Kesi, Farrington — The senior linebacker made two tackles, including a sack, and recovered a fumble in a D1 state semifinal loss to Mililani

Blake Kondo, Mililani — The senior defensive lineman made five tackles, including two sacks, in a D1 state semifinal win over Campbell

Ronley Lakalaka, Punahou — The junior linebacker made four tackles, including two sacks, in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Rex Manu, Mililani — The junior defensive tackle made five tackles, including three sacks, in a D1 state semifinal win over Campbell

Reggie McFadden, Kauai — The senior tailback rushed for 135 yards and a 1-yard touchdown on 29 carries in a D2 state semifinal win over Iolani

McKenzie Milton — The sophomore quarterback completed 13 of 24 passes for 170 yards and threw touchdown passes of 12 and 24 yards and rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries in a D1 state semifinal win over Campbell

Connor Mowat, Lahainaluna — The junior defensive lineman made four tackles and forced a safety in a D2 state semifinal loss to Kaiser

Kanawai Noa, Punahou — The junior wide receiver caught three passes for 115 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown, in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Kelii Padello, Mililani — The senior defensive end made four tackles, including three sacks, in a D1 state semifinal win over Campbell

Kotoni "KJ" Sekona, Punahou — The senior running back rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Quinton Slade-Matautia, Iolani — The junior defensive back made a game-high 14 tackles and forced a fumble in a D2 state semifinal loss to Kauai

Bryce Tatupu-Leopoldo, Farrington — The junior linebacker made a game-high 10 tackles in a D1 state semifinal loss to Mililani

Wayne Taulapapa, Punahou — The sophomore running back rushed for a touchdown and caught five passes for 86 and another score in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Larry Tuileta, Punahou — The senior quarterback completed 23 of his 34 pass attempts for a season-high 430 yards with five touchdowns in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington

Tumua Tuinei, Punahou — The senior linebacker made four tackles, including two sacks, in a D1 state semifinal win over Farrington