Celina Pagan

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Punahou's Saitui Moeai recorded a season-high 14 1/2 tackles, including one sack, against Mililani. Evan Asato | SL

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Male Athlete of the Week: Saitui Moeai, Punahou football
Prior to Saturday, the last time Punahou won a state football championship was in 2008, when it was led to victory by a highly-touted linebacker who wore jersey No. 5.

That linebacker was soon-to-be Notre Dame standout and current-San Diego Chargers' rookie Manti Te'o. The Buffanblu were led defensively by another linebacker wearing No. 5 in their 28-22 win over Mililani in the Division I title game over the weekend: Saitui Moeai.

The 6-foot, 195-pound junior recorded a season-high 14 1/2 tackles, including one sack, against the Trojans to help Punahou to its second state crown in school history.

"I'm not surprised (by his performance), but I'm happy for him," Buffanblu coach Kale Ane said. "I think he's been overlooked and I think it's such a group effort on defense that we normally don't have one individual having to make that many plays. If anybody can make those kinds of plays, it would be him."

Moeai has largely flew under the radar this season on a defense that features one of the nation's top juniors in defensive end Canton Kaumatule and fellow linebackers Tumua Tuinei, Ronley Lakalaka and Boyd Chung.

"He plays hard every game, but I think it's partly our game plan was to take advantage of his speed and quickness and (Mililani) ran to his side a lot too, which helped," Ane said of Moeai's title-game effort. "He played great (Saturday) and played well all season. When they need to, they all will do that, but it's great to have him singled out."

Ane said the cohesiveness of the defense, and the linebacking corps in particular, played a big part in Punahou's success this year.

"I think they work well as a unit and they compliment each other," Ane said. "They're not the tallest, fastest or strongest, but they over prepare and they know each other really well. They understand what the front three (down linemen) are doing, where holes are and where they need to get to and they understand how the other team will react, which puts them in a position to make plays."

It's not by chance that Moeai dons the No. 5 jersey. He was hand-picked by former Punahou and current University of Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner to succeed him in wearing the number that Te'o gave to him.

"It's a very serious number for us," Ane said. "We asked DeForest who he would be proud to give it and there were many great candidates and people. Saitui wasn't the best player, but the hardest-working player and DeForest felt that he was capable of dealing with the pressure and expectations of wearing a high-profile number and represent it well, like he has."

Moeai's preparation, as well as his natural ability, helps him excel on the field, according to Ane.

"He's physical, but also cerebral and he's a student of the game — he studies film, asks great questions and he internalizes all the info he gets," Ane said. "Plus, he's got great instinct, plays well in space and is relentless in pursuit."

Off the field, Moeai is hardly the menacing force he is with his pads on.

"He's quiet, but he's funny in his own way. He's not very loud, but fun to be around and he gets along with everybody. He's very, very loyal and very well-respected," Ane said.

Female Athlete of the Week: Celina Pagan, Sacred Hearts basketball
It's not easy being a small fish in a big pond. Brittney Yim should know. The former Brittney Aiwohi was a standout athlete at Sacred Hearts before going on to play basketball at the University of Hawaii. Now, she finds herself back at her alma mater, in her second year as head coach of the Lancers' varsity girls' basketball team.

Sacred Hearts, a small all-girls' private school, competes against the likes of Punahou, Kamehameha and Iolani in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's top division.

"It's difficult being a small school in Division I and competing against some of the bigger schools," Yim said.

The Lancers got an early-season confidence boost last weekend by going 3-0 to win the Saint Francis Ladies' Hoops Classic IV. They defeated Hawaii Prep, Saint Francis and reigning Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference (Division I) champion Leilehua to claim the title of the eight-team tournament.

Leading the way for Sacred Hearts was senior wing Celina Pagan, who scored a team-high 13 points in the 43-26 win over the Mules. For her efforts, Pagan was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

"She's one of the leaders on my team — she's one of three captains — and she does a really good job of keeping everyone in line and focused," Yim said of the 5-foot-8 Pagan. "Her basketball sense kind of calms the entire team down. She's a really good shooter and she also has really good composure on the court, which helps her make good decisions."

The Lancers won by 28 points against HPA, 14 points against Saint Francis and 17 against Leilehua. Despite the lopsided scores, Yim said it wasn't indicative of her team's struggles.

"As a team, we were a little shaky. We had our ups and downs — we won all three games — and I'm very proud of them for winning all three, but we definitely did struggle a little bit with our composure," Yim said. "(Pagan) was a constant leader throughout the entire tournament in terms of scoring, keeping the team positive and focused when things seemed to be falling apart at times."

Pagan, who has been on the varsity team since her freshman year, missed nearly all of last season due to injury.

"It was a really bad ankle sprain in the first or second game of the ILH season and she sat out the remainder of the season," Yim said. "She did come back for the last game, but I think that time that she sat out seemed to really make her hungry for her senior year."

Pagan, whose twin sister Erica was also named to the All-Tournament Team, plays for the Kalakaua Basketball Club during the prep offseason. The sisters, along with another standout, Tiare Libarios-Moses, are three of seven seniors on the 13-member team.

"We have a ton of seniors this year," Yim said. "Last year it was a pretty rough season. They had to learn a brand new culture and all new plays. They did really well with a completely different style of basketball than they're used to. They struggled through it but showed some promise."

Yim said one season has made a world of difference for her team.

"This year, they really know the system and they know the plays, so I'm really excited to see what they can do in the regular season," Yim said. "They're a really talented bunch of kids and it can get really deflating playing hard and just missing the mark, so this tournament was good for them to play hard and get rewarded for their hard work."

FOOTBALL
Jacob Afele, Mililani — The senior linebacker recorded a team-high eight tackles in a loss to Punahou in the D1 state championship game

Frederick Astrologio, Kauai — The senior offensive lineman/defensive end made five tackles, including a sack in a loss to Kaiser in the D2 state championship game

Joseph Augafa, Punahou — The senior defensive back made the game-clinching interception and had three tackles in a win over Mililani in the D1 state championship game

James Bukoski, Kauai — The senior linebacker recorded a team-high eight tackles and intercepted a pass in a loss to Kaiser in the D2 state championship game

Jayson Cardines, Mililani — The junior cornerback intercepted a pass and made two tackles in a loss to Punahou in the D1 state championship game

Dylan Combs, Punahou — The senior wide receiver caught three passes for 79 yards in a win over Mililani in the D1 state championship game

Melvin Kahunanui, Kaiser — The senior defensive back recorded four tackles, intercepted a pass and scored on a blocked punt return in a win over Kauai in the D2 state championship game

Blake Kondo, Mililani — The senior defensive end made four tackles, including a pair of sacks, in a loss to Punahou in the D1 state championship game

Ronley Lakalaka, Punahou — The junior linebacker recorded 10 tackles, including a sack, and intercepted a pass in a win over Mililani in the D1 state championship game

Bronson Ramos, Mililani — The junior wide receiver caught two passes for 98 yards — both touchdowns — in a loss to Punahou in the D1 state championship game

Canaan Saole, Kaiser — The senior defensive back recorded a game-high nine tackles, including a sack, and blocked a punt in a win over Kauai in the D2 state championship game

Isaac Slade-Matautia, Kaiser — The freshman linebacker made six tackles, including a sack in a win over Kauai in the D2 state championship game

Wayne Taulapapa, Punahou — The sophomore running back carried 19 times for 74 yards and a touchdown in a win over Mililani in the D1 state championship game

Dakota Torres, Punahou — The senior tight end caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in a win over Mililani in the D1 state championship game

Larry Tuileta, Punahou — The senior quarterback completed 16 of 29 passes for 265 yards with three touchdowns in a win over Mililani in the D1 state championship game

Kainoa Wilson, Mililani — The junior slotback caught eight passes for 80 yards in a loss to Punahou in the D1 state championship game