Kahuku junior wildcat Kesi Ah-Hoy and Lahainaluna senior guard Cameron Fernandez were instrumental for their respective teams over the weekend. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Kesi Ah-Hoy, Kahuku football
Kesi Ah-Hoy never ceases to amaze his coach with his on-field exploits.

Three days after Ah-Hoy led Kahuku to its eighth state football championship, Vavae Tata was still at a loss of words when looking back on the performance of the junior wildcat.

Ah-Hoy rushed 30 times for 103 yards — both game-high marks — and had four total touchdowns to help the Red Raiders to a 39-14 win over Saint Louis in the title game of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament.

"Kesi is our bell-cow on offense," Tata said. "He drives that thing. Our offense is predicated on running the ball and putting the ball in our players' hands and Kesi is one of our guys we go to on offense."

Against the Crusaders — and in front of an Aloha Stadium crowd of 19,699 fans — Ah-Hoy scored on runs of 11, 6 and 19 yards and also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Not bad at all for a guy who wasn't exactly thrilled about playing the quarterback position just a few months ago when starter Jordan Mariterangi suffered a fractured clavicle just two games into the season.

"Kahuku has a lot of selfless players," Tata said. "They play for one another, they're not playing for themselves. Kesi had to go into a running back-slash-quarterback position and we needed him to do that after Jordan got hurt."

Tata said Ah-Hoy put aside his personal preferences to take one for the team.

"He was all about ‘whatever you need, I'll fill in,' and he took the ball and ran with it," Tata said. "We're so fortunate to have a player like Kesi and I'm grateful and blessed to have him back for another year."

Unbeknownst to Tata, two of Ah-Hoy's touchdown runs Friday came on fourth downs.

"Wow, that's incredible," Tata said when told of the feat. "He's phenomenal. He's so explosive, he's so smart, he knows the situation, he understands the down and distance. That's why he's the captain on offense. At the same time, everyone else on the (offensive) line, everybody blocking for him, they all did their jobs and that's the reason why Kesi was able to convert those fourth-down plays."

After he tied the game at 7 midway through the first quarter with his first touchdown run, Ah-Hoy recycled a Saint Louis turnover into the go-ahead score when he capped a nine-play drive by finding the end zone on a 6-yard run on 4th and 1.

Late in the second quarter, Ah-Hoy perfectly executed a play-action pass to tight end Pua Falemalu on 3rd and 12 for a 27-yard score.

Ah-Hoy essentially put the game away with 4:56 left to play when he bursted through the middle of the line of scrimmage for a 19-yard touchdown on 4th and 1. It was his sixth consecutive carry on the seven-play drive and stretched Kahuku's lead to 36-14.

"He's always very composed," Tata said. "The lights are never too bright for him and every time he runs off the field when the offense converts or gets a touchdown I look at him and say ‘great job,' and he looks at me with a grin from ear to ear. He's just having fun."

Ah-Hoy, who is 6-feet tall and weights 215 pounds, was a workhorse in the postseason. He averaged 27 carries for 132 yards in the Red Raiders' five games in the Oahu Interscholastic Association and state tournaments. Ah-Hoy had 70 rush attempts in his last two games and finished the year with 224 carries for 1,273 yards, which ranks second in all of Division I statewide.

"He's the energizer bunny," Tata said. "I mean, he's our guy, he's our playmaker and we try to take him out and get him some rest here and there, but he's always telling us that he wants to go back in, so we're all for it. We're very lucky to have him. He's a true student-athlete and he's also a competitor in the classrom."

Female Athlete of the Week: Cameron Fernandez, Lahainaluna basketball
Cameron Fernandez picked up this season where she left off last year.

The 5-foot-10 guard, who was a First Team All-Hawaii selection as a junior, averaged 23 points in Lahainaluna's three wins at the Ted Fukushima Invitational hosted by Kaiser over the weekend.

Fernandez scored a game-high 28 points in 70-67 win over Punahou Thursday, 18 points in a 72-66 win over Iolani Friday and a game-high 23 points in a 70-48 win over Kaiser Saturday.

"She's our go-to scorer on the outside," Lunas' coach Todd Rickard said. "Anytime we need points we want the ball in her hands. She's an excellent slasher, a great shooter, great rebounder, she runs the floor well. She does a great job."

As a freshman at King Kekaulike in 2012, Fernandez earned Player of the Year honors for the Maui Interscholastic League before transferring to Lahainaluna.

"When she first came to us she had to work on her conditioning," said Rickard, whose teams are notorious for getting up and down the court. "She was basically out of air half the time, but three years later she's one of the fastest on the team. She's in very good shape, which is a big key for her, too."

Rickard said Fernandez, who wasn't much for words when she arrived at Lahainaluna, has more than come out of her shell since then.

"She didn't say a word when she first came, she was so quiet, she didn't say anything, but once she got to know us you cannot keep her quiet," Rickard said. "The girl is a character, she laughs out loud. She's like our joker on the team and is just found to be around. Wherever we are you can hear her laughing. Sometimes you wish that quiet Cameron came back, but I think it's too late for that already."

In addition to Fernandez, Lahainaluna has two other seniors who can fill it up as well in 5-foot-8 guard Fiamea Hafoka and 6-foot-1 center Keleah Aiko Koloi. Both were Second Team All-Hawaii picks last year.

"When we want inside points we go to Keleah and Fiamea controls the whole game for us and gets the other two involved," Rickard said. "(Hafoka) is like our quarterback, our leader out there. She controls everything."

Hafoka and Fernandez have committed to play at San Jose State and Washington State, respectively, next year, while Koloi is keeping her options open.

Fernandez, who turned down scholarship offers from Hawaii, California-Berkeley, Santa Clara, Long Beach State, BYU, UC Irvine, San Jose State and Mexico State among others, will be teammates with Konawaena guard and two-time All-Hawaii Player of the Year Chanelle Molina in Pullman, Wash. The two know each other all too well having squared off several times over the years, including last year's state final, which Konawaena won by a score of 51-41.

It was the second consecutive state runner-up finish for the Lunas, who fell to Punahou, 60-48, in the 2014 title game.

"We've fell short two years in a row and I don't bring it up too much, but these girls know that if they do want to get there for a third straight year and maybe come out with a different result they'll have to work harder and I've seen that determination over the offseason," said Rickard, who is in his 22nd year leading the program.

The Lunas have won the last 11 MIL championships under Rickard.

"We never want to overlook our league," Rickard said. "We want to try to win our league championship, but I'm pretty sure that their concrete goal is to get back to the championship game again. I think anything less than participation in the championship game — and maybe coming out on top — would be disappointing. I don't want to say it's automatic that we make it there, but I'm pretty sure that in the back of their minds, without me even asking about, they want to get back on top.

Fernandez and the Lunas will host a tournament in Lahaina this weekend before hitting the road again next week for a tournament hosted by Konawaena. They will also participate in the eight-team Iolani Classic next month.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tywanna Abbott, Leilehua — Scored 23 points in a loss to Punahou

Camy Aguinaldo, Iolani — Scored 15 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Lahainaluna

Keleah Aiko Koloi, Lahainaluna — Scored 34 points in a win over Iolani

Brandi Baker, Kaiser — Scored 23 points in a win over Honokaa

Linzee Buwa, King Kekaulike — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kahuku

Kaelyn Espinda, Kaimuki — Scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Pearl City

Kamaile Kandiah, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a loss to Lahainaluna and scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Leilehua

Kizzah Maltezo, Honokaa — Scored 19 points, including three 3-pointers, in a loss to Kaiser and scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Kahuku

Vae Malufau, Punahou — Scored 16 points in a win over Leilehua

Tyra Moe, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a loss to Lahainaluna

Chanelle Molina, Konawaena — Scored 19 points in a win over Iolani, scored 21 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 16 points in a win over Punahou

Cherilyn Molina, Konawaena — Scored 16 points in a win over Iolani, scored 16 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Punahou

Emily Nomura, Iolani — Scored 16 points in a win over Kahuku

Sasha Shepherd, King Kekaulike — Scored 15 points in a win over Saint Francis

Rose Shimaoka, Kaiser — Scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Punahou and scored 22 points in a loss to Lahainaluna

Elle Uyeda, Punahou — Scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Kaiser

Ihi Victor, Konawaena — Scored 16 points in a win over Punahou

FOOTBALL
Trestin Alfiler, Kapaa — Made a game-high 17 tackles, including three for losses, in a loss to Radford

Jonathan Bilyeu, Kapaa — Had five tackles, including one for loss, intercepted a pass and recovered two fumbles, including one he returned for an 8-yard score, in a loss to Radford

Stokes Botelho, Kahuku — Had four tackles and intercepted two passes in a win over Saint Louis

Tanielu Evaimalo, Saint Louis — Made a game-high 10 tackles, including three for losses, in a loss to Kahuku

David Faletoi, Radford — Had six tackles, including three for losses, in a win over Kapaa

Ace Faumui, Radford — Rushed 20 times for 60 yards with a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and had five tackles, including a sack, in a win over Kapaa

Quintin Iriarte, Radford — Threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-21 passing in a win over Kapaa

Kekaula Kaniho, Kahuku — Had five tackles, forced a fumble and scored on a 17-yard fumble return in a win over Saint Louis

Jess Kanongataa, Kahuku — Had a sack and recovered a fumble in a win over Saint Louis

Liki Koli, Kapaa — Had four tackles, including one sack, and forced a fumble in a loss to Radford

Kainalu Paikai, Saint Louis — Scored on a 10-yard blocked punt return in a loss to Kahuku

Thomas Reid, Radford — Caught three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kapaa

Keala Santiago, Kahuku — Had three tackles, recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and had one pass break-up in a win over Saint Louis

Deyshon Slade, Radford — Made a team-high seven tackles, including two for losses, in a win over Kapaa

Dillon Sunday, Radford — Had four tackles and scored on a 26-yard fumble return in a win over Kapaa

Aaron Tapusoa, Kahuku — Had two sacks in a win over Saint Louis

Jordan Walker, Radford — Made six tackles, including 2 1/2 for losses, and two sacks, in a win over Kapaa