Kapolei's Jaymin Sarono and Leilehua's Gwen Maeha earned weekly honors. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Jaymin Sarono, Kapolei football
Prior to last weekend, the last time the Kapolei football team took to the turf of Hawaiian Tel FCU Field at Aloha Stadium, it dropped a heartbreaker to Farrington, 33-27, in the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association tournament.

Jaymin Sarono made sure it was a different feeling Saturday night.

The senior receiver was targeted 13 times and caught nine passes for 87 yards and a season-high four touchdowns to help the Hurricanes upset Punahou, 33-21, in a first-round game of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Open Division State Championships.

Sarono's scores came on passes of 22, 19, 3 and 4 yards — all from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who threw for five touchdowns and 367 yards on 28-of-37 passing.

Their first touchdown connection came three plays into the second quarter when Tagovailoa lofted a pass over the middle and Sarono snagged it with outstretched arms in the end zone to get Kapolei on the board.

The Hurricanes' next possession — which covered 81 yards in seven plays — was capped with the duo's second score on a third-and-4. Sarono caught four passes for 36 yards on the drive.

"Jaymin is just a blessing," Tagovailoa said. "He's such an great aggressive player and he loves to get the ball. Having him is a great thing."

Sarono's third touchdown put his team ahead for good three plays into the fourth quarter to culminate another 11-play drive, this one spanning 70 yards.

After a pivotal takeaway on a Punahou fumble, Tagovailoa orchestrated a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended with his 4-yard TD pass to Sarono.

For his part, Sarono turned the praise around back to Tagovailoa.

"He's growing fast. It's just tremendous," Sarono said. "He's becoming wiser, his reads are getting better and he's just becoming an all-around better player. We're just fortunate to have him as a quarterback and that connection between me and him is just terrific."

Sarono has accumulated 102 receptions for 1,043 yards and 21 touchdowns this year. He is the first Hawaii high school player to surpass the 100-reception mark in a single season.

The OIA semifinal loss to Farrington snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Hurricanes, but they played without Sarono, who was one of two players who did not suit up for disciplinary reasons.

"When I had to make that decision to sit Jaymin it hurt the team," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "It hurt us, but I think we all learned a lesson from it. That game you could see the chemistry wasn't there and now the chemistry (Saturday) was big time with both Jaymin and Wyatt (Perez). Those two guys just make a lot of plays."

Sarono, who watched the loss to the Governors from the sideline, has 22 receptions in the Hurricanes' two games since — wins over Waianae and Punahou.

"We came out hungry after losing to Farrington and me not even suiting up that game," Sarono said. "I'm just play with that more ‘want,' because I hurt my team in so many ways and so winning this game is just tremendous for us all."

That desire by Sarono and his teammates was clear Saturday night.

"After that Farrington loss the team did a lot of soul-searching and this team, led by the seniors that just are a bunch of great kids and they weren't down," Hernandez said. "All year we told them, ‘you have to rise against adversity, you have to have the guts to come from behind and you never, never quit. That was the three things we talked about all year and they displayed it tonight."

Sarono, a First Team All-OIA Division I Red selection this year, accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Polynesian Bowl on Jan. 21 at Aloha Stadium.

The Hurricanes (10-2) will face top-ranked Kahuku at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinal round.

Female Athlete of the Week: Gwen Maeha, Leilehua bowling
Title defended.

Gwen Maeha became just the third girl to win back-to-back individual crowns at last week's Billy Tees/HHSAA Bowling State Championships. The Leilehua junior totaled 1,614 pins in the nine-game, three-session tournament that stretched over two days at Leeward Bowl in Pearl City.

Maeha's true average was 179.33 pins per game. She finished just 14 pins ahead of runner-up Kourtney Adams of Campbell and 16 ahead of second runner-up Chelsea Nakaoka of Maryknoll.

"It's Gwen's ability to listen to the coaching staff and her ability to adapt to the lanes that makes her a standout and a repeat winner," second-year Mules' coach Rudy Domingo said, who noted that the oil pattern used on the lanes at the state tournament made for difficult conditions for all bowlers.

"We talked about that as a team and making adjustments, because everybody was having a hard time," Domingo said. "Not only that, but they were bowling late into the evening Friday night. We didn't finish until 11 o'clock, so the girls were tired across the whole tournament, but they did excellent."

Maeha's total was nearly 60 pins lower than her winning score of 1,672 pins at last year's state tournament at Kauai Bowl in Lihue.

"The oil pattern was tough, but I just talked to my coaches, of course, asking where I should move, what I should throw, and they helped me make my adjustments," Maeha said, one of three Mules that also participate in a junior traveling bowling league outside of the high school season.

As pleased as Maeha was with holding on to her individual title, her main motivation this season was her team's success.

"My goal was to push my team through, place high and just be a team player and help my team as much as I can and I think we actually achieved that,"  Maeha said. "The individual success, I couldn't have done it without the other girls on the team."

The Mules posted a strong third-place finish as a team with 6,897 total pins, much to the delight of Domingo.

"We scored over 800 in five out of nine games, which is pretty good in terms of girls' average," Domingo said. "Most of the regular season we were averaging 740, 750."

Maeha said she didn't let a second-place finish to Mililani's Erin Ohta at the Oahu Interscholastic Association championships on Oct. 20 get her down in her preparation for the state tournament.

"She just worked harder than me and you could tell that she wanted it more, so I wasn't really disappointed," Maeha said. "I know I could have done better, but it was whoever brought it to the table."

Maeha trailed Waipahu's Gabrielle Quimino by two pins after Thursday's first session and fell to fifth place, 33 pins behind Mid-Pacific's Saige Yamada after six of nine games. However, Maeha started off Friday's third and final session with solid back-to-back games of 202 and 204 to put her in the driver's seat with one game left to roll.

"That made me happy because I knew that put me in a better place and brought up my pin total, so I just knew for my last game that I just had to bowl as best as I could," Maeha said. "Even though it wasn't my best, I had to make sure I got enough pins."

Maeha, who plays softball during the spring sports season, will try for her third state title next year, which has only been achieved once before, by Kalani's Dara Ajimine from 2006 to 2008.

BOWLING
Kristopher Yadao, Pearl City — Won his second consecutive boys individual title with an average of 208.33 pints and helped the Chargers to their seventh straight team crown at the Billy Tees/HHSAA State Championships

FOOTBALL
Dustin Abillanida, Campbell — Threw two touchdown passes in a win over Waiakea

Iosefo Ah Ching-Noga, Farrington — Made eight tackles, intercepted two passes, and blocked a punt in a loss to Waianae

Konapiliahi Andres, Leilehua — Threw for 167 yards with two touchdowns on 15-of-24 passing and rushed nine times for 59 yards and another score in a win over Hilo

Helam Baldomero, Iolani — Made nine tackles in a win over Moanalua

Stephen Barber, Punahou — Threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-21 passing in a loss to Kapolei

Tony Cabral, Waianae — Made six tackles and broke up two passes in a win over Farrington

Cameron Chang, Iolani — Made eight tackles, including two for losses, and forced two fumbles in a win over Moanalua

Pookela Chun, Leilehua — Made 6 1/2 tackles, including 1 1/2 for losses, and one sack in a win over Hilo

Damien DeFrancia, Baldwin — Made 11 1/2 tackles and intercepted a pass in a loss to Mililani

Dane Esprecion, Campbell — Made five tackles, including 1 1/2 for losses, one sack, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles in a win over Waiakea

Alfred Failauga, Waipahu — Rushed 19 times for 102 yards in a loss to Lahainluna

Marcus Faufata-Pedrina, Damien — Threw for 126 yards with two touchdowns on 8-of-9 passing and rushed for another score in a win over Waialua

Tasi Faumui, Campbell — Rushed for two touchdowns in a win over Waiakea

Dayton Felicilda, Lahainaluna — Scored on an 84-yard interception return, recovered a fumble, broke up two passes and made a tackle in a win over Waipahu

Junior Fetui-Salavea, Iolani — Made six tackles, one for loss, recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and broke up another in a win over Moanalua

Dillon Gabriel, Mililani — Threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns on 22-of-35 passing in a win over Baldwin

Dustin Gapusan, Mililani — Made 7 1/2 tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another in a win over Baldwin

Justin Genovia, Iolani — Caught six passes for 168 yards and a touchdown in a win over Moanalua

Jaylen Gonzales, Waianae — Made seven tackles, including a half-sack, and forced a fumble in a win over Farrington

Kamaki Gouveia, Baldwin — rushed 18 times for 177 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Mililani

Viliami Hafoka, Lahainaluna — Made three tackles, including 1 1/2 for losses, one sack and forced a fumble in a win over Waipahu

Kahale Huddleston, Hilo — Rushed 16 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Leilehua

Kashtian Ioane Sadlon, Hilo — Made nine tackles and broke up two passes in a loss to Leilehua

Dayton Kaopua-Lee, Waialua — Made 10 tackles, including two for losses, in a loss to Damien

Micah Kim, Moanalua — Made 11 tackles in a loss to Iolani

Centennial Kulikefu, Waipahu — Made eight tackles and recovered a fumble in a loss to Lahainaluna

Aloalii Laga, Baldwin — Made 6 1/2 tackles, one sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in a loss to Mililani

Kaainaolu Lewis, Hilo — Made nine tackles and broke up two passes in a loss to Leilehua

Marist Liufau, Punahou — Made eight tackles in a loss to Kapolei

Keala Martinson, Punahou — Caught nine passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Kapolei

Faasisina Masalosalo, Farrington — Made 14 tackles, including three for losses, and one sack, in a loss to Waianae

Peter Matsuura, Waiakea — Made two tackles, including one sack, and forced a fumble in a loss to Campbell

Kanai Mauga, Waianae — Made eight tackles, including 2 1/2 for losses, had a half-sack, and broke up a pass in a win over Farrington

Rylan-Anthony Miguel, Moanalua — Caught eight passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Iolani

Dylan Naehu, Kapolei — Had two sacks in a win over Punahou

Kaua Nishigaya, Iolani — Made eight tackles, including 1 1/2 for losses, in a win over Moanalua

KJ Pascua, Iolani — Rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in a win over Moanalua

Dominic Puaatuua, Campbell — Made seven tackles, including three for losses, one sack, and forced a fumble in a win over Waiakea

Wyatt Perez, Kapolei — Caught eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown in a win over Punahou

Elijah Ragudo, Lahainaluna — Rushed for three touchdowns in a win over Waipahu

Devin Roque Souza, Waipahu — Made eight tackles, including one for loss, and forced a fumble in a loss to Lahainaluna

Taulia Tagovailoa, Kapolei — Threw for 367 yards and five touchdowns on 28-of-37 passing in a win over Punahou

Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Kapolei — Made 6 1/2 tackles, including 4 1/2 sacks, in a win over Punahou

Samsen Tanuvasa, Farrington — Made nine tackles, including one flor loss, and broke up a pass in a loss to Waianae

Javen Towne, Waianae — Rushed 24 times for 148 yards and a touchdown in a win over Farrington

Jalen Tuivaiave-Olomua, Mililani — Rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries in a win over Baldwin

Kawika Ulufale, Campbell — Threw for 129 yards on 6-of-10 passing and rushed for three touchdowns in a win over Waiakea

Andrew Valladares, Mililani — Caught five passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Baldwin

Justice White, Damien — Rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on nine carries and caught a touchdown pass in a win over Waialua

Alakai Yuen, Moanalua — Threw for 212 yards with two touchdowns on 25-of-33 passing and rushed nine times for 53 yards in a loss to Iolani