The Falcons' senior center and Rams' senior wrestler turned in championship-clinching performances last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Jaemi Harris, Kalani basketball
On the football field, Jaemi Harris was most effective for Kalani with the ball in his hands at running back.

It's much the same story on the basketball court for Harris.

The 6-foot senior played a big part in the Falcons' run to an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II title this season, including a team-high 12 points in a 42-34 win over Farrington Thursday to lock up their first league crown in school history.  

The win helped erase memories of a triple-overtime loss to Roosevelt in last year's OIA final.

"I think the struggle to win it is what makes it so sweet now," Kalani coach Nathan Davis said. "If it wasn't so difficult losing that (OIA championship) game three times before this — and the way we lost it last year — to have it pay off is really difficult to describe. It was a tremendous climb from the offseason."

Harris overcome a lackluster start — he picked up two quick fouls and spent much of the first half on the bench — by scoring all 12 of his points after halftime, including nine of Kalani's 12 third-quarter points.

"I think the biggest thing in that game was for him to just not get frustrated about it and just be patient," Davis said of Harris. "We were able to just hang on enough early without him, but it was huge to have him fresh (for the second half). It was kind of a blessing in disguise. He's one of our most athletic guys, so to be able to bring in in the third quarter and exploit some of the mismatches was great for us. That's when we were able to extend our lead and then we kind of withstood Farrington's rally in the fourth."

Harris also had two of the Falcons' three blocks against the Governors.

"He just did a great job of challenging everything in the paint," Davis said. "He came up with big blocks and changed a lot of their shots. Offensively, it's not a surprise with him because he can do so many things, but he's really coming around defensively for us and that's exactly what we need."

Davis said Harris makes up for a lack of size in the post with superior athleticism.

"Despite being an undersized center, he's extremely athletic," Davis said. "He's got like a 40-inch vertical. I really believe he's one of the most athletic guys in the state and he's a mismatch against a lot of other bigs."

Harris opened eyes with a 17-point performance the first time Kalani played Farrington on Jan. 6. However, the Falcons lost that game to the Govs, 61-58.

"That's when he first showed his arsenal of moves," Davis said. "Usually we kind of keep him as more of a post guy and pigeonhole him into the post, but after that first Farrington game he showed that he can play on the perimeter more

Harris scored in double figures in back-to-back games against McKinley and Kalaheo, but was held to six or fewer in four straight games before erupting for a season-high 20 points in a semifinal win over Campbell on Feb. 3.

"That game plan was to go inside early, to go to Jaemi early and he responded in that one and carried us in the first early and got us off to a really nice start," Davis said. "This year's team is really neat where they're extremely selfless. It just so happens Jaemi is scoring baskets right now, but there are a lot of other guys contributing without scoring baskets, so it's been a pleasure to coach them. I guess to win the championship that's the kind of team you need, one that is not going to fight internally."

Davis said that Harris, who transferred from Texas before his junior season, lets his actions do the talking for him.

"He does a great job of leading by example," Davis said. He competes at a really high level. He doesn't take anyone lightly and that's probably his best leadership contribution, in terms of what he brings to the court from a competitive standpoint every night. He's very confident against whoever we're playing and we try to go off of that. Having Jaemi in the back really sets the tone for what our guys try to do defensively."

Harris is proving to be as reliable on the hardwood as he was on the gridiron last fall, when he rushed for a team-high 547 yards and four touchdowns.

"I think overall Jaemi is just getting more into the basketball swing now, because he's more of a football and track guy, but he's really coming into his own right now," Davis said.

Harris and the Falcons (8-6) are seeded third in this week's Snapple/HHSAA Division II State Championships and will face Le Jardin in a quarterfinal Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Saint Francis.

ScoringLive reporter Brandon Ching contributed to this report.

Female Athlete of the Week: Angela Peralta, Radford wrestling
One word kept coming up when Radford wrestling coach Joe Weldon talked about senior standout Angela Peralta: "Dominant."

It is the best description for Peralta's stronghold on the girls' 147-pound weight class, where she is the reigning state champion.

Peralta continued her dominance on the mat at last weekend's Oahu Interscholastic Association championships, where she cruised to three one-sided victories en route to her fourth individual league title. She pinned Waianae's Kaleinani Makuaole 53 seconds into their finals match at Leilehua's Paul T. Kobayashi Gymnasium Saturday night.

"She took the girl down four times and pinned her in less than a minute. That's pretty dominant," Weldon said. "She dominates her weight class. Most of the girls she pins in the first period and not many more last longer than that. She usually pins them within the first minute."

Weldon, who has 30 years of coaching experience across the nation, including stints in New York, Washington D.C. and Kansas, said Peralta's athleticism is off the charts.

"She's really good on takedowns," Weldon said. "She's very strong, she's an explosive wrestler and she doesn't wait around. She's the most dominant I've seen at her level. I have coached state champs in New York and I don't think, when Angela is at her best, I don't think anyone can compete with her."

Peralta, who was the top seed in the two-day OIA tournament, opened with a quick pin — as in, 22 seconds — over Moanalua's Kailie Antolin in her quarterfinal-round bout.

She defeated Pearl City's Nina Seoane 4-0 in the semifinals, but was firmly in control, Weldon said.

"She took the girl down right away, but the Pearl City girl kind of clamped down and kept her elbows in the whole time, so there was really no threat of Angela losing," Weldon said. "Angela rode her the whole time. She pinned the same girl in the first period the weekend prior, so that 4-0 score doesn't really say how the match went."

Weldon credited Peralta for altering her game plan for the finals on her own.

"She took care of it in the finals and didn't worry about being on top and just kept on letting the girl up and taking her down again," Weldon said. "She decided on her own that that's what she needed to do and she made the correction."

Peralta's even-keel approach has made Weldon's first season as Rams' head coach a smooth transition.

"I'm new and she's a senior and a returning state champion so I'm not going to to change her wrestling style. I'm smart enough to let her finish up the way she's been and just help her sharpen up what she already knows," Weldon said. "She's a good girl, real respective and I'm happy to have her."

Weldon said not only is Peralta a tremendous grappling talent, she is also of tremendous character.

"She's a team captain and the captains are hand-picked by the coaches," Weldon said. "They're not picked because of their wrestling abilities. They're picked because of their leadership abilities."

The Rams have just five girls — three on the JV and two on varsity — out of their 27 total wrestlers this season, so Peralta serves as a natural inspiration for the team.

"Twenty-three of them are non-experienced wrestlers, so that's where I tried to focus my efforts, trying to keep them from quitting and not letting them get frustrated — because wrestling is a tough sport — but Angela would take care of her business and help out where she could," Weldon said. "I think it helped to have a state champ in the room to look up to. Maybe someday they want to be like her, which never hurts when trying to rebuild a team. She's a good role model for the rest of the kids."

Peralta's older brother, Bryan, won two state championships while at Punahou. She can match his achievement with a second straight title at this weekend's Chevron/HHSAA State Championships, where she is the top seed once again at 147 pounds.

The two-day tournament gets underway Friday and concludes Saturday at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Austin Aukai, Konawaena — Scored 19 points in a loss to Waiakea

Trey Boatwright, Leilehua — Scored 16 points with 10 rebounds in a loss to Kalaheo

Caleb Casinas, Moanalua — Scored 16 points in a loss to Kapolei

RJ Dominguez, Moanalua — Scored 21 points with 14 rebounds in a loss to Kapolei and scored 21 points in a loss to Kailua

Kaimi Dunaway, Punahou II — Scored 24 points in a win over Iolani II

Austin Ewing, Konawaena — Scored 19 points with 12 rebounds in a loss to Waiakea

Kevin Falk, Honokaa — Scored 19 points in a win over Kau

Leif Fautanu, University Lab — Scored 17 points in a loss to Le Jardin

Liam Fitzgerald, Leilehua — Scored 24 points in a win over Aiea

Charles Fox, University Lab — Scored 21 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Keyson Goins, Aiea — Scored 21 points in a loss to Leilehua

Hugh Hogland, Iolani — Scored 19 points in a loss to Punahou, scored 18 points with 12 rebounds in a win over Punahou and scored 16 points in a loss to Punahou

Jonah Hurney, Hawaii Prep — Scored 20 points in a win over Kohala

Daniel Fotu, Kahuku — Scored 15 points with 13 rebounds in a win over Kailua and scored 16 points in a win over Kapolei

Nalu Kahapea, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 18 points in a loss to Waiakea

Chris Kobayashi, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a win over Iolani, scored 17 points in a win over Kamehameha and scored 17 points in a win over Iolani

Jerry Lawson, Le Jardin — Scored 16 points in a win over Hanalani and scored 27 points in a win over Damien

Calvin Mattos, Waiakea — Scored 24 points in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii and scored 16 points in a win over Konawaena

Patrick Mears, Keaau — Scored 25 points in a loss to Konawaena

Micah Mitchell, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 32 points in a win over Assets and scored 33 points in a loss to University Lab

Kulu Morando, King Kekaulike — Scored 17 points in a win over Baldwin

Zoar Nedd, Kapolei — Scored 15 points with 12 rebounds in a loss to Kahuku

Jaymason Nunuha, Saint Louis — Scored 20 points in a win over Maryknoll

Joven Padrigo, Kau — Scored 17 points in a loss to Honokaa

Jerek Prudencio, Waiakea — Scored 16 points in a win over Konawaena

Noa Purcell, Saint Louis — Scored 18 points in a win over Maryknoll

Braden Ruiz, King Kekaulike — Scored 17 points in a win over Baldwin

Zeke Santiago, Farrington — Scored 16 points in a loss to Kalani

Jeremi Santos, Lahainaluna — Scored 17 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Joseph Sealey, Maryknoll II — Scored 16 points in a loss to Iolani II

Kamuela Spencer-Herring, Honokaa — Scored 17 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Otto Taylor, University Lab — Scored 16 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist and scored 16 points in a loss to Le Jardin

Everett Torres-Kahapea, Kailua — Scored 23 points in a win over Moanalua

Dominic Venezia, Le Jardin — Scored 16 points in a win over University Lab

Jessiya Villa, Kahuku — Scored 24 points in a win over Kapolei

Matija Vitorovic, Hawaii Prep — Scored 18 points in a win over Kohala

Noah Woodby, Kalaheo — Scored 22 points in a win over McKinley

Kobe Young, Kamehameha — Scored 25 points in a win over Mid-Pacific

BOYS SOCCER
DJ Madigan, Makua Lani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Waianae and scored the lone goal in a win over Seabury Hall

Duncan McKenna, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Kealakehe and scored the lone goal in a win over Kapolei

Noah Mokulehua, Kaiser — Scored the lone goal in a win over Baldwin

Dylen Pedrina, Kailua — Scored two goals in a win over Seabury Hall

Ripley Quebral, Kailua — Scored two goals in a win over Seabury Hall

Mitchell Quinn, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Ricky Sandry, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Laukoa Santos, Kealakehe — Scored three goals in a win over Pearl City

Austin Schneider, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Makua Lani

Jake Schneider, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Kailua

Makana Srivongsana, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Hilo

Chris Whitfield, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Kailua

Hudson Zeisman, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Campbell

SWIMMING & DIVING
Maddie Balish, Punahou — Won the 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, was a member of the winning 200-yard medley relay team and helped the Buffanblu win the girls' team title at the state championships

Lia Foster, Punahou — Won the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke, was a member of winning 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams and helped the Buffanblu win the girls' team title at the state championships

MJ Mao, Maryknoll — Won the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly and was a member of the winning 200-yard medley relay team at the boys state championships

Sydnee Whitty, Punahou — Won the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, was a member of the winning 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams and helped the Buffanblu win the girls' team title at the state championships

WRESTLING
Mikayla Abe, Pearl City — Won the girls' 124-pound division at the OIA championships for her third individual league title

Logan Garcia, Moanalua — Won the boys' 122-pound division at the OIA championships for his second individual league title

Macy Higa, Roosevelt — Won the girls' 114-pound division at the OIA championships for her second individual league title

Triston Santos, Campbell — Won the boys' 128-pound division at the OIA championships for his second individual league title

Zayren Terukina, Campbell — Won the boys' 134-pound division at the OIA championships for his second individual league title

Micah Tynanes-Perez, Campbell — Won the boys' 222-pound division at the OIA championships for his second individual title