Top Performers
Ogata, Feary stepped up for Vikings, Warriors last week


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Male Athlete of the Week: Guyson Ogata, Hilo football
With his receiving corps short-handed for last week's Division I state championship game against Iolani, Hilo High coach Kaeo Drummondo knew that others would have to produce and in his last game as a Viking, Guyson Ogata did just that.

The senior slotback recorded a career-high 146 receiving yards on five catches, including a big-time 78-yard touchdown reception to help then-No. 5 Hilo hold off 10th-ranked Iolani, 20-17, at Aloha Stadium Friday night.

With reigning Big Island Interscholastic Federation D1 Player of the Year Fiki Aguiar and his team-leading 821 receiving yards out for the title game last week, the 5-foot-6, 155-pound third-year starter, who also returns kickoffs and punts on special teams, accounted for a game-high 194 all-purpose yards.  

"I think he stepped up for his team when asked to and he played a very good game," Drummondo said. "We knew coming into the game we'd be short a playmaker with Fiki being out and basically all I told (Ogata) was, ‘hey, just be ready to go.' "

He was ready, alright.

Ogata averaged 29.2 yards per catch Friday. His touchdown reception pulled the Vikings to within a point at 17-16 with just seven minutes and 10 seconds left in the game.

"We never question his ability at all," Drummondo said. "I basically just told him that with one guy being out, more opportunities could come his way, but we never doubted his ability to make plays. We try to tell them all the time that when preparation meets opportunity, you should expect success, be ready for success. There were more opportunities for him and he prepares well, his number was called, he felt confident, we felt confident and and what a great night to have a career night."

Early in the second quarter, Ogata did his part to move the chains with a pair of receptions on a 13-yard, 59-yard drive that led to Hilo's first points of the game. On a third-and-9, quarterback Kyan Miyasato found Ogata for a 13-yard pick-up to keep the drive alive. Before the next snap, the Vikings were pushed back five yards due to a delay-of-game penalty, but the pair hook up again on first-and-15 for a 29-yard pass play to get to the Raiders' 39-yard line. The drive eventually culminated with a 47-yard Keanu Keolanui field goal to cut the Iolani lead to 10-3 with 5:30 left in the first half.

The Raiders held a 17-3 lead at the intermission. Ogata returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Hilo 44, but the drive eventually stalled and the Vikings were forced to punt away.

Hilo cut the deficit to a touchdown after there quarters. After Iolani went three-and-out on its first fourth-quarter possession, the Vikings took over at their own 17-yard line after a 70-yard punt by the Raiders' Wailoa Manuel. Two plays later, Miyasato hit a streaking Ogata for the 78-yard TD pass.

"I think he might have been out wide on that play, but I believe it was one of those choice situations so he had options based on what type of coverage we had," Drummondo recalled. "I believe it was an out-and-up (route) and he was able to get behind the corner, Kyan put a very good ball out there for him and it was right in front of me so I saw (Ogata) kind of juggle the ball and then I saw him clinch it in his hands and then after that it was a foot race to the goal line and if you get him in the open field, the majority of the time he's going to score."

Drummondo said the quarterback-receiver duo were on the same page before the snap of the ball.

"When you have three-year starters and experienced seniors, you give them that leeway," Drummondo said. "That was after that 70-yard punt where they had just flipped field position on us, so to have players with the understanding of how they can combat the coverage makes our job easier as coaches. Once he caught that ball he was off to the races and thank goodness he scored."

Keolanui knocked through the ensuing PAT to tie the game at 17. Hilo went on to win on the final play of the game, when Keolanui's 55-yard field goal attempt bounced off of and over the crossbar in a thrilling finish.

It was the second state title in three seasons for the Vikings (14-0).

Ogata was a sophomore on the 2017 team, when Hilo beat Damien by a score of 35-19. The team returned to the state final last season, but lost to Waipahu, 42-22.

Drummondo said that loss fueled Ogata and the senior class throughout their 2019 campaign.

"That was evident when we immediately got back from the state championship trip (last year). We discussed with them when we returned here that the offseason was going to be short, but it wasn't that we needed to do much (as coaches) because that junior class that lost last year and won as sophomores, they felt that elation of victory and they felt the misery of defeat in that big moment, so they were hungry to try and get back and not have that letdown feeling again," Drummondo said. "The coaches just had to be there and guide them, but they took it upon themselves to hold each other accountable, all with the goal of being back there in November. They know that nothing is guaranteed and they did the necessary ground work to have the opportunity to compete for the state championship and there's no better ending than being there and getting it done."

Since transferring from Waiakea following his freshman season, Ogata has been a key component to the Hilo offense, but spent some time at defensive back early on in his Hilo High career.

"Eventually he found a home at receiver and slot for us, but we knew right off the bat, as soon as he came over, that his athletic ability wasn't going to be a question. It was just a matter of getting acquainted to a new set of teammates, a new system, a new quarterback, but you could see it over the years that once he got comfortable and found a niche in our system and his body developed naturally over the years, it's all reflected in how he plays. It's not always reflected in his numbers (statistics) because this year was a pretty unique situation with the amount of playmakers we have, but we always harp back to the fact that when your number is called, you've got to be ready to perform and when we have so many playmakers, your number might not get called as much as you want it to, but you've got to prepare as best as you can and that's what he's consistently done for us over the last three years."

Ogata also participates in both basketball and track and field for the Vikings. He won the BIIF championship in the long jump last spring with a mark of 21 feet, 1 3/4 inches and also competed in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, as well as the 4x100-meter relay.

"He's a great kid, great team player, gets along well with the other guys, just your typical happy-go-lucky young man," Drummondo said. "He's a great guy to be around and the type of player and student-athlete, just the type of person that you know you're going to miss when they leave your program."


Female Athlete of the Week: Camille Feary, Kamehameha basketball
Camille Feary certainly appears ready for an larger role with the Kamehameha girls basketball team.

The 5-foot-7 junior guard and third-year varsity player put together three double-digit scoring efforts in three wins for the Warriors in last week's inaugural Na Wahine Paani O Punahou Invitational at the Buffanblu's Christopher B. Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

Feary opened the week by scoring 18 points in a 57-14 win over McKinley Wednesday. She followed that up with 17 points in Friday's 51-28 rout of Kaiser and closed out the eight-team tournament with a career-high 21 points in a 62-31 victory over Mililani Saturday.

"It's interesting because I think most people know her as a shooter, but she's worked really hard on developing her game outside of just shooting and she's been getting a lot of points as of late and a lot of it has been off of offensive rebounds and putbacks," second-year Kamehameha coach Pualei Straight said. "In fact, in our three games this weekend she averaged a double-double (points-rebounds)."

Straight noted that Feary has been the team's leading rebounder through its first six games of the preseason.

"She gets a lot off of offensive rebounds. She reads the ball coming off the glass really well, but I would say that 90 percent of offensive rebounding is the will to get the ball and she has that. She's very aggressive and very competitive. She's not afraid to get hit going up, if she gets hit on a shot going up with the ball and comes back down, she'll take it back up again and she just finds a way to get those o-boards," Straight said.

Feary accounted for four of the Warriors' six 3-point field goals against the Cougars. The following day, despite a 32-point win, they struggled to find their shot against the Trojans.

"She shot well in that one game and then our last game against Mililani our whole team did not shoot the ball well, but our team has been very resilient this year in that even though we didn't shoot the ball well, they still found a way to take the ball to the basket, get rebounds, push the fast breaks and score points off of turnovers this weekend and she got a bunch of those," Straight said.

Straight said that Feary — who can play anywhere from shooting guard to small forward to power forward — has always had a knack for crashing the offensive glass.

"She's always been really good at that, but I think this year that's been one of our keys every game is offensive rebounds. We haven't been shooting the ball especially well in any of our games this preseason, so we've had a lot of opportunities for offensive rebounds — I think we probably averaged 20 this weekend — and because our team is long and athletic, I think it will be big for us in this coming (Interscholastic League of Honolulu) season to be able to crash the offensive boards," Straight said.

Two seasons ago — when Straight was still the junior varsity coach — Feary was the lone freshman on the varsity team. Straight believes that experience has served Feary well.

"I think that definitely there is some confidence in being the only freshman on the varsity team, but really I think that's just the type of player that she is. I didn't coach her in her freshman year, (but) I coached her last year and she's always been competitive in games and in practices," Straight said.

Feary averaged just 3.1 points per game as a freshman, when she shot a mere 47.6 percent from the free-throw line. As a sophomore last year, Feary averaged 5.5 points per game while drastically improving her free-throw percentage to 82.6 percent.

"She came off the bench for us last year, but she played a lot of minutes," Straight said. "She was kind of the sixth man off the bench, but this year she has started in every game for us."

Kamehameha posted an 18-7 overall record, including a 9-4 league mark last season, en route to a state runner-up finish in the Division I state tournament. However, that was with All-Hawaii Player of the Year Kalina Obrey, who is now a freshman at San Jose State University.

"That competitiveness that Camille brings, that's something that Kalina brought a lot last year and the girls just flourished in that type of environment. Even though we don't have Kalina this year, we still have that same type of competitive environment in practices, which is what helps us prepare for all of our games," Straight said.

"That's one of the first things that comes to mind is how competitive Camille is; She's competitive in every drill in practice and in every game and I think along with that, she has a confidence about her — she doesn't care who's guarding her and she doesn't care who she's guarding — she's confident and will compete with anyone she's matched against," Straight added.

However, replacing Obrey and her 20.2-points per game average from a year ago won't fall solely on Feary's shoulders. Among the other key returnees for the Warriors this season are seniors Malie Marfil, Noelle "Lagi" Sua-Godinet and Haley Masaki.

"I think all of the girls on our team are ready to step up to the plate," Straight said. "I think our team is a lot different from last year; we share the ball really well and our scoring is a lot more balanced. Camille had a good weekend, but I don't think it will be the case where one girl will lead us in points in every game, night-to-night will be different I think and a different girl will be able to step up. The girls will be able to share the ball and the responsibility."

The Warriors (5-1) are enjoying an average margin of victory of 37 points in each of their five wins. However, Straight believes that their lone defeat this preseason — against Konawaena, 44-3 — has been the most beneficial game for her team thus far.

"A lot of times I think losses are really good for a team because it really points out things that you did not do well in a way that wins can't, so after that loss we had a really focused and competitive week of practice and in a way I think that loss was really good for our team," Straight said. "One of the main things we took from that game was that we have to be more physical. We kind of got bullied in that game by (Konawaena's Caiyle Kaupu), so that's been a big emphasis in practice and our games last weekend was being more physical and not being afraid to get hit when making a cut, not being afraid to get bumped on a rebound, so we've been working on that aspect of toughness."

Kamehameha is averaging 49.6 points per game offensively, while holding opponents to 23.3 points. Feary is averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game, while Marfil (10.5 ppg) and Sua-Godinet (10.0 ppg) are also averaging double digits in scoring.

"I'm really excited for these girls. I think a lot of the focus last year was on Kalina and I think that the rest of them have worked really hard in the offseason and they're eager, willing and ready to step into bigger roles, so I'm really excited for them to start this ILH play. They play well together, they get along well off the court and that's the big strength of our team — it's just one big ohana — but it's tough in the ILH with Iolani, Punahou and Maryknoll, so that's what all the hard work is for, to play against the top competition," Straight said.

Before the Warriors open ILH play next Tuesday against defending state champion Iolani, they visit Damien Friday night in another preseason tune-up. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Kamehameha will also take part in the Iolani Girls Classic next week Thursday through Saturday. It will open the eight-team tournament against Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) on Dec. 12 at 8 p.m.


FOOTBALL
K C Bell, Iolani — Had seven tackles, including one sack, and forced a fumble in a win over Hilo

Jordan Botelho, Saint Louis — Had 6 1/2 tackles, including 1 1/2 sacks, and a pass break-up in a win over Kahuku

Kaihulali Casco, Lahainaluna — Had 7 1/2 tackles in a win over Kapaa

Jayden de Laura, Saint Louis — Threw for 280 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-26 passing with one interception and rushed six times for 75 yards and two other scores in a win over Kahuku

Nicholas Herbig, Saint Louis — Had six tackles, including 5 1/2 TFLs and 2 1/2 sacks, and scored on a 96-yard interception return in a win over Kahuku

Isaac Ignacio, Iolani — Had nine tackles and a pass break-up in a loss to Hilo

Nikki Kamelamela, Kapaa — Had 8 1/2 tackles and one TFL in a loss to Lahainaluna

Keanu Keolanui, Hilo — Made a 47-yard field goal and a game-winning 55-yard field goal in a win over Iolani

Nainoa Kulukulualani-Sales, Lahainaluna — Had 3 1/2 tackles, including two sacks, in a win over Kapaa

Tuipolotu Lai, Lahainaluna — Had six tackles, including one-half sack, in a win over Kapaa

Kainalu Lewis, Hilo — Had 6 1/2 tackles, including one sack, and a forced fumble in a win over Iolani

Kenai Liua, Kahuku — Had 6 1/2 tackles, including one TFL, in a loss to Saint Louis

Zealand Matagi, Kahuku — Rushed 23 times for 79 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Saint Louis

Peter John Mataira, Kahuku — Had 4 1/2 tackles, intercepted a pass and broke-up two others in a loss to Saint Louis

Kyan Miyasato, Hilo — Threw for 289 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-30 passing without an interception in a win over Iolani

Joshua Miyazawa, Iolani — Had six tackles, including 2 1/2 TFLs and 1 1/2 sacks, and a fumble recovery in a loss to Hilo

Baba Na-O, Kapaa — Rushed 20 times for 108 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Lahainaluna

Meki Pei, Iolani — Had 10 1/2 tackles, including one TFL, forced a fumble, broke-up a pass and scored on a 94-yard punt return in a loss to Hilo

Lyle Rabinno, Lahainaluna — Had six tackles, including three TFLs and one sack, in a win over Kapaa

Lyle Silva, Hilo — Rushed 25 times for 112 yards in a win over Iolani

Joshua Tihada, Lahainaluna — Rushed 36 times for 310 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kapaa

Kalen White, Hilo — Had seven tackles, including one-half TFL, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in a win over Iolani

Roman Wilson, Saint Louis — Caught eight passes for 171 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kahuku


BOYS BASKETBALL
Maka Brede, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 16 points in a win over Anuenue

Frank Camacho, McKinley — Scored 20 points in a loss to Iolani

Brandon Chung, Kalani — Scored 17 points in a win over Campbell

Malu Cleveland, Kaimuki — Scored 18 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Jake Flores, University Lab — Scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Campbell

Rashawn Fritz-Betiru, Kaimuki — Scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Justin Ishida, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a loss to Kaimuki

Andrew Jones, Kalaheo — Scored 17 points with 11 rebounds, one steal, an assist and a block in win over Arroyo Grande and scored 17 points with four rebounds and two steals in a win over Royal

Paliku Kamaka, Kamehameha — Scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Kapolei

Jared Moran, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 15 points in a win over Anuenue

Ryan Owens, Kalaheo — Grabbed 14 rebounds and scored eight points with one steal in a win over Royal

Luke Pardini, Kalaheo — Scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, with three rebounds and three steals, in a win over Royal

Niko Robben, Maryknoll — Scored 19 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Kalani

Lydell Romero, Kailua — Scored 16 points in a win over Radford

Sage Tolentino, Maryknoll — Scored 16 points in a win over Kalani and scored 16 points in a win over Farrington

Ridge Wada, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers, in a loss to Kaimuki


GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tia Akasaki, University Lab — Scored 14 points in a win over Pearl City

Angel Asaah, Radford — Scored 17 points in a win over Moanalua

Tanya Blakeney, Kaiser — Scored 13 points in a win over Punahou II

Chloe Clemons, Kalaheo — Scored 18 points in a win over Damien and scored 17 points in a win over Lanai

Sid Dominguez, Kalaheo — Scored 19 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Damien and scored 13 points in a loss to Kamehameha II

Hailey Gasmen, St. Andrew's — Scored 13 points in a win over Le Jardin

Kulea Grace, Pearl City — Scored 24 points in a win over Waialua and scored 14 points in a loss to University Lab

Lauren Hayashi, Mid-Pacific — Scored 14 points in a win over McKinley

Tiari Hernandez, Pearl City — Scored 13 points in a loss to University Lab

Angela Howell, Radford — Scored 13 points in a win over Moanalua

Pilialoha Jones, St. Andrew's — Scored 13 points in a loss to Kamehameha II

Kaylie Kamark, Castle — Scored 19 points in a win over Christian Academy

Mahina Kaleiheana-Erickson, Sacred Hearts — Scored 14 points with six rebounds in a loss to Mid-Pacific and scored 14 points with five rebounds and four steals in a win over Punahou II

Arriana Maltezo, Lanai — Scored 14 points in a win over Waialua

Malie Marfil, Kamehameha — Scored 16 points in a win over Mililani

Tiare Marshal-Brown, Pearl City — Scored 14 points in a win over Waialua

Te'Hiwa Medeiros, Sacred Hearts — Scored 14 points with 10 rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block in a win over Punahou II

Alana Nagata, University Lab — Scored 13 points in a win over St. Andrew's

Zia Rapada, Moanalua — Scored 21 points, including three 3-pointers, in a loss to Radford

Madi Sagawa, Mid-Pacific — Scored 14 points in a win over McKinley

Tati Sampson, Kalaheo — Scored 16 points in a win over Lanai

Princess Samuelu, McKinley — Scored 14 points in a loss to Mid-Pacific

Phillana Toia, Waialua — Scored 18 points in a loss to Lanai

Harlee Wong, Kapolei — Scored 13 points in a win over Kaimuki



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].