Male Athlete of the Week: Blake Cooper, Pearl City football

Blake Cooper is always up for a new challenge.

So, before Pearl City coach Robin Kami even approached the senior linebacker about playing running back, Kami already knew what Cooper's answer would be.

"When I asked him if he wants to come on offense and help us out, he said 'Yes, coach. Whatever it takes,'" Kami recalled. "He's willing to do whatever it takes to help the team — all the seniors are willing to do whatever it takes by playing two or even three ways on special teams, too."

Cooper, who stands 5-foot-6 and weights 165 pounds, was eased into the role over the past three weeks. He had just one carry — for a 1-yard touchdown — in a 31-6 loss to Kaiser, followed by a 5-carry, 28-yard effort in a 7-6 win over Radford. In the Chargers' last game — a 28-14 upset win over Kalani in an OIA White semifinal Friday — Cooper busted out with 189 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

"His performance on Friday was excellent," Kami said of Cooper, who also made a game-high six tackles on defense. "He did a good job playing both ways. He's mainly a linebacker, but we needed help on the running back side, so we brought him over and let him run the ball."

Kami said the game plan didn't call for that many rushing attempts for Cooper, but his effectiveness against the Falcons' run defense dictated that he continue to get the ball.

"I thought it would be for a couple carries as a change-up type of back, but he was doing good, so we left him in more than we planned to," Kami said. "He was excited to run the ball and contribute to the team."

Cooper scored the gamse's first touchdown on a 48-yard run late in the first quarter. He cut through the line of scrimmage, broke a couple of tackles at the second level, before outracing the secondary to the end zone.

"He's a really hard and explosive runner," Kami said of Cooper, a two-time wrestling state champion.

With a few minutes left in the first half, Cooper put Pearl City up 14-0 with a 10-yard touchdown run off left tackle.

The Chargers were balanced offensively, rushing for 197 yards while passing for 185. Meanwhile, their defense limited Kalani's prolific offense to 178 pass yards and just 223 yards of total offense.

"He was tired, but we kept asking him if he was all right and he said, 'Just keep giving the ball. I'm all right,'" Kami recalled. "Blake is real quiet — he don't say much — but his actions speak for itself on the field. When he does talk, everybody listens."

With the win Pearl City avenged a 40-8 regular-season loss against Kalani back in both team's regular-season opener and advanced to the league championship game against No. 1-seed Kaiser on Nov. 1.

"Our attitude has changed big time from the first game against Kalani," Kami said. "The first time, they beat us fair-and-square and they beat us big time. This time around we were ready and we were positive. The kids are starting to believe what we're trying to do."

Both the Chargers and the Cougars will represent the OIA in the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Championships next month.

Female Athlete of the Week: Amanda Beaman, Iolani cross country

Amanda Beaman is hitting her stride, no pun intended.

The Iolani sophomore cross country runner has won three of the last four races she has started, including Saturday's Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships at Mid-Pacific Institute.

Beaman blew away the rest of the field, winning the three-mile race in a time of 19 minutes, 5.81 seconds — nearly 25 seconds better than runner-up Noe Obermeyer of Punahou.

"Amanda ran a smart race, she got in better position early than she usually is," Raiders' coach Chet Blanton said. "After the second lap, she was about 15 yards ahead and after the third lap, she was almost a hundred yards ahead. I knew she was in the mix to win it — probably in the top three — but the last couple of weeks she's been winning, so she's been on a little bit of a hot streak and I thought she had a good chance of winning again Saturday."

Beaman also won the Punahou Invitational last week and at Kapolei two weeks prior to that.

"I think she is just facing competition more and more and competition makes everyone better," Blanton said, noting Punahou's Teri Brady, who finished fourth Saturday behind a pair of Buffanblu teammates, has been a friendly rival of Beaman's since their days of intermediate compeition.

"Amanda and Teri have been battling all year and they're both in the same grade," Blanton said. "I think they help each other out, they make each other run better. It's kind of like a rivalry, but we're all friends. It's such a small community."

Blanton said Beaman has benefitted greatly from the coaching of Jonathan Lyau, who was inducted into the Honolulu Marathon Hall of Fame in 2009.  

"John has been a big part of her success," Blanton said. "Amanda runs with Jon most times. She's getting great coaching from him and I think she just realizes now that she belongs and I think that's why she's coming to the top."

Beaman, who began running as a seventh grader on the Iolani intermediate team, caught the attention of Lyau early on that year.

"The first day we saw her run, Jon said who's that girl in the middle of the pack there," Blanton recalled. "She was just jogging, but he said that she had perfect form and that she's going to be good one day — she's just a natural. She's gotten better and better and is more confident in herself now."

As a freshman last year, Beaman opened the season on the JV team. That lasted one race before she was brought up to the varsity squad.

"She won that race by two minutes," Blanton said. "Her time would have been one second behind (Brady), who won the varsity race. I told her that after the fact and she was surprised. She said 'I didn't really push that hard because there was nobody behind me.'"

Blanton describes Beaman as a no-frills, all-business type of person — something that he's learned to appreciate over the years.

"She doesn't show much emotion, especially before a race she's so focused and you don't see any smiles — she knows what she's there for and she handles herself great in that respect," Blanton said. "After the race Saturday, I gave her a big huge and told her 'awesome job,' and she had a big smile. That's about as much emotion as I get out of her."

The season culminates with Friday's Honolulu Marathon/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Cross Country State Championships at Island School on Kauai.

WEEK 10 TOP PERFORMERS
AIR RIFLERY
Sara Tashima, Sacred Hearts — Won the ILH girls individual championship with 546 total points

David Watanabe, Punahou — Won the ILH boys individual championship with 527 total points

BOWLING
Danielle August, Mililani — Won the OIA girls individual championship with 1,083 total pins

Nicholas Azumi, Pearl City — Won the OIA boys individual championship with 1,214 total pins

CROSS COUNTRY
Makai Clemons, Kalaheo — Won the OIA boys individual championship in a time of 16 minutes, 19.97 seconds

Davis Kaahanui, Kamehameha — Won the ILH boys individual championship in a time of 16 minutes, 8.08 seconds

Vanessa Roybal, Mililani — Won the OIA girls individual championship in a time of 19 minutes, 24.91 seconds

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Adora Anae, Kahuku — Recorded 15 kills, four aces and a block in loss to Mililani and 20 kills and a block in win over Farrington

Silerolia Gaogao, Moanalua — Put down 13 kills and an ace in loss to Mililani

Savannah Kahakai, Farrington — Notched 11 kills and a block in loss to Kahuku

Sinamoni Tonga, Kahuku — Recorded 14 kills and an ace in win over Farrington

Ashlee Vaoifi, Mililani — Had 16 kills in win over Kahuku and 10 kills, a block an ace in win over Moanalua

FOOTBALL
Soli Afalava, Kahuku — Rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown in win over Waianae

Jacob Afele, Mililani — Recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in win over Leilehua

Jacob Baguio, Farrington — Caught five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns in win over Kapolei

Noah Brum, Kalani — Passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns in loss to Pearl City

Anthony Canencia, Pac-Five — Completed 33 of 55 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns in loss to Pac-Five

Kuuliko Carvalho, Kahuku — Scored on an 84-yard punt return in win over Waianae

Syles Choy, Damien — Passed for 245 yards with a touchdown and rushed for two scores in win over Pac-Five

Makoa Filikitonga, Lahainaluna — Rushed for 122 yards with a touchdown and passed for 96 yards and another score in win over Baldwin

Fitou Fisiiahi, Kaiser — Ran for three touchdowns in win over Radford

TJ Fitzsimmons, Kamehameha — Kicked field goals of 41 and 43 yards and was 4 for 4 on extra points in win over Saint Louis

Kaau Gifford, Kamehameha — Recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in win over Saint Louis

Calen Scot Holt, Kamehameha — Intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in win over Saint Louis

Isaac Hurd, Campbell — Passed for 171 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 69 yards and two other scores in win over McKinley

Austin Jim On, Iolani — Passed for 249 yards and six touchdowns without an interception in win over Saint Francis

Kelii Kaanapu, Damien — Caught five passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in win over Pac-Five

Kekoa Kaluhiokalani, Waianae — Passed for 273 yards and a touchdown in loss to Kahuku

Jared Kanoa, Pac-Five — Intercepted a pair of passes in loss to Damien

Donavan Kelley, Hilo — Rushed for two touchdowns in win over Keaau

Pono Kini, McKinley — Recorded two sacks in loss to Campbell

Usti Koga, Keaau — Caught nine passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns in loss to Hilo

Thomas Leong, Kaiser — Rushed for a touchdown and scored on a 61-yard kickoff return in win over Radford

Montana Liana, Farrington — Passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns in win over Kapolei

George Lucas-Tadeo, Keaau — Passed for 303 yards and four touchdowns in loss to Hilo

Faafetai Lulu, Saint Louis — Recorded two sacks in loss to Kamehameha

Kalen Lyman-Risso, Kamehameha — Forced a fumble and recorded a sack in win over Saint Louis

Marc Ma, Iolani — Recorded two sacks in win over Saint Francis

Keoni-Kordell Makekau, Iolani — Caught five passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in win over Saint Francis

Vavae Malepeai, Mililani — Rushed 25 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in win over Leilehua

Ranan Mamiya, Saint Francis — Rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown in loss to Iolani

Rex Manu, Punahou — Recorded two sacks in win over Leilhua

Ronald Matautia, Waianae — Rushed for two touchdowns in loss to Kahuku

Scott Isaac Medeiros-Tangatailoa, Lahainaluna — Scored on a 32-yard interception return in win over Baldwin

Christian Naeole, Iolani — Recorded two sacks in win over Saint Francis

Adam Noga, Saint Louis — Rushed 19 times for 129 yards and a touchdown in loss to Kamehameha

Kelii Padello, Mililani — Recorded two sacks in win over Leilehua

Brandon Roberts, Kalani — Caught nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in loss to Pearl City

Jared Rocha-Isalas, Lahainaluna — Rushed for two touchdowns in win over Baldwin

Roycen Routt, Pac-Five — Caught 12 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns in loss to Damien

Roman Salanoa, Kahuku — Scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone and recorded a sack in win over Waianae

Kainoa Simao, Kamehameha — Rushed 39 times for 230 yards and two touchdowns in win over Saint Louis

Isaac Slade-Matautia, Kaiser — Scored on a 20-yard interception return in win over Radford

Tristin Spikes, Hilo — Rushed for 272 yards and three touchdowns in win over Keaau

Devon Stubblefield, Saint Louis — Caught 12 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in loss to Kamehameha

Mika Tafua, Kamehameha — Deflected four passes and forced a fumble in win over Saint Louis

Abiel Taito, Campbell — Intercepted a pair of passes and returned one for a 44-yard pick-6 in win over McKinley

Penisimana Taufa, Lahainaluna — Scored on a 29-yard fumble recovery in win over Baldwin

Tyler Teruya, Iolani — Caught three touchdowns in win over Saint Francis

Kaimana Wilson, Mililani — Intercepted a pass and recorded a sack in win over Leilehua

Tuli Wily-Matagi, Kahuku — Passed for two touchdowns in win over Waianae