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Male Athlete of the Week: Kawika Ulufale, Campbell football
Amosa Amosa had to go against his gut on this one.

The ninth-year Campbell head coach and offensive coordinator isn't big on the quarterbacks in his run and shoot offense running the ball, but Kawika Ulufale didn't fit the mold.

"I think I came to the realization that (Ulufale) has pretty darn good feet, which has been a tremendous asset for our offense," Amosa said. "So we're just trying to feature him and get him going with running the ball here and there."

Ulufale struggled for much of the early part of the season. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior was intercepted six times in the Sabers first two games of the year, road losses to Kapolei and Farrington.

The defeat at the hands of the rival Hurricanes — by a score of 38-0 — was a tough season opener, but Ulufale showed Amosa another side of him in the 34-14 loss to Farrington a week later.

Ulufale accounted for both of Campbell's touchdowns against the Governors, scoring on runs of 3 and 6 yards.

"In our offense the quarterback is very important because he has to make so many decisions, so we usually try to limit the running that they do in games because we want them to last all season," Amosa explained. "But as Kawika was struggling in the passing game and throwing interceptions, I said, ‘let's take advantage of him being a good runner and so we added in some designed quarterback runs."

In his next game, Ulufale threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-32 passing in a much-needed 28-7 win over Kaiser. He was intercepted once.

Ulufale struggled with seven interceptions in a two-game stretch against Kahuku and Moanalua, but has gotten back on track in Campbell's most recent games. He threw for 180 yards with a TD and ran for another score in a monumental 14-12 upset of then-No. 4 Waianae two weeks ago, and closed out the regular season with a five-touchdown performance in a 52-7 rout of Radford Friday night.

Against the Rams, Ulufale threw for a season-high 193 yards on an efficient 12-of-16 passing. All three of his TD tosses were to 6-foot-3 wideout Markus Ramos on passes of 1, 15 and 37 yards.

"I think the last two years, Kawika and Markus have grown to really know each other and be comfortable with each other and because of Markus' size, we would like to take advantage of that, especially in the red zone and throw it up to him and let him go get it like he's rebounding the basketball," Amosa said.

Ulufale also ran for a 20-yard score — on a designed quarterback counter — in the first quarter and was on the receiving end of a 28-yard scoring strike from Fangaima Mailei on a trick play just before halftime.

"Our slotback (Mailei) lined up as the tailback and we pitched him the ball and he runs a sweep to one side and stops and throws it back to Kawika," Amosa said. "Kawika caught it, broke a tackle and made a run for the touchdown.

"We practice that play every Thursday, so we figured we would try it and see how it works out and it turned out to be a touchdown," Amosa said. "We didn't expect it to be a touchdown. I thought it would go for a nice gain and keep the clock going, but it worked out."

It's not just the run game that has opened things up for Ulufale. His pass accuracy, as well as his decision-making, has improved as well, Amosa said.

"I work with him in practice on not forcing the ball and running if he doesn't like what he seems or isn't comfortable with the routes, or there is coverage and he can use his legs to try and extend the play," Amosa said. "I think at times in the past he would try too hard to make things happen and he would throw interceptions, but now he's very comfortable with sitting in the pocket and going through his progressions to find the open person."

Campbell (5-3, 5-2 OIA D1 Blue), which is ranked sixth in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division I Power Rankings, has leaned heavily on its defense, which has allowed an average of just 7.8 points per game in its five wins this season.

It's a fact certainly not lost on Ulufale, who Amosa says fully understands that the offense must perform more consistently now that its playoff time.

"We got through it every week that we, on offense, are given a lot of opportunities by our defense and Kawika is very appreciate of that because a lot of times we don't help our team and we make mistakes or turn it over and put our defense in a bind to be out there longer than they're supposed to," Amosa said. "We've gone away from our no-huddle offense because we weren't too efficient with it and we really try to take our time now, make sure everybody is on the same page in the huddle and not rushing things, so he's doing a better job in that sense."

Ulufale and the Sabers have a bye in this weekend's opening round of the OIA Division I tournament. They will play the winner between Kaiser and Farrington in a quarterfinal game next weekend.

Female Athlete of the Week: Kailee Lyons, Le Jardin volleyball
Kailee Lyons' role on the Le Jardin volleyball team has evolved since last season.

The 5-foot-6 libero spent most of her sophomore season as an outside hitter on the Bulldogs' junior varsity team before seeing limited time on the court after being promoted to the varsity squad.

"It was a tricky situation with our numbers and she had a senior in front of her at libero, so it was tough to get Kailee on the court," Le Jardin coach Lee Lamb said.

That senior in front of Lyons was Taylor Souza, an All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu honorable mention selection. This season, however, with Souza gone to graduation, Lyons relished the opportunity to step into the starting lineup for the reigning Division II state runners-up.

"This year I really had to fight for the position and now I'm playing and the starting libero," Lyons said. "It's an amazing feeling to go from benchwarmer to libero, especially because I was an outside hitter on the JV last year, so this season has been a lot different."

Lamb, who earned league Coach of the Year honors in his first season at Le Jardin last year, praised Lyons for the monumental gains she has made in less than one year's time.

"She's made a huge jump," Lamb said. "Her mental game is way, way better than it was last year. She's one of those kids that wears it on her sleeve. Last year she made the mistake of slapping the floor and stomping her feet at times, but she has put a cap on that and this year has been much more steady."

Lyons said the adjustment has been mostly about changing her mindset after bad plays.

"I've just got to remind myself that this is a really good opportunity for me, because volleyball not only shapes you physically and athletically, but also your personality, so I really have to work on that because if you're negative all the time then it's not really going to do you much good," said Lyons, who admits to being her own worst critic.

"I try to stay positive. I bounce off the energy of my teammates, so that helps a lot."

Then again, the passion that Lyons plays is what has won her coach and teammates over, she believes.

"You have to earn their trust; that's a really big thing not he court, so I've been giving my all basically. That's part of the process and that's pretty tough because you get injuries and bruises and whatnot, but to finally have their trust and to play with these great girls is awesome," Lyons said. "The risk pays off for the rewards, so it's definitely worth it."

Lamb said that Lyons brings a lot to the Bulldogs defensively.

"She definitely has the most range on our team and she reads pretty well," he said. "She moves around maybe more than we would like, but it's a give and take and she's following her instincts. I told her recently to trust her instincts, don't hesitate and that's probably how it will be going forward. She will generate a lot of opportunities for us with her defense."

Lyons turned in a solid 16-dig effort in Le Jardin's biggest match of the season: a sweep of perennial ILH and D2 state powerhouse Hawaii Baptist last Tuesday.

"That was a huge match for us and it was so gratifying to win," said Lyons, who also had a service ace in the 25-23, 25-23 victory over the Eagles. "We all knew it was a really big match and to win it feels really good. It was amazing."

Le Jardin avenged a sweep at the hands of HBA in last year's D2 state final, a loss that has never lingers too far from memory for Lamb.

"As soon as we got our ‘lickens from them last year in the state final, the mindset was that we were going to be back there and the outcome would be different this time around, so our kids are hungry for that and that was their goal right away," Lamb said. "We talk about ‘legacy' in our gym quite a bit and that's the legacy that they want to leave behind."

Lyons and the Bulldogs (8-1) sit in first place after the first round of the ILH schedule. They leave Honolulu for San Diego Tuesday night to compete in a pair of non-league games against Otay Ranch and Eastlake on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, and the 32-team Nike California Challenge over the weekend.

AIR RIFLERY
Justin Pascua, Kalaheo — Shot a high score of 546 in a loss to Pearl City in the OIA boys team semifinals

Kylee Wasano, Pearl City — Shot a high score of 515 in a win over Kalaheo in the OIA girls team semifinals

BOWLING
Gwen Maeha, Leilehua — Rolled a three-game series of 609 in an OIA West girls match

Bradley Nakamura, Pearl City — Rolled a high single-game score of 276 in an OIA West boys match

Erin Ohta, Mililani — Rolled a high single-game score of 235 in an OIA West girls match

Koby Omizo, Kailua — Rolled a high single-game score of 257 and a three-game series of 642 in an OIA East boys match

Kristopher Yadao, Pearl City — Rolled a three-game series of 726 in an OIA West boys match

CROSS COUNTRY
Camryn Butz, Radford — Won girls' 5K race at an OIA meet in a time of 20 minutes, 40.35 seconds

Avery Torres, Kalaheo — Won the boys' 5K race at an OIA meet in a time of 16 minutes, 34.39 seconds

FOOTBALL
Stone Africa, Campbell — Scored on a 55-yard interception return in a win over Radford

Chayce Akaka, Baldwin — Threw for 100 yards with a touchdown and rushed for another score in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Jaykob Cabunoc, Kamehameha — Caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in a win over Iolani

Kaimana Cameron, Damien — Made field goals of 39, 23 and 41 yards in a win over Pac-Five

Ryan Dominick, Punahou — Made five tackles with three sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery in a win over Saint Louis

Austin Ewing, Konawaena — Threw for 196 yards with four touchdowns on 14-of-24 passing and rushed for another score in a win over Honokaa

Alfred Failauga, Waipahu — Rushed 26 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kaimuki

Marcus Faufata-Pedrina, Damien — Threw for 245 yards with three touchdowns on 14-of-34 passing and rushed 17 times for 125 yards and two other scores in a win over Pac-Five

Charles Freitas, Pearl City — Rushed 12 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns in a win over McKinley

Dillon Gabriel, Mililani — Passed for 161 yards with a touchdown and rushed 11 times for 82 yards and three scores in a win over Leilehua

Justin Genovia, Iolani — Caught eight passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Kamehameha

Kamaki Gouveia, Baldwin — Rushed 15 times for 167 yards in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Anthony Graham, Kalaheo — Rushed 19 times for 111 yards in a loss to Kalani

Matthew Hallastein, Pac-Five — Caught three passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Damien

Jaemi Harris, Kalani — Rushed 18 times for 150 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kalaheo

Randy Hatori, Kealakehe — Scored on a interception return in a win over Keaau

Kahale Huddleston, Hilo — Rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Waiakea

Michael Hughes, Hawaii Prep — Scored on a 95-yard fumble return in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Kashten Ioane Sadlon, Hilo — Recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in a win over Waiakea

Jasper Jacinto, Kauai — Caught three passes for 101 yards in a loss to Waimea

Ryan Johnson, Pac-Five — Threw for 367 yards and seven touchdowns on 21-of-46 passing in a loss to Damien

Mason Kaawa-Loa, Kealakehe — Rushed for two touchdowns in a win over KEaau

Dakota Kadooka, Kailua — Intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in a loss to Castle

Travis Kaloa, Pac-Five — Caught 10 passes for 120 yards and four touchdowns in a loss to Damien

Nick Kapule, Punahou — Threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-45 passing in a win over Saint Louis

Micah Laban, Konawaena — Rushed for 89 yards with a touchdown and caught a scoring pass in a win over Honokaa

Mark Lagazo, Kailua — Rushed 16 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Castle

Sekope Latu, Kahuku — Caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kaiser

Steven Lombard, Kahuku — Rushed six times for 43 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kaiser

Hanisi Lotulelei, Maui — Rushed for four touchdowns in a win over King Kekaulike

KJ Macatiag, Kahuku — Rushed 15 times for 118 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kaiser

Rylan-Anthony Miguel, Moanalua — Caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Aiea

Cyan Miyasato, Hilo — Threw for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing in a win over Waiakea

Chyson Morgan, Nanakuli — Caught four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Kapolei

Darius Muasau, Mililani — Rushed 16 times for 120 yards in a win over Leilehua

Enoch Nawahine, Punahou — Rushed for two touchdowns in a win over Saint Louis

Stokes Nihipali-Botelho, Kahuku — Scored on an 84-yard kickoff return in a win over Kaiser

Daniel Nguyen, Kaimuki — Caught five passes for 77 yards with a touchdown and intercepted a pass in a loss to Waipahu

Jalen Olomua, Mililani — Rushed 15 times for 96 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Leilehua

Israel Pakele, Castle — Rushed 19 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kailua

Franklin Passi, Kauai — Rushed for two touchdowns in a loss to Waimea

Kaleoaloha Piceno, Leilehua — Caught six passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 15 times for 86 yards with another score in a loss to Mililani

Ryan Ramones, Moanalua — Caught nine passes for 74 yards in a win over Aiea

Ethanjames Ramos, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored on a 13-yard interception return and a 1-yard fumble return in a win over Hawaii Prep

Markus Ramos, Campbell — Caught five passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Radford

Blaize Rickard, Castle — Intercepted two passes in a win over Kailua

Rick Sandry, Saint Louis — Made 7 1/2 tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another pass in a loss to Punahou

Jaymin Sarono, Kapolei — Caught six passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Nanakuli

Ieke Seei-Cleveland, Kaimuki — Caught a touchdown pass and had 1 1/2 sacks in a loss to Waipahu

Iosua Sevao, Campbell — Scored on a 31-yard interception return in a win over Radford

Alexander Skelton, Punahou — Made 4 1/2 tackles and two sacks in a win over Saint Louis

Jordan Solomon, Kaimuki — Threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-36 passing in a loss to Waipahu

Frank Steffany, McKinley — Rushed 25 times for 122 yards in a loss to Pearl City

Kohl Suehiro, Kalani — Scored on an 88-yard interception return in a win over Kalaheo

Miki Suguturaga, Punahou — Made three sacks and forced two fumbles in a win over Saint Louis

Taulia Tagovailoa, Kapolei — Threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-26 passing in a win over Nanakuli

Ethan Takeyama, Punahou — Caught nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in a win over Saint Louis

Cody Taniguchi, Waimea — Rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in a win over Kauai

Dylan Toilolo, Saint Louis — Made a game-high 12 tackles, including two sacks, in a loss to Punahou

Andriess Toussaint, Kaimuki — Caught six passes for 134 yards with a touchdown and intercepted a pass in a loss to Waipahu

Faatui Tuitele, Saint Louis — Made 3 1/2 tackles for losses, including 2 1/2 sacks and broke up a pass in a loss to Punahou

Thomas Yam, Kamehameha — Threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-24 passing in a win over Iolani

Ronson Young, Saint Louis — Rushed for two touchdowns in a loss to Punahou

Alakai Yuen, Moanalua — Passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-40 passing and rushed for two other scores in a win over Aiea

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Rhylee Corpuz, Christian Liberty — Had 46 assists in a five-set loss to St. Joseph

Saige Kaahaina-Torres, Iolani — Had 18 kills, nine digs and an ace in a three-set win over Punahou and had 20 kills, seven digs and an ace in a three-set win over Kamehameha

Telly Koon, Christian Liberty — Had 32 kills in a five-set win loss to St. Joseph

Charity Lopes, Kalani — Had 19 digs, six kills and an ace in a three-set loss to Kalaheo

Leslie Mamai-Lagafuaina, Aiea — Had 10 kills, seven digs, four aces and three solo blocks in a three-set win over Leilehua and had 12 kills, four digs, one block assist and an ace in a two-set loss to Campbell

Ana Oglivie, Iolani — Had 37 assists, 14 digs, two block assists and an ace in a three-set win over Punahou and had 37 assists, 10 digs, one kill and an ace in a three-set win over Kamehameha

Elena Oglivie, Iolani — Had 16 kills, 17 digs and two block assists in a three-set win over Punahou and had 18 kills, 11 digs and two block assists in a three-set win over Kamehameha

Jeanie Paisis, Nanakuli — Had 22 digs, two aces, one kill and an assist in a three-set win over Pearl City

Mary Pratt, Christian Liberty — Had 23 digs and seven aces in a five-set loss to St. Joseph

Amber Tai, Kailua — Had 15 kills and three digs in a three-set win over Castle

Haley Thomas, Nanakuli — Had 17 kills, five digs and an ace in a three-set win over Pearl City

Olivia Transfiguracion, Kapolei — Had 22 assists and a block assist in a two-set win over Waianae

Ashley Wang, Kalani — Had 20 digs, three assists and an ace in a three-set loss to Kalaheo

Kailey Young, Hawaii Baptist — Had 15 digs in a two-set loss to Le Jardin