The Sabers' senior center fielder/pitcher and Spartans' junior shortstop were key in postseason wins for their respective teams last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Micah Jio, Maui baseball
Micah Jio saved his best for last.

The senior center fielder batted .571 (8 for 14) in four games last week to help Maui High claim its first state baseball title in 35 years and just its second overall.

Jio, a 5-foot-7 right-hander, paired hits in each of the Sabers' four wins at the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I State Championships. He also drove in four runs and scored six times.

"He's very consistent," Maui coach Chase Corniel said of his leadoff batter. "He set the tone and he's such a dynamic player that it's very exciting to watch him play, even as a coach. He does a lot of things for us on the bases and presents a lot of problems for the defense. He can always bunt, he takes pitches when he has to, he works the count and he became more of a complete offensive player that we thought he could be when he first came in as a freshman."

The Sabers, who finished second in the Maui Interscholastic League, opened the state tournament against Mililani — the third-place team from the Oahu Interscholastic Association — in Wednesday's first round. Jio batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored in the 12-2 win over the 10th-ranked Trojans in five innings.

Jio pulled double-duty — on short notice — in Thursday's quarterfinal showdown against then-No. 1 Saint Louis, the tournament's top seed.

"We were going to start (Mikito) Barkman, but I made a last-minute change for the Saint Louis game," Corniel said. "About 1 p.m. that afternoon we decided to go with Jio because Saint Louis can run a little bit and we thought Micah had a little bit more command of his off-speed pitches and presented a better matchup for us. It was a last-minute thing but he rose to the occasion and wanted to do it for us."

Jio got through five innings with 94 pitches. He scattered six hits with two walks and two strikeouts and left the mound with a 7-3 lead. Jio helped his own cause, going 2 for 4 with two runs scored at the plate and the Sabers held on to win, 8-6.

"Micah had a great role in our success. He did it on the mound and at the plate, too," Corniel said. "He is the guy that starts our engine and is our spark plug. He does it all for us."

In Friday's 6-4 semifinal victory over fourth-ranked Campbell, Jio batted 2 for 2 with two RBI and a run scored. He was also hit by a pitch and had a sacrifice fly. He wrapped up his week with a 2-for-4 effort in Saturday's 6-1 win over No. 9 Waiakea in the championship game. Jio tripled, drove in a run and scored another in the win and was named to the all-tournament team.

Jio started at shortstop in each of his first three seasons, but filled at center this year, Corniel said.

"Just looking at his skill set, we tried him out in the outfield in the Iolani preseason tournament and he ran down some balls that was super deep and he showed us how dynamic he is — and we needed him out there," Corniel explained. "He was the best best to put in the outfield and he was open for it and because he was open for it, it showed me he was a team leader and a team player overall. No matter what we asked of him he stepped up. He was important to us, not only defensively, but offensively as well as pitching."

Corniel said Jio served as the team's third starter during the MIL season.

"We usually threw him the third day because we needed him to be at his best in the first two days in the outfield," Corniel said. "He stepped up big time for us all season."

As a pitcher, Jio is far from overpowering, but proved to be effective nonetheless.

"He's very fundamentally sound and he throws a lot of strikes," Corniel said. "He has a very simple delivery — nothing crazy — but he locates well and he has a pretty good arm for a small guy. He also had command of his change-up, too. That's his secondary pitch that he does to all the time and he's really good with that."

Jio, who plans to play baseball and major in vascular technology at Oregon Institute of Technology, is one of 10 seniors the Sabers will lose to graduation.

Female Athlete of the Week: Kanoe Tanigawa, Maryknoll softball
Kanoe Tanigawa has been red hot with a bat in her hands this softball season.

Last week was more of the same for the Maryknoll junior.

Tanigawa, the Spartans' leadoff batter, went 6 for 14 at the plate with five RBI and five runs scored to help her team win three games in five days en route to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I championship.

The week started off relatively quiet for Tanigawa, who batted 1 for 5 with a run scored in Monday's 10-6 win over Kamehameha in the semifinals of the ILH single-elimination tournament. It picked up quickly, however, in Wedesday's 10-2 win over Mid-Pacific.

Tanigawa went 3 for 4 against the upset-minded Owls. She drove in a run and scored twice as the Spartans captured the tournament title and earned a rematch against the Warriors, who claimed the regular-season crown.

In Friday's showdown against then-No. 3 Kamehameha, Tanigawa posted a 2-for-5 effort — including a pair of home runs — to power Maryknoll to a 12-10 victory and its first league crown.

"For a leadoff batter she puts the ball in play and she puts it in play hard every time," Spartans coach John Uekawa said of Tanigawa. "She hits the ball hard every time she goes up to bat — and deep."

Tanigawa's first home run was a solo shot to center in the second inning that extended Maryknoll's lead to 6-2. Her second long ball was a three-run bomb to left that made it a 9-5 advantage.

"It was against two different pitchers, too," Uekawa said. "That's telling of her maturity as far as adjusting to pitchers. She's coming a long way as far as adjusting to pitches and knowing her weak and strong points of the actually strike zone and that's critically important."

It was Tanigawa's fourth and fifth home runs of the season, which tied her with Punahou's D'Asha Saiki for the second most in the league, one behind Kamehameha's Maiah Motta.

Tanigawa has a league-leading 27 hits in 62 at-bats, for a .435 batting average. She is third in the ILH in runs scored (27), fourth in runs batted in (20) and first in doubles (eight).

Uekawa said Tanigawa started the season as the third batter, but quickly moved up to the top spot in the order.

"She was our third batter maybe about a third of the season and ever since we moved her up to leadoff, she's just blossomed," Uekawa said. "The more and more we looked at it throughout the whole season she was getting on base more than anybody else and to me, the first batter is only the first batter one time — in that first at bat of the game — other than that the first batter to me, is your best batter because they get the most at bats and we needed her to get the most at bats."

As a freshman two years ago, Tanigawa played every inning of every game as the starting shortstop, but was relegated to a lesser role last season.

"She had the sophomore blues and she played in about half the games, but I think she learned from that, she matured from that and coming into this year — her junior year — she wasn't about to give any position up, especially hers," Uekawa said.

The difference for Tanigawa this season has been the mental aspect to the game.

"She always had the ability," Uekawa said. "She always had the physical ability — she's a strong girl to begin with — but it's the mental part of her game that has evolved. Before when she would strike out it would affect her defense, or when she made an error it affected her offense, but she's coming a long way with letting it go and flushing it, as we say."

The progress has shown in Tanigawa's defensive prowess as well, Uekawa said.

"She always wants the ball coming to her," Uekawa said. "You can just tell when people don't want the ball and when people want the ball. She's become a gamer now. I call her a gamer and that's hard to find. You cannot teach that kind of stuff. She's very down to earth and doesn't gloat and I think that was the key and that's why she's matured so much from her sophomore to year to something very special as a junior."

Tanigawa, who has reached base in 15 of Maryknoll's 16 games this season — and hit in 14 of them — has given a verbal commitment to Hawaii Pacific University.

The Spartans (11-5), who ascended to No. 4 in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, earned the second seed in this week's DataHouse/HHSAA State Championships. They have a first-round bye Wednesday and will face the winner of Kealakehe-Campbell at 7 p.m. in Thursday's quarterfinals at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

BASEBALL
Aidan Ah Hee, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 2 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

Richard Akana, Radford — Struck out six, walked two and allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits in a complete-game loss to Molokai

Makoa Andres, Waiakea — Struck out six, walked five and allowed one run on five hits in six innings pitched in a win over Kailua

Dominic Arecchi, Damien — Batted 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored in a win over Hawaii Prep and batted 2 for 4 with a double in a loss to Kauai

Tai Atkins, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Struck out eight, walked none and allowed one hit in four scoreless innings pitched in a win over Radford

Mikito Barkman, Maui — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Saint Louis, batted 2 for 3 and allowed one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts and one walk in four innings pitched in a win over Campbell, and batted 3 for 3 and allowed one unearned run on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in six innings pitched in a win over Waiakea

Hunter Breault, Kamehameha — Struck out two, walked one and allowed two runs on three hits in a complete-game loss to Waiakea

Jayden Cabbab, Damien — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Farrington

Kaimana Cameron, Damien — Batted 2 for 2 with a triple, three walks and three runs scored in a win over Farrington and batted 3 for 3 with four RBI and a run scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

Chasen Castilliano, Farrington — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, two RBI and a run scored in a loss to Damien and homered with two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in a win over Waianae

Treston Carter, Maui — Struck out two, walked three and allowed two runs on five hits in a five-inning win over Mililani

Noah Chow, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

Christian DeJesus, Kamehameha — Struck out six, walked two and allowed one unearned run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched in a win over Baldwin

Jordan Donahue, Damien — Batted 2 for 3 with two walks, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Farrington

DallasJ Duarte, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in a win over Radford

Jayden Dudoit-Tabilangan, Molokai — Struck out six, walked two and allowed one run on five hits in a complete-game win over Radford

Alex Heacox, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 2 with a triple, RBI and a run scored in a win over Kalani

Jonah Hurney, Hawaii Prep — Struck out four, walked one and allowed one unearned run on three hits in a complete-game win over Waianae

Ryan Inouye, Kailua — Struck out five, walked two and allowed one run on two hits in 4 2/3 innings of relief in a win over Baldwin

Cody Isa, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, RBI and a run scored in a win over Kalani

Kyran Kai, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, double and two runs scored in a win over Radford

Shiloh Kaeo, Damien — Batted 2 for 2 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

Jamin Kalaola, Campbell — Drove in two runs and scored twice in a win over Kamehameha

Matthew Kaleiohi, Kailua — Batted 2 for 3 with three runs scored in a win over Baldwin and batted 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored in a loss to Saint Louis

Micah Kaohu, Mililani — Batted 2 for 4 with two runs scored in a win over Kaiser

Jyrah Lalim, Maui — Doubled, drove in three runs and scored twice in a win over Mililani and doubled with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Waiakea

Lincoln Lima, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk and two runs scored in a loss to Campbell

Charles Lopez III, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in a loss to Maui and batted 2 for 3 with a triple, RBI and a run scored in a win over Kailua

Kekaiakea Maliu, Molokai — Batted 3 for 4 with a run scored in a win over Radford

Christian Manera, Kauai — Struck out three, walked none and allowed one unearned run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Kauai

Paul Mezurashi, Damien — Batted 2 for 2 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored in a win over Hawaii Prep and batted 3 for 3 with a triple, double and two RBI in a loss to Kauai

Zakaia Michaels, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Struck out two, walked two and allowed two hits in 5 1/3 scoreless innings pitched in a loss to Kauai

Keegan Miura, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with two runs scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

David Nakamura, Waiakea — Struck out two, walked three and scattered seven hits in a complete-game shut out of Kamehameha

Sam Nakata, Kauai — Batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored in a win over Molokai

Justin Ogasawara, Mililani — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI in a win over Kaiser

Kaipo Paschoal, Maui — Batted 2 for 3 with two runs scored in a win over Mililani

Kaiolohia Perreira-Alquiza, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBI in a loss to Maui

Blaze Pontes, Kamehameha — Struck out four, walked two and allowed one hit in six scoreless innings pitched in a win over Kalani

Dylan Ramon, Campbell — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kamehameha

Markus Ramos, Campbell — Batted 2 for 3 with three RBI in a win over Hilo

Skyler Sadora, Kauai — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, a walk and two RBI in a win over Damien

Logan Salcedo, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Baldwin

Reece Shioji, Farrington — Batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in a loss to Damien and batted 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored in a loss to Molokai

Keith Torres, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, RBI and a run scored in a win over Kailua

Matthew Wong, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kamehameha

Dawson Yamaguchi, Saint Louis — Struck out four, walked one and allowed one run on one hit in 5 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Kamehameha

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Nalu Demello, Moanalua — Had 17 kills, one solo block and an ace in a five-set loss to Mililani

Sila Fuiava, Mililani — Had 23 kills, seven digs, two aces and a solo block in a four-set win over Waipahu and had 16 kills and two aces in a five-set win over Moanalua

Chance Guillermo, Mililani — Had 40 assists, four kills, two solo blocks and two block assists in a five-set win over Moanalua

Nathaniel Johnson, Mililani — Had 16 kills, five digs, two aces, two block assists and one solo block in a four-set win over Waipahu and had 17 kills and a solo block in a five-set win over Moanalua

Kalai Leopoldo, Moanalua — Had 15 kills, four aces, one solo block and a block assist in a five-set loss to Mililani

Zackary Miyamoto, Moanalua — Had 37 assists, six digs, two block aces and a kill in a three-set win over Kapolei and had 51 assists in a five-set loss to Mililani

Elia Mose, Farrington — Had 13 kills, five aces and an assist in a four-set win over Castle

Nofoalii Saolotoga, Waipahu — Had 33 assists, eight digs and five kills in a four-set win loss to Mililani

Willie Tupua Richardson, Kapolei — Had 12 kills, 13 digs, two block assists and one solo block in a three-set loss to Moanalua

GIRLS WATER POLO
Payton Bosque, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over Iolani

Malia Gacutan, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Kamehameha

Micaela Kauhane, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Le Jardin

Marissa Miller, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Le Jardin

SOFTBALL
Kiana Arcayena, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Mid-Pacific and batted 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kamehameha

Brooke Baptiste, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Konawaena

Laa Bertulfo, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double and four RBI in a loss to Maryknoll

Leiloa Bustamante, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 5 with three runs scored in a win over Konawaena

Mahea Calizo, Leilehua — Batted 2 for 2 with two RBI and two walks in a win over Kapolei

Jessica Cameros, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 4 for 4 with three runs scored in a win over Konawaena

Logan Carlos, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Mid-Pacific

Misha Carreira, Mililani — Struck out 11, walked three and allowed two runs on four hits in a complete-game win over Roosevelt and allowed one run on eight hits with three strikeouts and five walks in a complete-game win over Pearl City

Danielle Cervantes, Campbell — Struck out eight, walked four and allowed one run on two hits in 8 1/3 innings pitched in a loss to Pearl City and struck out nine, walked none and tossed a no-hitter in a win over Roosevelt

Alana Cobb-Adams, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, double, two walks, three RBI and three runs scored in a loss to Maryknoll

Cierra Colombini, Waipahu — Batted 3 for 5 with a double, RBI and four runs scored in a win over Radford

Diamond DeMello, Kalani — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Radford

Mika Emoto, Roosevelt — Batted 2 for 3 with an RBI in a loss to Mililani

Ciera Farias, Radford — Doubled, drove in three runs and scored three times in a loss to Waipahu and batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Kalani

Orepa Fuiava, Waipahu — Batted 2 for 5 with an RBI and three runs scored in a win over Radford

Tatum Guzman, Kapolei — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a loss to Leilehua

Nohea Hee, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with a walk, RBI and a run scored in a win over Kamehameha and batted 2 for 4 with two solo home runs in a win over Mid-Pacific

Mahealani Hetrick, Radford — Doubled and drove in three runs in a loss to Waipahu

Cherise Horita, Kalani — Struck out 10, walked one and allowed two runs on four hits in six innings pitched in a loss to Aiea

Toni-Lynn Ibara, Kalani — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored in a win over Radford

Tyanna Kaaialii, Pearl City — Struck out 13, walked 11 and tossed a nine-inning no-hitter in a win over Campbell and batted 2 for 2 and allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in a complete-game loss to Mililani

Kawena Kahana-Travis, Leilehua — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk and an RBI in a win over Leilehua

Sydney Kamakaiwi, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kamehameha and batted 3 for 4 with a home run and two runs scored in a win over Kamehameha

Gracie Kaopua, Waipahu — Batted 3 for 5 with a home run, four RBI and four runs scored in a win over Radford

Sadie Kapaku-You, Kapolei — Allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game win over Kailua

Brandi Leong, Leilehua — Batted 3 for 4 with a double and three run scored in a win over Kapolei

Kiarra Lincoln, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 4 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk in a win over Konawaena

Kaimana Manzano, Konawaena — Homered, walked twice and drove in three runs in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Shandi Matsumoto, Kalani — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Radford

Kahilu McNicoll, Maryknoll — Struck out seven, walked two and allowed two unearned runs on two hits in a complete-game win over Mid-Pacific

Reilyenne Nahulu, Leilehua — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kapolei

Chelsie Nakamura, Kalani — Batted 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run scored in a win over Radford

Markie Okamoto, Mililani — Hit a three-run home run in a win over Roosevelt

Kiley Ozaki, Kapolei — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in a win over Kailua

Merilis Rivera, Mililani — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Roosevelt

Alo Salausa, Leilehua — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, walk and three runs scored in a win over Moanalua

Maya Saneishi, Mililani — Batted 2 for 3 with two runs scored in a win over Roosevelt

Kaylah Santos, Maryknoll — Homered, drove in two runs and scored twice in a win over Kamehameha

Taylor Schmerbauch, Mililani — Hit a three-run home run in a win over Roosevelt and batted 2 for 3 with a run scored in a win over Pearl City

Kyler Stephens, Kamehameha — Batted 4 for 4 with two doubles, a walk and a run scored in a loss to Maryknoll

Taylor Sullivan, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Homered with three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Konawaena

Baileigh Susak, Radford — Doubled, drove in two runs, scored twice and drew a walk in a loss to Waipahu and batted 2 for 4 with three RBI and a run scored in a loss to Kalani

Tausani Tavale, Kamehameha — Batted 3 for 5 with a run scored in a loss to Maryknoll

Selina Tavarez, Radford — Batted 2 for 3 with two RBI, two runs scored and two walks in a loss to Waipahu and batted 3 for 4 with a home run, double, three RBI and three runs scored in a loss to Kalani

Poamai Tuli, Aiea — Struck out 11, walked none and allowed three hits in a complete-game shutout of Kalani

Abigail Wilson, Radford — Batted 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored in a loss to Kalani

Maya Yoshiura, Mililani — Batted 2 for 4 with an RBI in a win over Roosevelt