The Raiders' sophomore and Monarchs' senior were key for their respective teams last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

Purchase image 1 of 1

Female Athlete of the Week: Mia Watanabe, Iolani soccer
Much like she did last year, Mia Watanabe strung together a solid state tournament and just as it did last year, Iolani won The Queen's Medical Center/HHSAA Division I Girls Soccer State Championships.

Watanabe, a sophomore forward, was a pivotal piece to the title-defending puzzle for the Raiders. She scored four goals in three days, including the deciding lone goals in wins over Mililani and Pearl City in Friday's semifinals and championship final, respectively.

"It was definitely what we needed," Iolani coach Kristin Masunaga said of Watanabe, who was selected by media and the HHSAA as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

As a freshman last year, Watanabe played more of a complementary role on a team that featured All-Hawaii Offensive Player of the Year Kylee Kim-Bustillos, along with Second Team utility selection, Shantel Torres-Benito. Still, Watanabe was able to score 14 goals on the year. Four of those goals came in the state tournament, including a hat trick in a semifinal victory over Mililani.

Watanabe went on to earn all-tournament and First Team All-Hawaii honors and the Raiders went on to claim their first state crown in four years.

With Kim-Bustillos and Torres-Benito off playing college soccer at Sacramento State and Peninsula College, respectively, heavy expectations fell onto Watanabe's shoulders this season.

The season, however, did not quite go as planned for Watanabe, who was limited to just four goals during the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season.

"It was hard in the ILH because she was always double-teamed and we as coach hadn't figured things out in the ways to have others support her," Masunaga said. "The thing is, it's so different from when she was working off of Kylee and Shantel, but now she's the ‘Kylee.' I think the pressure of living up to that expectation was tough for her, but I think when we got to the state tournament it was almost like we had nothing to lose. Maybe that's the mentality she needed throughout the season instead of feeling all this pressure."

A turning point for the Raiders came after it lost to rival Punahou, 2-0, in an ILH second-round game. The loss put them on the brink of elimination.

"We clearly didn't play well, so we had a team meeting after that and we talked about things and I think that's when everyone pulled together and so I think the state tournament is a result of us figuring it out then and getting back on the same page," Masunaga said.

Ultimately, Iolani avenged the loss to the Buffanblu with a 1-0 victory six days later and in the process, punched a return ticket to states.

"Those three days that we were in limbo, not knowing where our season was going to go was probably our three hardest days of practice and so I think just the whole team concert, everyone is out there working hard, I think that motivated Mia to keep going," Masunaga said. "Everyone knows she scored four goals throughout the whole (ILH) season and then four goals in three days (at states), but I think just her persistence was impressive."

Watanabe's persistence was put to the test Thursday, as she was relegated by Masunaga to a reserve role in a quarterfinal win over Hilo.

"Because we did struggle the last two games of the season, we were just tweaking with the starting lineup," Masunaga said. "What we were trying to do wasn't working, so we weren't going to keep doing the same thing, but everyone wants to start in the state tournament, so maybe that motivated her, too, or maybe she didn't make anything of it."

If it had any affect on Watanabe, it was a positive one. She netted two of the Raiders' four goals against the Vikings.

"She could have easily folded because she didn't have a starting role, but she came out even stronger, I think," Masunaga said.

Watanabe's goals against the Trojans and Chargers were both quite timely.

After a scoreless first half, Watanabe put one in the back of the net just 15 seconds into the second half against Mililani Friday. In the title game against Pearl City the following night, she powered a shot from the top right corner of the 18-yard box into the left side of the goal.

"Her composure on that goal was amazing," Masunaga said. "I've watched it over and over. The ball was cleared to her and it wasn't an easy ball to trap with a girl coming at her, but she didn't panic, took a quick touch and hit it on frame perfectly."

Watanabe, one of 13 sophomores on the team, has already given a verbal commitment to Stanford.

The Raiders won their final five matches to finish the season with a 14-3-1 mark. They captured their sixth state championship in school history.

-Kalani Takase

Male Athlete of the Week: Kolin Galdiano, Damien basketball
Kolin Galdiano's journey with the basketball team has come full circle.

Galdiano was a freshman when the Monarchs last made the tournament back in 2015 and now as a senior, he was instrumental in ending a three-year drought. Damien draws Maui Interscholastic League champion and third-seeded Seabury Hall to open the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Division II Basketball Championships on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

He recounted his freshman season at Damien was difficult. He played sparingly and before one of the state tournament games at the Stan Sheriff Center, he forgot to bring his jersey.

Fast forward three years later, he leads the Monarchs in scoring with 12.7 points per game and blossomed into a leader everyone on the team can count on.

"He's a more show by example," said Damien coach Alvin Stephenson, on Kolin's leadership traits. "He's very quiet, but I'm trying to get him out of his shell. You'll see it in spurts when he's pumping the guys up."

He was nominated as a Division II All-Hawaii First Team selection in 2016 and was an Honorable Mention nominee in 2017.

When asked how much Galdiano grew from the time he was a freshman until now, Stephenson couldn't help but get emotional.

"Kolin has been on the team since freshman year. Tenth grade he had a breakout season, being a top-five player in the state. Junior year, he had a target on his back. Senior year, I told him to get it done," said Stephenson.

"Everybody in the league knows who you are and you have to get it done. I talked to him today and said, ‘We're going to follow you guys (the seniors), however you will take us' and he did."

Galdiano poured in 23 points and grabbed six rebounds in a win against Le Jardin and followed up with a 15-point performance against University Lab to seal the deal on their home floor. He also got it done at the free throw line by shooting 19 of 21 (90.4 percent) overall in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's Division II postseason tournament.

"He's a natural shooter, he works as hard as everybody else, but he has a good stroke," said Stephenson, on Galdiano's shooting ability.

Galdiano hit a pair of 3's in the third quarter against University Lab and his second 3-pointer tied the game up at 32. He also made seven of his eight free throws in the fourth quarter, as Damien went on to score 15 of their 23 quarter points from the free throw line against the Jr. Bows. The Monarchs as a team shot 21 of 32 for the game.

"It's very important," said Galdiano, on making free throws. "We still have to hit it in the clutch."

Damien looked sluggish against the Bulldogs on Thursday and trailed, 14-7 after the first quarter. It was the wakeup call the tournament's top-seeded team needed to get going and outscored Le Jardin the rest of the way.

"It was very important to win that game. They were an obstacle in our way of our ultimate goal so we had to get it done," said Galdiano.

Galdiano along with Lindon Sevilleja combined to score 23 of the Monarchs' 29 quarter points to give Damien a 10-point cushion going into halftime. During that second quarter stretch, Galdiano converted a 3-point play and got it done again at the charity stripe, shooting 8 of 9. He also recorded four steals as Damien forced 17 first-half turnovers, 31 overall.

Galdiano won't forget how far he's come as a player and a person and one thing's for sure, he won't be forgetting his jersey.

-Brandon Ching

BOYS BASKETBALL
Charles Abe, Le Jardin — Scored 29 points in a win over Hanalani and scored 26 points in a loss to Damien

Hauoli Akau, Konawaena — Scored 17 points with two rebounds and two assists in a win over Waiakea

Elijah Busenbark, Christian Academy — Scored 18 points in a loss to Hawaii Baptist

Naighel Calderon, Lanai — Scored 24 points in a loss to Seabury Hall

Ja'Shon Carter, Kapolei — Scored 18 points in a win over McKinley

Cannen Chiu, Kalaheo — Scored 21 points in a win over Kahuku

Zayne Chong, Punahou — Scored 17 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over Maryknoll

Kaimi Dunaway, Punahou II — Scored 22 points in a win over Iolani II and scored 22 points in a win over Iolani II

Leif Fautanu, University Lab — Scored 20 points with eight rebounds in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Liam Fitzgerald, Leilehua — Scored 20 points with nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and seven blocks in a loss to Moanalua

Aldrin Gadot, Konawaena — Scored 18 points with three rebounds and two steals in a win over Waiakea

Seth Hiro, Saint Louis II — Scored 18 points in a win over Maryknoll II and scored 17 points in a loss to Punahou II

Josh Hooper, Hanalani — Scored 25 points in a loss to Le Jardin

Isaiah Hopson, Kailua — Scored 21 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 24 points in a loss to Moanalua

Samuel Kahapea, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 28 points with 12 rebounds, three steals and an assist in a win over Keaau

Andrew Kearney, Kalaheo — Scored 21 points in a win over Kapolei

Jasmin Khansmith, Kaiser — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kailua

Rico-Logan Handy, Keaau — Scored 23 points with five rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Yoshimi Matoba, Christian Academy — Scored 18 points in a loss to Hawaii Baptist

Micah Mitchell, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 29 points in a win over Christian Academy and scored 40 points with two rebounds, one assist and a steal in a loss to University Lab

Kyle Moraga, McKinley — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kahuku

Isaiah Payne, Seabury Hall — Scored 25 points in a win over Lanai

Jerek Prudencio, Waiakea — Scored 20 points with eight rebounds and one assist in a loss to Konawaena

Geremy Robinson, Moanalua — Scored 22 points in a win over Kailua

Tolu Smith, Kahuku — Scored 19 points in a win over McKinley and scored 22 points in a loss to Kalaheo

Peter Suiaunoa, Waiakea — Scored 13 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks in a loss to Konawaena

Otto Taylor, University Lab — Scored 22 points with eight rebounds, four steals and an assist in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Everett Torres-Kahapea, Kailua — Scored 24 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 24 points in a loss to Moanalua

GIRLS SOCCER
Brianna Binder, Kapaa — Scored three goals in a win over Makua Lani and scored three goals in a win over Kauai

Emi Higgins, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Sacred Hearts and scored two goals in a win over Kapaa

Kaulana Kanno, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over King Kekaulike

Kalena Pfaeltzer, Seabury Hall — Scored two goals in a win over Radford

Chae-Leigh Ramirez, Leilehua — Scored the lone goal in a win over Le Jardin

Brynn Rodrigues, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored the lone goal in a win over Waipahu

Keely Smith, Kailua — Scored two goals in a win over Leilehua

Amber Tadeo-Gilbert, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Naomi Takata, Pearl City — Made 11 total saves in a win over Kamehameha and made 18 total saves in a win over Kaiser

Daelenn Tokunaga, Pearl City — Scored two goals in a win over Konawaena

Hiilei Wong Yuen, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Leilehua

Kekaimalie Woods, Sacred Hearts — Scored two goals in a loss to Hawaii Prep

Kayli Yoshioka, Kaiser — Scored the lone goal in a win over Aiea