Top Performers
Lyman, Kekoa lead top performers




Male Athlete of the Week: Pono Lyman, Kaiser baseball
Pono Lyman was a man on a mission last week.

The right-handed pitcher turned in a complete-game three-hitter to help Kaiser to a pivotal 2-1 win over then-No. 5 Kailua at the Cougars' home field last Wednesday.

Lyman threw 52 of his 88 total pitches for strikes and recorded first-pitch strikes to 15 of the 26 batters he faced.

Kaiser second-year coach Kila Kaaihue said Lyman did well to adhere to what he called the "team philosophy."

"We're coming at hitters, for sure. I mean, we're not the kind of team that is trying to pitch around people per se — we're not hoping to throw strikes — our guys are committed to throwing the fast ball for a strike and they know that we're not really mixing it up too much until we're ahead," Kaaihue said.

"It's a philosophy from our JV all the way up that we want our guys to learn to to throw strikes with their fastball before they start trying to strike guys out. We don't even talk about strikeouts — that is irrelevant for us — we want guys to force contact, hit the zone and pitch aggressive."

Lyman, a 6-foot-2 junior, posted three strikeouts against two walks. Of the 18 other outs he recorded, 11 were fly-ball outs and seven were off of ground balls.

"He went into that game and he threw strikes, got ahead of batters and he didn't waste pitches — he pitched with a purpose," Kaaihue said. "I mean, he did everything that you could possibly ask for."

Lyman's repertoire includes four pitches: a fastball, change-up, curve and slider.

"He really commands two of them really well, but he can throw them all for a strike. There are some days that I've seen him command all four, but he really is a fastball guy," Kaaihue said. "He doesn't have the best velocity — he's a low-80's guy — but because he can throw his other pitches for strikes and because he can command the zone with that fastball and another pitch, it makes his fastball better."

As good as his command was Wednesday, Kaaihue said it was Lyman's mental toughness that was key.

"The most impressive thing was that he took the ball with the willingness and the drive to finish the game. He didn't want anybody else pitching," Kaaihue said. "He didn't wan tot come out of the game. He was efficient, he was pounding the zone and he wasn't going for stats. He was going for purely trying to win the game and that was what was most impressive by him."

Kaaihue said that finishing games has become a reoccurring theme with Lyman on the mound.

"He pitched sparingly last year, but of the two games he did start for us, he threw complete games both times," Kaaihue said. "When he takes the ball, he has every intention of finishing the game. His attention to detail this year is different than last year. He's really dedicated himself and he's worked hard with our pitching coach, Kanekoa Texeira."

Lyman's only other start this season — a 9-0 win over Castle back on March 7 — also resulted in a complete game. He allowed just one hit with seven strikeouts and no walks against the Knights.

For the season, Lyman is 2-0 with an earned run average of just 0.54. In 13 innings pitched, he has allowed just one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts against two walks.

Both of Lyman's parents are both former professional surfers. When he is not pitching, Lyman usually plays shortstop and has also seen time in left field this season.

"I almost feel like surfing and the water are his first love and baseball is something that he's just been blessed with talent in," Kaaihue said.

Lyman and the Cougars (4-3) are tied for third place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I East standings. They will host Castle at 11 a.m. Saturday.


Female Athlete of the Week: Mikayla Kekoa, Kohala softball
After dropping its last three games, the Kohala softball team turned to its ace to help it get back on track and Mikayla Kekoa responded admirably.

Kekoa, a junior pitcher, tossed a complete-game and batted 3 for 4 to lead Kohala to a much-needed 4-3 win over host Kamehameha-Hawaii in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday at the Warriors' field in Keaau.

The 5-foot-11 right-hander scattered seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks. She allowed three runs — two of them earned — to pick up the victory.

"It was a big, big thing for us to win against Kamehameha," said Kekoa, who threw 63 of her 93 total pitches for strikes and recorded first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 30 batters she faced.

It was just the second victory for the Cowgirls over the Warriors in Kekoa's three varsity seasons. The teams split both meetings last year.

Kamehameha-Hawaii took the opening game of the doubleheader Wednesday — without Kekoa in the pitching circle for Kohala — by a score of 11-5. It rapped out 18 hits in that game, but managed less than half that in the nightcap.

"We had to play a double because the weather was kind of bad and we knew we had to win at least one," Kekoa said. "We came out hard and my team, they were ready and I was ready to hold it down."

Kekoa said her curve, riser and change-up were working well for her Wednesday.

"I just wanted to change their level of eyesight so they wouldn't know if it was coming down the middle or not and so they would be off balanced in their batting," said Kekoa, who plays first base when she is not pitching.

Kekoa's three base hits were a game high. Kalia Tabiolo Amaral (2 for 4, triple, two runs scored), Cheylin Imai (2 for 4, two RBIs) and Nicole Castillo (2 for 2) each paired hits for the Cowgirls, who posted 11 hits as a team.

It was the first loss of the season for Kamehameha-Hawaii, which has won the last six Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II titles.

"Coming into this season, I really want to take BIIFs from Kamehameha and make it into states and come in the hottest that we can," said Kekoa, one of seven returnees from last year's state tournament squad that finished with a 10-8 overall record.

The Cowgirls opened this season 2-1 before dropping three straight — including a 13-12 loss at Waiakea and a 2-0 defeat at Konawaena five days later. However, after sweeping a doubleheader against Pahoa Friday and a 15-5 rout of Hilo Monday, they have reeled off four straight wins.

"Losing to those D1 schools was tough," Kekoa said. "We could have took it, but we were working toward fixing our errors, trying to get our defense up and ready and our offense, too, and so going into the Kamehameha we we were ready to play them. We wanted it badly and we came together for the win."

Kekoa and the Cowgirls (6-4) continue league play with road games at Hawaii Prep Thursday and Keaau Saturday.


BASEBALL
Dan Ahuna, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, double, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kohala

Maui Ahuna, Hilo — Batted 3 for 3 with an RBI, run scored and two stolen bases in a win over Kealakehe

Bubba Akana, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 3 with a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Saint Louis

Kaleo Akiona, Waianae — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, walk, three RBI and three runs scored and allowed two hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in a five-inning shutout win over McKinley

Zach Alcos, Saint Francis — Batted 3 for 4 with two triples, four RBI and two runs scored in a win over Hanalani

Alika Almaraz, Pearl City — Allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in six innings pitched in a win over Waipahu

Tai Atkins, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Struck out seven, walked none and did not allowed a hit in 3 2/3 scoreless innings pitched in a win over Kohala

Alika Balbas, Molokai — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles in a win over Lanai

Kenneth Belew, Seabury Hall — Struck out 13 and walked three in a five-inning no-hit win over St. Anthony

Puukani De Sa, Hilo — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kealakehe

Jordan Donahue, Damien — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, three RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored in a win over PAC-5

Jacob Filio, Aiea — Allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits with two strikeouts and five walks in six innings pitched in a loss to Campbell

Milton Gainey III, Damien — Allowed three hits with one strikeout and no walks in a five-inning shutout win over PAC-5

Noah Gaspar-Takahashi — Allowed one hit with one strikeout and two walks in four scoreless innings of relief in a win over Kalani

Blake Hadama, Castle — Batted 3 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored in a win over Kalani

Kapena Hoopai, Seabury Hall — Batted 2 for 2 with three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over St. Anthony

Jamin Kalaola, Campbell — Allowed five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in 5 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in a win over Aiea

Richard Kaluau, Kealakehe — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, sacrifice, three RBI and a run scored in a loss to Keaau

Luke Kaniho, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 2 with three RBI and a run scored in a win over Kohala

Delvin Ongais-Kilaulani, Keaau — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kealakehe

Cole Mayeshiro, Mililani — Allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a complete-game win over Kapolei

Alek Miyasato, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Hanalani

Koby Moananu, Kaimuki — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Nanakuli

Mason Moananu, Kaimuki — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and three RBI in a win over NAnakuli

Kanen LaMonica, Seabury Hall — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over St. Anthony

Stone Parker, Kailua — Allowed two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in six innings pitched in a loss to Kaiser

Brock Perreira, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk and three RBI in a win over Kalaheo

Kiyo Perry, Saint Francis — Allowed two runs, one earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game win over Saint Louis

Ryan Ragual — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kealakehe

Kalai Rosario, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 4 with with a home run and two RBI in a win over Hilo

Donald Saltiban, Hilo — Batted 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI in a loss to Waiakea

Jonny Shimabukuro, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in a win over Hanalani

Korrey Siracusa, Mililani — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple and an RBI in a win over Kapolei

Andrei Stoyanow, Kapolei — Allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 6 1/3 innings pitched in a loss to Mililani

Hailama Swartman, Maryknoll — Allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5 1/3 innings pitched in a win over PAC-5

Quinn Tanaka, Seabury Hall — Batted 4 for 5 with two RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over St. Anthony

Scott Wong, PAC-5 — Allowed two unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and five walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Maryknoll

Jacob Yoshino, Mid-Pacific — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, double, four RBI and a run scored in a win over Damien


BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Chris Afe, Farrington — Had 11 kills, a solo block and a block assist in a three-set win over Castle

Craig Agni, Waipahu — Had 14 digs, three aces and one assist in a three-set win over Mililani

Craig Albinio, Castle — Had 15 kills and seven digs in a three-set loss to Farrington

Eleu Choy, Farrington — Had 17 assists, eight digs and four kills in a three-set win over Castle

Bradyn Hipa, Kalaheo — Had 13 digs, two aces and an assist in a three-set win over Kaimuki

Trent Matsuba, Mililani — Had 14 digs and an assist in a three-set loss to Waipahu

Jaysen Matsumoto, Castle — Had 28 assists and one kill in a three-set loss to Farrington and had 18 assists, one kill and a solo block in a two-set win over Kailua

Jude Pauulu, Radford — Had 11 kills, seven digs, two aces, two solo blocks and two block assists in a three-set win over Pearl City

Jeremiah Perifanos-Taamu, Pearl City — Had 13 kills, seven digs, two aces and an assist in a three-set loss to Radford

Blu Kurt Puyaoan, Radford — Had 29 assists, eight digs and two block assists in a three-set win over Pearl City

Cameron Reimer, Pearl City — Had 27 assists, seven digs and one block assist in a three-set loss to Radford

Ken Sachio Boctot, Waipahu — Had 13 kills, seven digs and three block assists in a three-set win over Mililani

Joshua Santana-Kaio, Waianae — Had 23 assists, three kills and an ace in a two-set win over Waialua

Eric Schlitzkus, Pearl City — Had 19 digs in a three-set loss to Radford

Bradly Tacata, Waipahu — Had 11 kills and nine digs in a three-set win over Mililani

Keanu Tenorio, Radford — Had 13 digs and three aces in a three-set win over Pearl City

Tyler Wemple, Kalaheo — Had eight kills, seven digs, six assists and five aces in a three-set win over Kaimuki


GIRLS WATER POLO
Ashley Badis, Campbell — Scored three goals in a loss to Kalani

Jazaniah Bambao, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over Castle

Porsha Brandt, Kalaheo — Scored seven goals in a win over Waialua

Lauren Croll, Roosevelt — Scored three goals in a win over Pearl City

Leila Anne Figueroa-Kapahu, Castle — Scored five goals in a win over Pearl City

Angel Grabow, Kalani — Scored three goals in a win over Campbell

Kelsey Kano, Castle — Scored three goals in a loss to Kaiser

Selma Koo, Kalani — Scored three goals in a win over Waialua

Camryn Tabiolo, Moanalua — Scored five goals in a loss to Roosevelt and scored three goals in a win over Pearl City

Linnea Tucker, Waipahu — Scored three goals in a loss to Mililani


SOFTBALL
Christiana Aholelei, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and three RBI in a win over Roosevelt

Nohea Akana, Radford — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, RBI, stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Kaimuki

Jessica Cameros, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kohala

Katie Carlos, Mililani — Hit a three-run home run in a loss to Pearl City

Lyndsey Carvalho, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Keaau

Maliyah Donaldson, Radford — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kaimuki

Taylor Estrada, Mid-Pacific — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, triple, double, stolen base, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over PAC-5

Maiyah Faleafine-Lesu, Pearl City — Allowed two runs, one earned, on five fits in 4 2/3 innings of relief in a win over Mililani

Kaalea Hanawahine, Mid-Pacific — Allowed one unearned run on one hit with nine strikeouts and four walks in a complete-game win over PAC-5

Aliya Harmon, Baldwin — Batted 4 for 4 with a home run, double, five RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Maui

Nohea Hee, Maryknoll — Doubled, walked and drove in three runs in a win over Kamehameha

Tiari Hernandez, Pearl City — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBI in a win over Mililani

Jolene Hirata, Waiakea — Batted 4 for 5 with three RBI and four runs scored in a win over Hilo

Cheylin Imai, Kohala — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Prestyne Kaimi-Montira, Kapolei — Batted 3 for 4 with two doubles, a walk and four RBI in a win over Waianae

Kawai Kauahi-Raquel, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 4 with two doubles, three RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Kau

Kellie Kitano-Maguire, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Kalaheo

Dioni Lincoln, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 4 for 4 with a triple, double, walk, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kohala

Johnacy Mackwelung, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 6 with three doubles and six RBI in a win over Keaau and batted 3 for 5 with three RBI and a run scored in a win over Hilo

Maiah Motta, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBI in a loss to Maryknoll

Marissa Nishihara, Mid-Pacific — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, walk, two RBI and a run scored in a win over PAC-5

Tracie Okumura, Mililani — Batted 2 for 3 with a sacrifice and two runs scored in a loss to Pearl City

Kaylee Roberts, Radford — Batted 2 for 3 with three stolen bases and two runs scored in a win over Kaimuki

Raven Rosa-Lasco, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI in a win over Kalaheo

Caydees Santella Delima, Moanalua — Hit a three-run home run in a win over Kalaheo

Noel Saunders, Pearl City — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI in a win over Mililani

Honor Siu-Auelua, Radford — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, a walk, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kaimuki

Taylor Sullivan, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, walk, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kau

Halee Sweat, Waiakea — Allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks in a four-inning win over Keaau and allowed two hits with seven strikeouts and five walks in a five-inning shutout win over Hilo

Kalia Tabiolo Amaral, Kohala — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Jessasha Tanoue-Kekona, Baldwin — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, walk, two RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Maui

Kyler Tsukada, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 2 with an RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kalaheo



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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