The Saint Francis junior and Kalani senior turned in championship performances last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Jesus Garcia, Saint Francis volleyball
Jesus Garcia's best attribute, according to his coach Dandi Holder, is an intangible one.

"Definitely it's his leadership," said Holder, the seventh-year Saint Francis boys volleyball coach.

Garcia proved his coach right last week, leading the Saints to three wins in as many days to capture their first New City Nissan Division II State Championship.

The 5-foot-11 junior setter posted 36 assists, three digs, two kills, three service aces and one solo block in a sweep of Konawaena in Thursday's quarterfinals. He posted 65 assists, eight digs, three kills, one block assist and an ace in a five-set win over Molokai in the semifinals Friday and followed that up with 35 assists, six kills, five digs, four aces, two solo blocks and three block assists in a five-set win over Kapaa in Saturday's championship final.

"For me it was so overwhelming. My heart is so overjoyed. To this day I'm still crying," Holder said.

Saint Francis, the No. 2 seed, faced a two-set deficit against top-seeded Kapaa Saturday before rallying to win the next three sets. That was just one night after going five sets against Farmers.

"(Garcia) was a very big part of that," Holder said. "Throughout the season he wasn't as active as much, but when it came to those matches in the state tournament he came alive, he took matters into his own hands, he starting dumping balls, he had a lot of kills himself as a setter and from what I saw in the state tournament he was probably the most active setter of all of them."

Garcia was selected by the media and HHSAA as the tournament's most outstanding player and was one of four Saints named to the all-tournament team.

"He's so humble hearted and he's so thankful," Holder said. "All his hard work throughout the years paid off. We don't have many volleyball players at Saint Francis — he's one of our only volleyball players — so to see all his hard work he's put in pay off is so nice."

Holder and the Saints relied heavily on Garcia's volleyball knowledge to get through an arduous Interscholastic League of Honolulu season.

"He's literally traveled all around the United States playing with different coaches, playing with different clubs, learning different aspects of the game. He's pulling guys left and right all over the court, telling them where to go, where to stand for serve-receive and he's basically a coach on the court," Holder said.

Garcia, a starter since his freshman year and a six-rotation player, has grown up in a single-parent household as the middle of three children. Holder said Garcia's upbringing has played a big part in who he has become.

"His mom is a strong person, they have a strong family with his grandma, his aunty, his uncle — they've all contributed into raising him," Holder said. "They have such big hearts and they're such nice people and it radiates throughout the whole family," Holder said.

Garcia's leadership paid dividends for the Saints, who won their final seven matches of the season and captured the ILH Division II crown.

"I think his leadership role gets overlooked by many other coaches," Holder said. "He's real quiet, he's more on the timid side, but if you actually get to know him and see how he interacts with his team, you know that leadership is there. He may not say much, but when we talked as a team during the season and asked them who they want to be their leader, they all pointed to Jesus and said, ‘him.' They all respect him and they embrace him."

Holder is hopeful that the state title will open up doors for the program.

"We have football players out here, linemen, basketball players, so I hope it will bring more volleyball players to Saint Francis knowing that along with a great educational program, they can also participate in a volleyball program that is starting to establish itself," Holder said. "One of our players this year, Lanson Umufuke, never touched a volleyball before this season, but when you have athletes who listen and want to learn that's all it takes."

Female Athlete of the Week: Zoe Tateyama, Kalani judo
Saturday's Atlas Insurance Agency Judo State Championships served as sweet redemption for Zoe Tateyama.

The Kalani senior won the girls' 139-pound weight class to capture her second individual crown in her final match as a high school judoka. Tateyama won all four of her matches Saturday by ippon (full point), including a stunning upset of Mid-Pacific sophomore Charlize-Jasmine Pascual-Tabuyo in the championship final.

After winning the 129-pound title as a freshman back in 2015, Tateyama placed third at the same weight the following year before falling to Pascual-Tabuyo in the 129 final last season.

"I think it was just her determination to try and do better than last year that put her over the top Saturday," Kalani coach Jensen Yoshimoto said, whose team finished third in the final standings for the second year in a row. "It was a good win for us."

Tateyama, the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion, was seeded second in the state bracket behind Pascual-Tabuyo. Tateyama defeated Aiea's Angel Tengan in the first round, then topped Kamehameha's Kiari Aveiro in the quarterfinals before dispatching Punahou's Noelle Nakaoka in the semifinal round.

In her finals match, the 5-foot-2 Tateyama appeared end the match quickly after putting Pascual-Tabuyo on her back after their opening exchange. However, the ippon that was initially called by the center referee was taken off the board after the two side judges waived off the score.

"I don't think that really affected her much because when I talked to her about it, she said she actually wanted to play more so she didn't feel it was a score herself, but I thought it was," Yoshimoto said.

Pascual-Tabuyo was issued a shido (penalty) later in the match to put Tateyama ahead. Tateyama eventually ended it a ko soto game (minor outer hook) for ippon with just 34 seconds left in the four-minute match.

"I thought her semifinal match was going to be tough, but she pulled through that and that finals match I thought would be a hard one, too, but she rose to the occasion and played a good match," Yoshimoto said.

Tateyama, who weighed in at 129.6 pounds Saturday morning, was emotional after the victory, but not out of joy.

"After the match she was really concerned about (Pascual-Tabuyo). She was actually crying because she thought CJ got hurt," Yoshimoto said.

Yoshimoto said the experience of losing as a sophomore was a humbling one for Tateyama, who came into the Falcons' program as a well-established youth judoka.

"To be honest, I think she always had a lot of confidence, but I think if anything, her sophomore year she actually learned what it is to lose and I think that was part of the growing experience for her, too," Yoshimoto said. "It taught her that things aren't that easy because I think losing was something that she never experienced much of and I think that made her into a better player."

Over the years Tateyama has made great strides in her newaza (mat work), Yoshimoto said.

"When she was a freshman she told me that she doesn't need to have good newaza because she throws everybody, but she's really become a solid player on the ground," Yoshimoto said.

Part of what Yoshimoto will miss about Tateyama is her easy-going demeanor.

"She's just kind of a happy person, someone who has always kind of had a happy personality," Yoshimoto said. "She always seems like she's having a good time. She doesn't get all tense or anything; she's just always kind of relaxed and happy and she's always pleasant to be around, always willing to help out. She was probably the biggest cheerleader on the team. This year she really stepped up as a leader of the team. She was one of the co-team captains this year, so she kept everything going."

Yoshimoto added that Tateyama was able to push through back pains to show continual improvement.

"She's always had back issues, that's been kind of ongoing, but she always seemed to work through. She's always been a solid player, but she's always improved herself through the years; she never did plateau," Yoshimoto said.

Tateyama is a member of Team Hawaii, a high school all-star team that will compete in a prestigious tournament in Fukuoka, Japan in July. She plans to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa and pursue a career in nursing.

BASEBALL
Christian Ontai, Leilehua — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk and two runs scored in a win over Hilo

Logan Respicio, Hilo — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, RBI and a run scored in a loss to Leilehua

Mason Yamashiro, Leilehua — Batted 3 for 3 with a run scored and a stolen base in a win over Hilo

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Rockwell Adolpho, Molokai — Had 27 kills, 16 digs and three block assists in a five-set win over Kalani and had 25 kills, 15 digs, two block assists, one solo block and an ace in a five-set loss to Saint Francis

Craig Agni, Waipahu — Had 21 digs, two assists and one ace in a five-set win over Kaiser

Chevy Agustiro, Molokai — Had 19 digs, one kill, one solo block, one ace and an assist in a five-set win over Kalani

Rusdan-Rocket Ahuna, Kapaa — Had 40 assists, seven digs, two kills, five block assists and one ace in a five-set win over University Lab, had 31 assists, three aces, two digs and one kill in a three-set win over Pearl City and had 30 assists, 10 digs, two kills and two block assists in a five-set loss to Saint Francis

Kanai Akana, Punahou — Had 10 kills, five digs, three block assists, three aces and one assist in a three-set win over Mililani, had 11 kills, three digs, one block assists, one ace and an assist in a four-set win over Kealakehe and had 13 kills, eight digs, two block assists and two aces in a three-set win over Moanalua

Joshua Awai, University Lab — Had 15 kills, two digs and one ace in a five-set loss to Kapaa

Walter Berthold, Saint Francis — Had 16 digs and two assists in a three-set win over Konawaena, had 26 digs, three assists and one kill in a five-set win over Molokai

Denniel Carreon, Maui — Had 26 assists, 13 digs and one solo block in a four-set win loss to Mililani

Kiran Costa, Kapaa — Had 20 kills, five digs, two block assists and two aces in a five-set win over University Lab and had 15 kills, seven digs, four block assists and two aces in a three-set win over Pearl City

Kainoa Ferguson, Moanalua — Had 11 kills, two digs, five block assists, three aces and one assist in a three-set win over Kamehameha-Hawaii and had 15 kills, 11 digs, one solo block, an ace and a block assist in a four-set win over Iolani

Cole Fukumitsu, Moanalua — Had 51 assists, 11 digs, one kill and a solo block in a four-set win over Iolani

Trent Goo Sun, University Lab — Had 40 assists, six digs, seven block assists, three kills and one ace in a five-set loss to Kapaa

Chance Guillermo, Mililani — Had 24 assists, 11 digs, seven kills, four aces and two block assists in a four-set win over Maui

Mofuike Hafoka, Saint Francis — Had 13 kills, one dig and a solo block in a three-set win over Konawaena, had 20 kills, six digs, one block assist and an ace in a five-set win over Molokai and had 12 kills, 16 digs, one block assist and an ace in a five-set win over Kapaa

Shane Harimoto, Iolani — Had 21 assists, five digs and one ace in a three-set win over Kapolei, had 30 assists, six digs and one kill in a three-set win over Kamehameha-Maui and had 48 assists, eight digs, two solo blocks, one kill and a block assist in a four-set loss to Moanalua

Cole Hogland, Iolani — Had 14 kills, seven aces, two digs and one block assist in a three-set win over Kamehameha-Maui, had 22 kills, six digs, four solo blocks, two assists, one block assists and an ace in a four-set loss to Moanalua

Isaiah Hooper, Kealakehe — Had 19 kills, eight digs, four assists and six block assists in a four-set win over Waipahu

Nathaniel Johnson, Mililani — Had 19 kills, two digs, one block assist and an assist in a four-set win over Maui and had 15 kills, 14 digs and two block assists in a three-set win over Waipahu

Samuel Kahapea, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 21 kills, seven digs, three solo blocks, one ace and an assist in a five-set win over Waianae

Blaze Kahikina, Waianae — Had 21 kills, 11 digs, two block assists, one solo block and an assist in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Isaiah Kalima-Izumi, University Lab — Had 27 digs, four assists and one ace in a five-set loss to Kapaa

Albert Kawelu, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 24 digs and two aces in a five-set win over Waianae

Kawika Lee, Iolani — Had 12 kills and 14 digs in a four-set loss to Moanalua

Kalai Leopoldo, Moanalua — Had 16 kills, 14 digs, one block assist and an ace in a four-set win over Iolani

Wembley Mailei, Saint Francis — Had 27 kills, six digs and an assist in a five-set win over Molokai and had 17 kills, three digs, one solo block, one block assist and an assist in a five-set win over Kapaa

Caele Manley, Molokai — Had 24 digs and an assist in a five-set loss to Saint Francis

Davin Masanda, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 55 assists and seven digs in a five-set win over Waianae

Trent Matsuba, Mililani — Had 21 digs and an assists in a three-set win over Waipahu

Jameson McKibbin, Punahou — Had 25 assists, four digs, two kills, one block assist and an ace in a three-set win over Mililani and had 40 assists, six digs, two block assists, one kill and an ace in a three-set win over Moanalua

Leimana Naki, Kalani — Had 52 assists, nine digs, four kills, two block assists and one ace in a five-set loss to Molokai

Isaiah Nakoa-Oness, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 23 kills, 10 digs, two solo blocks, one block assist and an ace in a five-set win over Waianae

Justin Paleka, Kapaa — Had 26 digs, four assists and one ace in a five-set win over University Lab and had 19 digs, three assists and two aces in a five-set loss to Saint Francis

Ikaika Pali, Kealakehe — Had 44 assists, 11 digs, one kill and a block assist in a four-set win over Waipahu and had 27 assists, 13 digs and three kills in a four-set loss to Punahou

Jeremiah Perifanos-Taamu, Pearl City — Had 12 kills, seven digs, four aces, two block assists and one assist in a three-set win over Hawaii Prep and had 13 kills, four digs, two aces and an assist in a three-set loss to Kapaa

Austin Peters, Kamehameha-Maui — Had 25 assists, six digs and three kills in a three-set win over Mililani

Keison Poaha Alcon, Molokai — Had 42 assists, eight digs, three kills and two block assists in a five-set win over Kalani and had 42 assists, seven digs, one kill and a block assist in a five-set loss to Saint Francis

Ken Sachio Boctot, Waipahu — Had 14 kills, 12 digs and one assist in a five-set win over Kaiser and had 14 kills and 10 digs in a four-set loss to Kealakehe

Joshua Santana-Kaio, Waianae — Had 51 assists, eight digs, four kills, two block assists and one ace in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Eric Schlitzkus, Pearl City — Had 16 digs and four assists in a three-set win over Hawaii Prep

Max Slaughter, Moanalua — Had 14 kills, 14 digs and one assist in a four-set win over Iolani

Jacob Summers, Kaiser — Had 20 kills, 17 digs, three block assists, one solo block and an assist in a five-set loss to Waipahu

Bradley Tacata, Waipahu — Had 22 kills, 11 digs, five block assists and one assist in a five-set win over Kaiser, had 21 kills and eight digs in a four-set loss to Kealakehe, had 16 kills and three digs in a three-set loss to Mililani

Michael Tacata, Waipahu — Had 26 assists, 14 digs, one kill and an ace in a five-set win over Kaiser

Keoni Thiim, Kalani — Had 31 kills, eight digs, four assists and an ace in a five-set loss to Molokai

Kala Thurston, Hawaii Prep — Had 14 kills, 10 digs and a solo block in a three-set win over Kalani

Seth Tina-Soberano, Kalani — Had 16 kills, 11 digs, one solo block, one assist and two aces in a five-set loss to Molokai

Anthony Trevino, Kealakehe — Had 24 kills, 11 digs, one solo block, one block assists, one ace and an assist in a four-set win over Waipahu and had 16 kills, five digs, one block assist and an ace in a four-set loss to Punahou

Ryan Van Cantfort, Iolani — Had 11 kills, 10 digs and two aces in a four-set loss to Moanalua and had 15 kills, two digs and an ace in a two-set win over Kealakehe

Ocean Vuong, Kalani — Had 15 digs and two assists in a three-set loss to Hawaii Prep

Ryan Wilcox, Punahou — Had 13 kills, six digs, two block assists, two aces and one assist in a three-set win over Mililani, had 15 kills, three digs, two block assists and one solo block in a four-set win over Kealakehe and had 17 kills, five digs and four aces in a three-set win over Moanalua

GIRLS WATER POLO
Porsha Brandt, Kalaheo — Scored three goals in a loss to Kahuku

Rebecca Buenrostro-Gallimore, Baldwin — Scored seven goals in a win over Kalaheo and scored three goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Ava Countryman, Kahuku — Scored three goals in a win over Kalaheo

Dakota Delos-Reyes, Lahainaluna — Scored three goals in a loss to Roosevelt

Laakea Dedrick, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over Kahuku and scored three goals in a win over Punahou

Elle Foehr, Kalaheo — Scored three goals in a loss to Kahuku

Christina Hicks, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Mattea Jergovic, Kalaheo — Scored five goals in a win over Kealakehe

Danielle Kauahi, Punahou — Scored four goals in a win over Kaiser

Emma Kim, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over Moanalua

Dillyn Lietzke, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Kaiser

Kanoko Niimura, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over Kapolei and scored four goals in a win over Roosevelt

Grace Rittenhouse, Kahuku — Scored three goals in a loss to Kamehameha

Lahela Rosario, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored six goals in a win over Roosevelt

Shaye Story, Kamehameha — Scored four goals in a win over Moanalua and scored three goals in a win over Kahuku

Emiko Tajima, Roosevelt — Scored four goals in a win over Lahainaluna

Maiana Villegas, Kealakehe — Scored five goals in a loss to Kalaheo

Sophie Wilson, Kahuku — Scored three goals in a win over Kalaheo

JUDO
Jennie Fuamatu, Pearl City — Won the girls 220-pound weight class for her second consecutive individual state title

Amanda Higa, Moanalua — Won the girls 115-pound weight class for her second individual state title

Xiaolin Mai, Roosevelt — Won the girls 103-pound weight class for her second consecutive individual state title

Kailer Okura, Kalani — Won the boys 198-pound weight class for his second consecutive individual state title

Precious Tampos, Waipahu — Won the girls 98-pound weight class for her second consecutive individual state title

Mayu Wise, Mililani — Won the girls 129-pound weight class for her third consecutive individual state title

Chase Wusstig, Moanalua — Won the boys 178-pound weight class for his second consecutive individual state title

Noah Wusstig, Moanalua — Won the boys 145-pound weight class for his third consecutive individual state title

SOFTBALL
Aloha Akaka, Maryknoll — Hit a grand slam, drew a walk, scored twice and recorded three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Iolani

Nyssa Barfield, Lanai — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBI in a loss to Waimea

Katie Carlos, Mililani — Drove in three runs, drew a walk and scored a run in a loss to Pearl City

Seraya Casco, Lahainaluna — Allowed two runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and no walks in a complete-game win over Baldwin

Maiyah Faleafine-Lesu, Pearl City — Allowed three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5 1/3 innings pitched and batted 2 for 3 with a double and a walk in a win over Mililani

Taryn Fujioka, Pearl City — Batted 3 for 3 with a stolen base in a win over Mililani

Aliya Harmon, Baldwin — Allowed one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts and five walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched in a loss to Lahainaluna

Nohea Hee, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, walk, four RBI and a run scored in a win over Punahou

Kieren Henderson, Waimea — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, two walks, three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Lanai

Tiari Hernandez, Pearl City — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, double, walk and three RBI in a win over Mililani

Baylie Kahele, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run scored in a win over Iolani

Shandalyn Kuhlmann, Waimea — Allowed three earned runs on eight hits with two walks and a strikeout in six innings pitched in a win over Lanai

Ini Marshall, Kapaa — Batted 3 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored in a win over Waimea

Ashanti Martinez, Punahou — Hit a three-run home run in a loss to Maryknoll

Kahilu McNicoll, Maryknoll — Allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and four walks in 4 1/3 innings pitched and batted 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Iolani

Starlynn Ripley, Waimea — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, two walks, three RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Lanai

Shalyn Rivera, Kapaa — Batted 2 for 4 with four RBI in a win over Waimea

Tia Takasaki, Kapaa — Allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks in four innings of relief and batted 3 for 3 with a double, two walks, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Waimea

Liliana Thomas, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI in a win over Punahou

Leiko Yamauchi, Waimea — Batted 2 for 3 with three RBI in a loss to Kapaa

TENNIS
Alyssia Fossorier, Punahou — Won the girls singles state championship
 
Andre Ilagan, Farrington — Won his second straight boys singles state championship

Sean Yamamoto and Scott Yamamoto, Iolani — Won the boys doubles state championship

Betsy Wo and Clarise Huang, Punahou — Won the girls doubles state championship