Top Performers
Ronquilio sets the table for Chargers; Capello quietly leads Raiders to ILH title




Christian Ronquilio

Pearl City volleyball  •   #8  S  Senior

Pearl City boys volleyball coach Sean Chang is careful not to pigeonhole Christian Ronquilio as just a setter.

Ronquillo, a 5-foot-9 senior, has proven his worth — and capabilities — over his two seasons as the team's starting setter.

"I describe him as an athlete," Chang said. "He's really athletic. He can jump, he's strong and he gets the ball where it needs to go."

Ronquilio has put those all-around skills on display all season for the Chargers (11-2) and especially last Wednesday, when he helped Pearl City retain the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II championship with a sweep of then-No. 10 Nanakuli.

He tallied 27 assists to go with six digs, two aces, one kill and a block assist in the Chargers' 25-21, 25-18, 25-19 win over the Golden Hawks. But Ronquilio's contributions aren't fully conveyed by the statistics.

"Something that he's really improved on is his serving," Chang described. "He got the two aces, but he put (Nanakuli) out of system a lot and they couldn't get their offense going because of it and the numbers don't show that. Even though they weren't aces, he got us points by serving tough."

In addition to his tough serving, Ronquilio did his part to produce a balanced offensive attack for Pearl City. Outside hitters Keahi Kaneakua and Fati Seei-Tofi put down 12 and 11 kills, respectively, and middles Tiandrew Timanao and Ethen Long combined for nine kills.

Chang credited Ronquilio for his decision-making and for sticking to the game plan of not overly relying on Seei-Tofi.

"We went in knowing that other hitters side would have to win us the game. Fati would get us points, but at some point our other hitters would have to step up, so it validates Christian, but he also went along with the game plan that we were trying to push through," Chang said.

The win marked the ninth consecutive victory for the Chargers since a four-set loss to Nanakuli in the regular season. All but two of their victories during their current win streak were sweeps, including all three of their OIA tournament matches.

"I think from the regular season to these playoff games, he made a lot of improvements in terms of his decision-making and he's showed a lot of his setting abilities in these past two games," Chang said of Ronquilio. "He's blocked well, he got a handful of dumps as well, so he's pretty offensive. He's been kind of like our playmaker out there, setting everybody up and getting up every second ball, so he's pretty important to our team success and I think he's doing a great job."

Ronquilio's club volleyball experience comes through when he plays, his coach said.

"I think he has a pretty good grasp of the game. I'm not sure who kind of coached him up on it — maybe his father, maybe his club coaches — but he has a pretty good idea of what he wants to do out there in the game of volleyball, but not just with the Xs and Os, but he's also good about keeping up team morale and providing leadership, so that really helps along with his grasp of the game," Chang detailed.

Along with his feel for the game, Ronquilio also has his thumb on the pulse of the team.

"He'll be encouraging when he needs to be and he'll do what he needs to do, whether it's bringing energy, or defense, especially because he's a guy with more experience than other guys on the team," Chang said. "He's played in club, so his game knowledge kind of helps him to show — not just him talking, but him showing — what should happen and how we should be and how we can be and things like that."

Ronquilio, the floor captain for the Chargers, is a six-rotation player. Chang said that the team tinkered with a six-hitter, two-setter system earlier in the season, but ultimately opted to keep Ronquillo as the lone ball-handler in a 5-1 attack.

"We started in a 5-1 and then we noticed we were getting stuck in certain rotations, so we always wanted the option of having three front-row hitters and that's why we tried the 6-2, but with two people setting versus one, it's harder to be consistent so even though we lost that extra hitter when Christian was in the front row, we found it was more consistent when there was only one setter," Chang divulged.

While Ronquilio — who also plays soccer for the Chargers during the winter sports season — is all business on the court, he's anything but off of it.

"The kid is goofy," Chang laughed. "He's an interesting kid, but I mean, you kind of see it every now and then on the court, but off the court the kid is goofy."

Pearl City has won the last three OIA D2 championships and 12 in program history. It captured back-to-back crowns under Chang in 2018 and 2019, but the 2020 season was canceled and the league played exhibition games last year.

"We've been hearing that term three-peat a lot, but for us and especially this team, it doesn't feel like we've been winning these titles. Even though it's three in a row technically, but for this team it's just this one," Chang said. "But the boys are super excited. It's been pretty positive, we've been getting a lot of congrats; it's a source of pride in the community at the moment and we're getting a lot of attention for it."

Ronquilio and the Chargers are seeded fourth in this week's New City Nissan/HHSAA D2 State Championships. They open the eight-team tournament against fifth-seeded Konawaena in Thursday's quarterfinal round. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center on the Saint Louis School campus.

BASEBALL

Nuu Contrades, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 2 with a home run, stolen bases, two RBI and was intentionally walked in a win over Iolani 

Trent Ihle, Iolani — Allowed two earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk in 6 2/3 innings pitched in a loss to Saint Louis 

Kaimana Lau Kong, Iolani — Batted 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run scored in a win over Kamehameha 

Spencer Rego, Saint Louis — Allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Iolani 

Jace Souza, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk and three rBI in a loss to Iolani 

Beau Sylvester, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 5 with a home run, double, sacrifice fly and five RBI in a loss to Iolani 

Makani Tanaka, Iolani — Batted 3 for 5 with four RBI and a run scored in a win over Kamehameha 

Kaleb Tenn, Iolani — Allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Kamehameha 

Travis Ujimori, Iolani — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, two walks, three RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Kamehameha 

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Aiden Allred, Konawaena — Had 12 kills, two aces and a block assist in a three-set win over Hawaii Prep 

Micah Espejo, Kau — Had 10 kills, eight digs, one ace and a set assist in a three-set loss to Pahoa 

Manase Fetulimoeata, Mililani — Had 13 kills a in a three-set win over Roosevelt 

Kelson Gallano, Kau — Had 21 assists, three aces and two digs in a three-set win over Kau 

Kailen Kamakeeaina, Pahoa — Had 15 kills, eight digs, four block assists, two set assists, two aces and a solo block in a three-set win over Kau

Keahi Kaneakua, Pearl City — Had 12 kills, three digs, two aces and an assist in a three-set win over Nanakuli 

Keanu Kawaa, Moanalua — Had 10 kills in a three-set win over Kaiser and had 24 kills, six digs, five aces and a block assist in a three-set win over Mililani 

Makoa Kekaula Van Gieson, Nanakuli — Had 13 kills, eight digs, two block assists and a solo block in a three-set loss to Pearl City 

Tevita Levaka, Konawaena — Had 12 kills, four block assists, three digs, two aces and a set assist in a three-set win over Pahoa 

Travis Nakamoto, Konawaena — Had 31 assists in a three-set win over Hawaii Prep and had 28 assists, six digs and three block assists in a three-set win over Pahoa 

Kealiikoa Reyes-Nalu, Kau — Had 14 kills and 11 digs in a three-set loss to Pahoa 

Christian Tafao, Moanalua — Had 11 kills, three aces and a block assist in a three-set win over Kaiser 

Micah Wana, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 12 kills, six digs, two aces, two block assists and a solo block in a three-set win over Waiakea




Allie Capello

Iolani softball  •   #22  INF/P  Senior

Allie Capello walks quietly and swings a big bat.

Not many know that better than Benny Agbayani, Capello's coach on the Iolani softball team.

"I've known her since she was a baby," said Agbayani, a family friend of the Capello's and Allie's father, Josh.

He's seen her maturation from a toddler to a teenager — and into one heck of a softball player. As a freshman in 2019, Capello batted .423 with nine home runs, 42 runs batted in and 27 runs scored. She earned All-Hawaii First Team honors that year.

The Raiders captured the Division I state championship that spring — a first for the program since it won back-to-back crowns in 1999 and 2000 — and Capello claimed a spot on the all-tournament team.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic began just as her sophomore season was getting underway. In the only three games her team played in 2020, Capello collected four hits in 12 at-bats, with nine RBI and seven runs scored.

During last year's truncated ILH season, Capello batted .391 (9 for 23) with 12 RBI and 10 runs scored.

Back in November, the Iolani senior signed her national letter of intent to play for the University of the Pacific (Stockton, Calif.).

"I've watched her grow up and she's matured and became a better softball athlete over the years and she goes about it very quietly. She just goes out there and gets the job done," Agbayani said. "I think what makes Allie special is just her attitude and the way she carries herself as a very quiet leader."

Capello quietly put together a productive week for the Raiders in three wins in the ILH double-elimination tournament last week.

In last Monday's 5-3 win over Kamehameha, Capello had an RBI-single and picked up the save after she set down the only three batters she faced in the top of the seventh inning.

Two days later in a 9-8 win over Maryknoll, Capello drew a four-pitch walk in her first plate appearance. She eventually came around to score one of three Iolani runs in the bottom of the first. Her RBI-sacrifice fly in the the fourth gave her team an 8-7 lead.

Capello was the last of four pitchers the Raiders used against the Spartans. She allowed only one hit in two innings of work and got the win as the pitcher of record.

Iolani and Maryknoll faced off again Friday afternoon for the ILH second-round title. Capello pitched five innings of three-hit ball. She allowed two runs and scattered six walks but did not factor into the final decision — at least, not in the pitching circle. With the bat she slugged a two-run home run in her first trip to the plate. Capello also walked twice, scored once and drove in another run.

"At the end of the day when you get that W, you look at all those little things that won us the ball game, all the little things that the team did and what Allie did," Agbayani said. "I think her bat was coming around. She was kind of up and down and those three games, when we needed her, the consistency came out."

Capello, who hits third in the Raiders' lineup, is batting .326 this season (14 for 43) with four home runs and 12 runs scored. Her 17 RBI ties her for third in the ILH D1 ranks.

"With a bat in her hand she's very deadly. She's one of those types of hitters that you tell her what you need and she'll get the job done," Agbayani said.

Capello has logged 20 innings in the pitching circle. Her five innings of work against the Spartans Friday was her longest outing of the year.

"She gives us that one-two punch with her and Ailana," Agbayani said in reference to his daughter, a senior shortstop and pitcher. "They back each other up and they're both seniors so it's their time to lead."

When Capello's not pitching, she's either playing the outfield or holding down first base.

"Defensively she has a great arm, she makes the plays and her presence out on the field is very good being a four-year starter on the varsity," Agbayani said.

Given his personal connection with Capello, Agbayani said the nature of their relationship is first-rate.

"She knew my expectations and what was expected out of her, but at the same time I just didn't want to put a lot of pressure on her coming in her freshman year and trying to do too many things, but I think she's handled herself very maturely and she's done a good job," Agbayani said. "It's one of those things where you see someone grow up before your eyes and soon she's gonna go off and play in college and I think it's a great opportunity for her right now."

But before Capello goes off to play for the Pacific Tigers, she has about a week left as an Iolani Raider.

Although Capello and co. captured the state championship back in 2019, last Friday's win over Maryknoll secured the Raiders with their first ILH title since 2009.

"I'm just glad that we won the ILH," Agbayani expressed. "It's a thing where you don't look for it — you shoot to go play in states — but winning ILH is one of those bonus things and I was very happy for them. They just went out there, relaxed and played and let everything fall into place and everything did in favor of us, so we're grateful for that."

Iolani climbed two spots to No. 3 in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings. It has won six of its last seven games entering next week's DataHouse/HHSAA State Championships.

"I think the girls are very satisfied, especially the seniors who went to states their freshman year, to now win ILH and get to go back to states. They worked hard in the offseason and during the season they've been grinding it out and that's what they need to do," Agbayani said.

Capello and the Raiders (10-3) are seeded first in the 12-team state tournament, which gets runs Monday through Thursday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. They have a first-round bye and will open against either Maui or No. 4 Campbell in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal Tuesday. 

GIRLS WATER POLO

Maile Cacal, Lahainaluna — Scored four goals in a win over Baldwin 

Mikaela De Aguiar, Baldwin — Scored five goals in a loss to Lahainaluna

SOFTBALL

Alana Agbayani, Iolani — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in a win over Maryknoll and batted 2 for 3 with a double, two walks, four RBI and a run scored in a win over Maryknoll 

Breli Agbayani-Shibao, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, walk, three RBI and a run scored in a loss to Iolani 

Mariah Antoque, Kamehameha — Hit a three-run home run in a loss to Iolani 

Montana Cababag, Aiea — Batted 2 for 2 with two doubles a walk, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kahuku 

Latysha Charley, Kaimuki — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored in a loss to Waialua 

Logan Chun, Waipahu — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Waialua 

Kendalyn Cordeiro-Felise, Waipahu — Batted 4 for 5 with a home run, two doubles, eight RBI and three runs scored in a win over Nanakuli 

Aliyah Crowley, Waialua — Batted 3 for 5 with a home run, double, three RBI, a stolen base and four runs scored in a win over Aiea 

Cairah Curran, Campbell — Batted 3 for 3 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Roosevelt and batted 4 for 4 with a double, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Kaiser 

S. Dumlao, Maui — Batted 3 for 4 with an RBI in a loss to Baldwin 

Hailey Flint, Nanakuli — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Aiea and batted 3 for 3 with two home runs, a double, a walk, three RBI and three runs scored in a loss to Waipahu 

Kawehi Grace-Campbell, Waialua — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, walk, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kaimuki 

Mya Grado, Pearl City — Batted 2 for 2 with a double, three walks, two stolen bases, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Castle 

Maddi Hatanaka, Kalani — Batted 3 for 5 with two stolen bases and two runs scored in a win over Pearl City 

Anela Hernandez, Waialua — Allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk in five innings pitched and batted 2 for 5 with two RBI and a stolen base in a win over Kaimuki 

Christen Horita, Kalani — Batted 3 for 5 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Pearl City 

Moani Ioane, Kapolei — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Campbell and batted 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in a win over Mililani 

Taryn Irimata, Campbell — Struck out 11 and walked none in a four-inning no-hitter against Roosevelt and struck out 10, walked three and allowed two hits in a complete-game shutout of Kaiser 

B. Kahalehau, Maui — Batted 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored in a loss to Baldwin 

Chancre-Lynn Kelley, Waianae — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Moanalua 

Teiah Keliiholokai, Campbell — Batted 4 for 4 with a double, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over Roosevelt and batted 2 for 2 with two home runs, one walk and six RBI in a win over Leilehua 

Mackenzie Kila, Mililani — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, two walks, three RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Leilehua 

Kolby Kochi, Mililani — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, walk, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Leilehua 

Kaiana Kong, Campbell — Allowed one unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts and one walk in a five-inning win over Leilehua 

Lexus Kotrys, Nanakuli — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, two walks, three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a loss to Waipahu 

Kai-Lee Kupihea, Kapaa — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Waimea 

Breeann Leong, Leilehua — Batted 2 for 2 with a home run, two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kailua and allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks in a complete-game win over Kalani 

Jerzie Liana, Kapolei — Hit a three-run home run and allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and four walks in a complete-game win over Campbell and batted 2 for 4 with a run scored and struck out five, walked one and allowed three hits in a complete-game shutout of Mililani

Seijia Makanani, Kapaa — Struck out nine, walked three and allowed two unearned runs on two hits in 6 2/3 innings pitched and batted 3 for 6 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Waimea 

Puakea Milbourne, Kapolei — Batted 4 for 4 with a home run and three runs scored in a win over Campbell 

Kira Moananu, Kaimuki — Allowed three hits with two strikeouts and no walks in a five-inning shutout of Kahuku 

Paige Nakashima, Campbell — Batted 3 for 6 with two home runs, six RBI and four runs scored in a win over Roosevelt and batted 2 for 4 with three RBI in a win over Kaiser 

Kailee Nera, Kaimuki — Batted 4 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Waialua 

Kelsea Onomura, Pearl City — Batted 3 for 4 with a home run, double, walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Kalani 

Makayla Pagampao, Mililani — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Leilehua 

Trislynn Panganoran, Leilehua — Batted 4 for 5 with a double, three RBI, two stolen bases and a run scored in a win over Kalani 

Savanna Simons, Kapaa — Batted 3 for 5 with two RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Waimea 

Makanani Sonognini, Baldwin — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Lahainaluna and batted 4 for 4 with two RBI and a stolen base in a win over Maui 

Kehaulani Tambaoan-Kaeo, Waianae — Allowed one run on six hits with 10 strikeouts and four walks in a complete-game win over Moanalua 

Keira Uegawachi, Kaiser — Allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts and four walks in a complete-game win over Kalani 

Syan Yamamoto, Waipahu — Batted 3 for 3 with two stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Waialua and batted 2 for 4 with a double, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Nanakuli 

Ryanne Yoshimura, Waipahu — Batted 4 for 5 with a walk, RBI and four runs scored in a win over Nanakuli 



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




Show your support

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help ScoringLive continue its mission to provide the best and most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in the state of Hawaii and beyond.

Please consider making a contribution today.

ADVERTISEMENT


MORE STORIES

Castle takes down Kaiser in four sets to keep pace in OIA East

Cody Pili-Rumusod had nine kills and a game-high 35 assists to pace the Knights, winners of four straight...

Radford wins on walk-off wild pitch to turn back Kalaheo

Mataio Tauanuu batted 4-for-4 and scored the game-winning run in back-and-forth game for the Rams.

Punahou continues unbeaten streak, hands Kamehameha second straight loss

Third-ranked Warriors suffered consecutive losses in the regular season for the first time since 2017.

No. 4 Iolani rallies to hand No. 1 Kamehameha first ILH loss

Ethan Akagi and CJ Taira scored the winning runs for the Raiders off a wild pitch to hand the top-ranked...

Punahou pulls away from PAC-5 to notch first ILH win

The Buffanblu ended a five-game skid and broke into the win column to keep the Wolfpack winless in the...

Kalani's Nishigaya headlines All-OIA East selections

Forward/midfielder Kaiulani Nishigaya helped lift Falcons to first-ever league title; Kaiser's Noelani...