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Emayo's big day propelled Waimea; Sacred Hearts' Ng picking up where she left off




Aukai Emayo

Waimea football  •   #11    

Aukai Emayo is not a vocal person by nature, but the play of the Waimea senior Saturday afternoon surely spoke volumes.

Emayo, a 5-foot-7, 155-pound running back registered a season-high 230 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries to lead the Menehunes to a resounding 48-7 win over visiting Kaiser in a first-round game of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II Football State Championships at Hanapepe Stadium.

Waimea coach Kyle Linoz praised the production of Emayo, who averaged 8.8 yards per carry. He found the end zone on runs of 2, 38 and 9 yards to double his TD total on the season.

"He brought it to another level on Saturday," Linoz said of Emayo, who easily surpassed the goal he had in mind entering the contest.

"In the previous week, our goal for him was 20 carries, 140 yards and two touchdowns; we had a game goal and from the start he was adamant that he was gonna be better than that and he did, alongside with the rest of the guys blocking for him," Linoz added. 

Linoz was quick to point out the supporting cast for Emayo's breakout performance in tackles Zack Vigilla and Kaizen "Bulla" Castillo, guards Dylan Bugayong and Jeremiah Harper, center Rylan Manuel, tight ends Daniel Kaohelaulii-Kala and Ethan Moniz and fullbacks Rhaziah Tacob-Taniguchi and Robbie Correa. 

"I think their job was of equal value, if not more than Aukai's," Linoz stated. "He would be the first to say that, too. Without them, he wouldn't pick-up a yard, so it was very important."

To be sure, Emayo is grateful for the help. 

"I think it's his work ethic and his unselfishness," Linoz said when asked what it is that makes Emayo special. 

"He does appreciate the fact that he doesn't do this alone. He puts in the extra work because the linemen are blocking. His effort is unprecedented; He just doesn't know how to slow down," Linoz added. 

Linoz noted that Emayo's work in the weight room is paying off for him on the gridiron. 

"For his size, he's actually a really strong guy. He's one of the strongest guys in the weight room, not just pound-for-pound, but overall and he's also one of our fastest guys, which makes him dangerous, but he likes to run through contact, which I try to discourage, but it's working so I'll try to keep with the reminders," Linoz chuckled. 

Emayo's added strength was evident against the Cougars Saturday, when he ripped off big chunks of yards out of the Warriors' run-heavy attack. 

"I don't think he went down once on first contact," Linoz recalled. "His ability to not get tackled on first contact was impressive and his vision was real good, too. He had some cutback runs where it didn't look like he had anything, but he cut back and made a big play for us a few times."

As a team, Waimea ran for 398 of its 410 yards of total offense. That, combined with a lights-out defensive effort, kept the ball in the hands of the Menehunes and at the same time, kept Kaiser's prolific offense and its quarterback, Easton Yoshino, on the sidelines. 

"That was the biggest plan for the week, was what we're gonna do to slow down that offense and we thought the best thing was to keep them on the sideline," Linoz explained. "We threw just two passes – that was the plan – and our defense held them down, which was huge because we knew how good and explosive that offense is and it kept us up all week, so I'm just glad that we were able to do our jobs on both sides of the ball."

Emayo's first touchdown run Saturday gave the Menehunes a 14-0 lead a few minutes into the second quarter. His second stretched it to a 35-7 advantage and his final trip to the end zone closed out the scoring with about four minutes remaining. It wasn't just with his play, however, that Emayo made his presence felt, Linoz pointed out. 

"The whole game he was thanking his line on the field, off the field, just with his enthusiasm and encouragement and just trying to do more. The thing is, he's really a quiet guy. In fact, we can barely get words out of him at times, but he's a leader by example. Yet he was very encouraging and vocal Saturday and I guess that surprised the linemen and they got excited and then they wanted to do more," Linoz said of Emayo, a first-year captain and second-year varsity player. 

Emayo previously had a larger role on defense as a starting free safety, but as his role grew on offense, his snaps on defense became limited, but Linoz did note that Emayo is typically in on third-down packages and on goal line defense. That's not all he does, however. 

"He plays on all of our special teams," Linoz said. "He's our kamikaze on kickoff, he's on punt coverage – he's an upback on both punt and PAT – I pulled him from returning kicks because he gets enough running on offense, but he's a hard one to pull out because he wants to be on everything."

On top of all that, Emayo is also an honor roll student and a member of the boys basketball team. 

Linoz, a former standout quarterback at Waimea and a 1991 graduate of the school, described the scheme at historic Hanapepe Stadium for Saturday's 1 p.m. kickoff. 

"That was extra special. As amazing and as nervous as we were, we were excited. Just to be in the tournament we were ecstatic (because) we had been on the short end of it for a while now, but to show people that we can also play here was great. Our fans were great, we had such great support and everything is excited," said Linoz, whose team is now one win away from its first-ever appearance in a state title game. 

Emayo and the third-seeded Menehunes (7-2) will visit second-seeded Honokaa (10-1) in one of two D2 semifinals Saturday night. Top-seeded King Kekaulike (4-6) will host fourth-seeded Nanakuli (10-1) in the other semifinal. Both games kickoff at 7 p.m. 

The winners advance to next Saturday's state final at Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium.


FOOTBALL

Mahana Alameda, Kapaa — Made four tackles and scored on a 39-yard interception return for touchdown in a loss to Waipahu 

Anu Kaina, Lahainaluna — Made 7 1/2 tackles, including one for a loss, in a loss to Aiea 

Keawe Kane-Keahi, Lahainaluna — Made four tackles, including one sack, and forced a fumble in a loss to Aiea 

Blade Kaululaau, PAC-5 — Made 10 tackles, including one for a loss, forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and ran for a touchdown in a loss to Nanakuli 

Hiki Kim Choy-Keb-Ah Lo, Aiea — Made two tackles, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in a win over Lahainaluna 

Kaimana Lale-Saole, Aiea — Ran 24 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Lahainaluna 

Allen Mahoe III, Nanakuli — Ran for three touchdowns in a win over PAC-5

Solomone Malafu, Kapaa — Made 7 1/2 tackles, including three for losses, and ran for one touchdown in loss to Waipahu 

Lester Meyers III, Nanakuli — Made 4 1/2 tackles, including two sacks, in a win over PAC-5

Kapono Na-o, Kapaa — Ran 26 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Waipahu

Tyrus Niuatoa, Waipahu — Made 1 1/2 tackles and intercepted two passes in a win over Kapaa 

Kenny Okeigar, Waimea — Made 2 1/2 tackles and scored on a 58-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Kaiser 

Ezekiel Olie, Aiea — Threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-37 passing with one interception in a win over Lahainaluna 

Nathan Pele-Tukumoeatu, Nanakuli — Ran nine times for 135 yards and a touchdown in a win over PAC-5

Donovan Reis, Kaiser — Caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and made three tackles in a loss to Waimea 

Cyprus Rombawa-Kai-Rivera, Nanakuli — Made 2 1/2 tackles, intercepted a pass and recorded four pass break-ups in a win over PAC-5

Logan Rouse, Aiea — Made five tackles, including four for losses and one sack in a win over Lahainaluna 

Romeo Tagata, Waipahu — Made 8 1/2 tackles, including 1 1/2 for losses, in a win over Kapaa 

Anieli Talaeai, Waipahu — Ran 18 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kapaa 

Liatama Uiliata, Waipahu — Threw for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 4-of-8 passing without an interception and ran 11 times for 96 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kapaa




KalysaMarie Ng

Sacred Hearts basketball  •   #4  G  Junior

KalysaMarie Ng will not have the luxury of surprising anyone on the basketball court this winter. That's because the 5-foot-5 shooting guard made herself a known commodity last year, when she sprung onto the prep hoops scene as a sophomore. 

Ng, who goes by Kalysa, earned individual recognition as both a first team All-ILH and All-Hawaii Division II selection. She also elevated her Sacred Hearts team to a runner-up finish at last February's state championships. 

Lancers coach Dr. Richard Kasuya expounded upon the expectations of Ng for this season. 

"We don't talk very much about individual goals at all, to be honest, but in talking with Kalysa her goals are to get better as a player in all aspects. She's proven that she's worked very hard over the summer, through her club program and through individual work with her family and I think that she's very committed to being better than ever this year and I'm excited to see what that means because I think the sky is the limit for her," Kasuya said of Ng, who also picked up all-tournament team honors at states last year. 

"She was a little bit of a surprise as a sophomore last year to the league, but I think everybody recognizes she's one of the elite players at her level," he added. 

In 11 league games last year, Ng averaged 12.8 points per game, which ranked fourth among all ILH D2 players. She eclipsed the 20-point mark on three occasions, including on back-to-back nights in state-tournament wins over Honokaa and Damien, when she netted 21 and 28 points, respectively. 

Sacred Hearts reeled off a string of eight consecutive late-season wins, which was ignited by a 45-23 win over Hawaii Baptist. However, the same teams faced off against one another in the state championship game, which the Eagles won by a score of 41-28. The Lancers graduated seven players from that team, but several key contributors return alongside Ng this year, including senior Nahenahe Alo and sophomore Emma Mangalao, who Kasuya expects back from injury by the middle of the ILH season. 

"Every season is a new season, we preach that like everybody else does, too, but I do think that last season gave our players a new level of confidence and a sense of belief perhaps in themselves and our system. We lost a lot, but we have a lot of talent coming back – it's not just Kalysa – but everybody's filling new roles and I think part of that is the confidence they got from last year, it definitely carried over," Kasuya said. 

Ng has certainly come a long way since she first joined the Lancers prior to the 2021-'22 season. 

"She started out on the JV and then we brought her up to varsity after the JV season was over and she was obviously outstanding for us throughout the varsity season," Kasuya said. 

Kasuya attempted to summarize Ng's wide array of skills on the hard wood. 

"Wow, where do I start? I think the first thing that catches your eye when watching Kalysa is the fact that she can really shoot the ball, said Kasuya, who called her one of the best 3-point shooters he has been around in 30 years of coaching. 

"She keeps adding to her game, too," he noted. "She's added the ability to attack the rim, she's got a nice pull-up off the dribble now, she can create for others, she has great vision, great anticipation. One thing we're continuing to work on with her is moving without the ball because obviously defenses are going to key on her."

Kasuya went on, "Defensively, she's very solid on the ball. She moves her feet and has good anticipation, she plays passing lanes very well. To be honest, she's still figuring out how good she can be. We're pushing her to be a little more aggressive and assertive offensively, because sometimes I think she cares about her teammates so much that she defers, but we're better off when she's taking shots if she has them."

Ng's defensive prowess can sometimes be overlooked, especially given her offensive production, Kasuya said. 

"She just has this tenacity, this kind of commitment to improve that I think sets special people apart – not just in terms of athletes, but people," Kasuya pointed out. "But the first time she walked into the gym as a sophomore I was just impressed with her willingness to be coached and to try to get better."

Kasuya drew a comparison for Ng to former Sacred Hearts' standout guard Dallas Martinez. 

"Same kind of qualities: just a real coachable, committed, hard-working kid and it's been a real pleasure to have her at our school; we're very fortunate," Kasuya expressed. "Like they say, someone who has that athleticism, plus puts in the effort gives you that skillset, so it's nice that she has the gifts to start with, but it's really that commitment and work ethic that sets her apart, there's no question. I think Kalysa's work ethic is really going to help her be successful moving forward, so it's really quite special."

Ng and the Lancers kicked off their season with three wins in the Matsumoto Law Group McKinley Black and Gold Classic last week. In a 37-25 win over Leilehua Wednesday, Ng scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers. In Friday's 62-28 win over McKinley, Ng matched her four 3s and finished with a game-high 19 points. She closed out the week with 14 points in Saturday's 63-27 victory over Lanai. 

"She shot the ball well, although I think she can shoot it even better as we get comfortable with our sets and our schemes, but we're obviously still a work-in-progress like everybody else is this time of the year. I think our ladies overall played better every day of the tournament and that's what we wanted to see," Kasuya said. 

Should the Lancers contend for an ILH title or eye a potential return to the state tournament, Ng, to be sure, would have a large hand in that. 

"We're better with her on the court, not just because of her scoring, but just the way she keeps it all together for us," Kasuya said of Ng, who was voted by her teammates as a co-captain this winter. "She has a huge impact on the game when she's in there, but also a big impact on her teammates on the bench, too, and that's a big part of our culture."

Ng and the Lancers (3-0) will travel to the Valley Isle this week for three non-league games against teams from the Maui Interscholastic League. They play King Kekaulike Thursday, Seabury Hall Friday and Kamehameha-Maui Saturday.


GIRLS BASKETBALL

Nahenahe Alo, Sacred Hearts — Scored 18 points in a win over Lanai 

Maile Bellevue, Mid-Pacific — Scored 15 points on five 3-pointers in a win over McKinley, scored 18 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Lanai and scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Leilehua 

Tehani Docktor, Leilehua — Scored 19 points in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Nihoaokealii Dunn, Kamehameha — Scored 21 points in a win over Konawaena 

Tavina Harris, Lahainaluna — Scored 15 points in a loss to Maryknoll 

Trislyn Maeda, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 17 points in a win over Leilehua 

Kaitlyn Maruya, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 15 points in a win over Leilehua 

Taysia Molina-Schulte, Campbell — Scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Maryknoll and scored 17 points in a win over Kamehameha 

Ledjan Pahukoa, Lahainaluna — Scored 26 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Kamehameha and scored 15 points in a loss to Maryknoll

Abby Tanaka, Iolani — Scored 16 points in a win over Campbell 

Ciera Tugade-Agasiva, Maryknoll — Scored 18 points in a win over Campbell and scored 14 points in a loss to Konawaena 



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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