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Cyres Lacar

Waialua volleyball  •   #1  U  Senior

The Waialua boys volleyball team is in good hands with Cyres Lacar.

Lacar, a senior setter for the OIA Division II champion Bulldogs, played a pivotal role in his team's thrilling come-from-behind five-set win over Kailua in last Wednesday's league final. He tallied 39 assists, along with 17 digs and five kills to lead Waialua to its first OIA title in program history.

"He's my floor general," Bulldogs coach Jerry Keola said of his 5-foot-7 captain. "His overall leadership and his setting is what the boys needed to make that run to get to the finals."

Waialua had three players record double-digit kills and a fourth finish one kill shy of that mark. Jaris Ablao led the way with 13 kills and 10 digs, Keoni Nahoopii racked up a dozen kills with seven digs and Shane Kelly notched 11 kills, seven digs and two aces. Middle blocker Dayton Quick had nine kills and nine digs.

Lacar's set distribution wasn't necessarily by design, Keola noted, but rather dictated by the flow of the game.

"I don't think he even looks at the numbers. I think more or less he looks at the overall progression and what he can give his team. Everything runs through him and what he decides and what he's going to give certain guys and with his mental approach to the game and how he sees things he's shown many times that he can make the right decision," Keola described.

Keola has worked to instill a sense of empowerment in Lacar when it comes to his decision making. Lacar's five kills against zero attack errors on 10 swings against Kailua is evidence that he is becoming quite proficient in his craft.

"It's not how hard we hit a ball, it's how smart we play the game and he knows he has to out-think the opponent. If his hitters aren't putting the ball away, he himself has to look for other opportunities and make it so that teams have to worry about him if he can be a threat as well," Keola said.

Lacar has certainly come a long way considering he started the season is a different position altogether.

"He was actually my libero and I had Shane Kelly setting at the time. Cy was always willing to do whatever for the team wherever I put him," Keola said.

As a sophomore two years ago, Lacar was the primary setter for the junior varsity team, which made it to the OIA D2 title match.

"I always loved the way his hands performed and he did wonders for us at the JV level. He also was a libero on JV, he could go to (defensive specialist) also – it didn't really matter," Keola said.

As a junior in 2023, Keola shifted Lacar to libero, but he came off the bench as a reserve. It wasn't until the second match of the regular season this spring – a four-set loss to Mililani – that Lacar moved back to the setting position.  

"Shane was still setting for us going into the Mililani game, but during the match I had to make changes and I decided at that time to switch it up, so Kaua (Kahaulelio) moved to libero and I had Cyres set in a 5-1 (system) and even though we lost in four, that showed me right there that he stood out from the rest. He actually showed me that his desire, his overall confidence, his maturity had grown even more from his sophomore year with me as a JV player, to coming off the bench helping out the team (as a junior) to now, but all along you saw that in him, how much he wants it and how he'll do whatever it takes to help his team out," Keola said.

The Bulldogs lost their first two matches in the OIA West to top D1 teams Campbell and Mililani, but since the change in lineup, has won nine of their last 10 matches.

"He has a pure instinct for the game and he's willing to work. Whatever us as coaches give him, he's willing to go ahead and do it. He communicates well to us and to his teammates, so these guys wouldn't be performing without the assists from him. Often times setters get overlooked – we definitely have a strong hitter in Shane Kelly, Kaua is a great backrow player for us now as a libero, we got a strong blocker with Dayton — but it's because of Cyres and his overall confidence and leadership that we were able to turn things around," Keola said.

Lacar recorded a season-high 45 assists in his very first match as the starting setter, a four-set win at Leilehua on March 18. He posted back-to-back double-doubles in early April with 44 assists and 10 digs against Aiea and 34 and 10 versus Radford two nights later.

"I expected a lot from him and he's shined all the way through. I can't ask more from him than what he's given me already and I'm just proud of him and proud to be a part of the journey with all these boys, especially with Cyres. He's done a lot and he's not a club player, but he's just a natural talent; He's a natural at what he does and I'm inspired by the way he takes it to the game," Keola said.

In addition to his skillset, Lacar also has a penchant for remaining even-keel through any given situation – a character trait that made Lacar an easy choice as a team captain.

"He shows no emotion and that's why I chose him as a captain, because I know some of my other guys, if they have to go see the ref for a call, Cy would be the calmest of them all. He'll just hear out the ref, come back calmly and let us know, but there would be no rebuttal or anything like that. Cy would be the type of player that I think any coach would love to have," Keola shared.

Lacar, who plays all six rotations, has developed into a coach on the court for the Bulldogs, whose roster of 15 players is made up of 10 seniors and five juniors.

"He brings in an assertive confidence to the guys knowing that whatever he is going to do, he's going to do it for the team and he wants all the boys to be in there together and not to be on each other if we're making mistakes. He's the type of guy to pick up our guys and he'll tell the boys that we have to bring the best out of ourselves and that he needs the passes to run things and the boys respond, but his calmness talking through the situations and not pressuring out and just giving the boys what they need as far as the sets – most setters would get frustrated but he's just calm and he'll just fight through. I think the boys listen to him and follow his lead," Keola said.

Fittingly, as Keola points out, it was Lacar who got the final kill of the match to ignite Waialua's championship celebration at Radford's Jim Alegre Gymnasium Wednesday.

"He saw that corner open and he has the knowledge the whole-court vision and can implement it and execute it," Keola said.

Outside of volleyball, Lacar spends much of his time with his family. He plans on attending Grand Canyon University with the hopes of walking on to the men's volleyball team.

As for the Bulldogs, Keola describes the reception from the community since their triumph as a "non-stop roller coaster.

"Families and members of the community have been coming out and congratulations these young men on a job well done and I'm just happy to be a part of bringing a title to Waialua for the boys' program, it's overwhelming. I'm truly blessed to coach these young men and I can't say how happy I am for them and their community," Keola said.

Waialua (9-3) is seeded fourth in this week's New City Nissan/HHSAA Division II State Championships and will play fifth-seeded Molokai (9-0) in Thursday's quarterfinal round. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Kalani's Earl C. Holmer Gymnasium.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Jaris Ablao, Waialua — Had 13 kills, 10 digs, two assists and one ace in a five-set win over Kailua 

Braden Albrecht, Maui — Had 15 kills, three total blocks and one dig in a three-set win over Baldwin and had 10 kills and 2 1/2 total blocks in a five-set win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Aukanalii Arcala, Castle — Had 12 kills and one total block in a three-set loss to Mililani and had 12 kills, three total digs and two digs in a five-set win over Campbell 

Jaycen Bush, Moanalua — Had 14 kills, eight digs and two assists in a five-set win over Mililani 

Kaleb Cui, Kailua — Had 22 kills, 12 digs, 3 1/2 total blocks and one ace in a five-set loss to Waialua 

Dezi Deliz, Campbell — Had 19 digs, seven assists, one kill and an ace in a five-set loss to Castle 

Tyler Duranceau, Mililani — Had 18 kills and one-half block in a three-set win over Castle and had 20 kills, 14 digs and one assist in a five-set loss to Moanalua 

Andrew Guzman, Maui — Had 28 assists and two total blocks in a three-set win over Baldwin and had 48 assists, two total blocks and one dig in a five-set win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Hua Haramoto, Kekaulike — Had 16 digs in a three-set win over Lahainaluna and had 25 digs and four aces in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Maui 

Helston Hertin, Kekaulike — Had 30 assists and one-half block in a three-set win over Lahainaluna and had 38 assists, three kills and one total block in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Maui 

Piikoa Kamoku, Kamehameha-Maui — Had 23 assists, 18 digs and six kills in five-set win over Kekaulike 

Shane Kelly, Waialua — Had 11 kills, seven digs, two aces, two blocks and one assist in a five-set win over Kailua 

Austin Kepani, Kekaulike — Had 16 digs in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Maui 

Kanekoa Maielua-Kekiwi, Kamehameha-Maui — Had 10 kills, 23 digs and one and a half total block in a five-set win over Kekaulike 

Aris Mateo, Mililani — Had 18 kills in a three-set win over Castle and had 18 kills, five digs, two assists and one-half block in a five-set loss to Moanalua 

Julius Momoe-Mitchell, Campbell — Had 10 kills, one dig and one total block in a three-set loss to Moanalua and had 25 kills, eight digs, two total blocks, one assist and an ace in a five-set loss to Castle 

Mozaic Mulipola, Campbell — Had 18 kills, five digs, one assist and one-half block in a five-set loss to Castle 

Keoni Nahoopii, Waialua — Had 12 kills and seven digs in a five-set win over Kailua 

Wyatt Perry, Kekaulike — Had 11 kills and two total blocks in a three-set win over Lahainaluna and had 13 kills and 1 1/2 blocks in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Maui 

Cody Pili-Rumusod, Castle — Had 29 assists, 11 digs, one total block and an ace in a three-set loss to Mililani and had 12 kills, 18 assists, six digs, one ace and one-half block in a five-set win over Campbell 

Damien Pili-Rumusod, Castle — Had 15 digs and two assists in a three-set loss to Mililani 

Luke Prangnell, Maui — Had 11 kills, seven digs, one ace and one-half block in a three-set win over Baldwin and had 28 kills, eight digs, two aces and one total block in a five-set win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Jake Rosales, Campbell — Had 23 assists and one dig in a three-set loss to Campbell and had 48 assists, 11 digs, three kills, two aces and two total blocks in a five-set loss to Castle 

D'Angelo Ross, Moanalua — Had 10 kills and 1 1/2 blocks in a three-set win over Campbell and had 13 kills, 2 1/2 total blocks and one dig in a five-set win over Mililani 

Ezekiel Sablan, Moanalua — Had 11 kills, 2 1/2 blocks and two digs in a three-set win over Campbell and had 20 kills, five digs and 3 1/2 total blocks in a five-set win over Mililani 

Shiloh Santos, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in six innings pitched in a win over Konawaena 

Pau Spencer, Kamehameha-Maui — Had 21 digs, 17 assists, eight kills, one ace and one total block in a five-set win over Kekaulike 

Elijah Stovall Wright, Kekaulike — Had 12 kills and one total block in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Maui 

Jesse Tuipulotu-Davidson, Kailua — Had 40 assists, nine digs, seven kills, two total blocks and two aces in a five-set loss to Waialua 

Malu Wilcox, Moanalua — Had 29 assists, eight digs, one kill, one ace and one total block in a three-set win over Campbell and had 56 assists, 11 digs and four kills in a five-set win over Mililani 

Tai Wittenburg, Kekaulike — Had 13 digs, eight kills and one total block in a five-set loss to Kamehameha-Maui 

BASEBALL

Kasyn Amazaki, Iolani — Allowed three hits and two walks with one strikeouts in 4 2/3 scoreless innings pitched in a win over PAC-5 and batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Saint Louis 

Bruce Boucher, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and three RBI in a win over Saint Louis 

Laakea Correa, Saint Louis — Allowed one earned run on five hits with two strikes and four walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Kamehameha 

Nariyuki Dumlao, Maui — Batted 3 for 4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored in a win over Baldwin 

Mana Heffernan, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 2 with a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and a run scored 

Tanner Fujino, Maryknoll — Walked twice, stole a base and scored three times and allowed three hits and four walks with four strikeouts in six scoreless innings of relief in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Hoko Gaspar, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 2 with a triple, double, one RBI and two runs scored in a win over Iolani 

Coen Goeas, Mid-Pacific — Batted 3 for 5 with a walk, one RBI and one run scored in a loss to Maryknoll 

Braden Gomes, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Drove in a run and scored twice and allowed no hits with five walks and four strikeouts in four scoreless innings pitched in a win over Konawaena 

Kolby Gushiken, Saint Louis — Struck out four batters and walked two and did not allow a hit in four scoreless innings pitched in a win over Iolani 

Kamaka Ili, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Konawaena 

Bob Manintin, Kapaa — Allowed one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks in eight innings pitched in a win over Kauai 

Jayden Montero, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and two walks in a win over Saint Louis 

Chandler Murray, Mid-Pacific — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, three walks and three RBI in a loss to Maryknoll 

Greyson Osbun, Kamehameha — Allowed two hits and four walks with five strikeouts in five innings pitched in a win over Saint Louis 

Judah Ota, Iolani — Batted 2 for 2 with a triple and one walk in a win over Maryknoll 

Noah Palea, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Konawaena 

Lincoln Pang, Saint Louis — Allowed two earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Kamehameha 

Jacob Remily, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, one walk and two RBI in a win over Mid-Pacific and batted 1 for 2 with a double, one walk and an RBI and allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 4 1/3 innings of relief in a loss to Iolani 

Kapono Sullivan, Kauai — Allowed two runs on two hits with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 7 1/3 innings pitched in a loss to Kapaa 

Luke Swartman, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 5 with three RBI and one run scored in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Isaiah Weeks, Iolani — Allowed one hit and one hit with three strikeouts in four shutout innings pitched in a win over Maryknoll 

Keola Young, Mid-Pacific — Allowed one run on five hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in 7 2/3 innings pitched in a loss to Maryknoll 

Leilani Lebrun-Ward

Konawaena softball  •   #00    Junior

Leilani Lebrun-Ward has come a long way in her three years on the Konawaena softball team.

While much of that growth has come between the lines of the diamond, Lebrun-Ward has matured immensely outside of her sport.

"She's stepped up big. When she was a freshman, like anybody else, she had issues with grades and just had to come an athlete and understand what it takes, the commitment," Konawaena coach Jacob Medeiros said of Lebrun-Ward, a junior right-handed pitcher and corner infielder.

Lebrun-Ward has been in the starting lineup since her freshman year, but only took to pitching (due to necessity) as a sophomore.

"When Leilani was a freshman we had a senior pitcher and since she graduated Leilani has stepped up to the plate with pitching," Medeiros explained.

Despite only picking up pitching a year ago, Lebrun-Ward has put in the work to become the Wildcats' top pitcher this spring. When she's not in the circle, Lebrun-Ward is typically holding either first or third base. Offensively, Medeiros usually slots her into the middle of the batting order.

"We kind of move her around, but we usually have her batting around fifth or sixth," he said.

Lebrun-Ward came through with her bat Saturday in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II third-place game against Honokaa. She had a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate with two doubles, five runs batted in and four runs scored. Lebrun-Ward also drew a walk and recorded four stolen bases while batting out of the seventh spot in the 24-3 win in four innings over the Dragons.

"I wasn't so much surprised, but I was glad because she works hard in practice and she doesn't have the biggest bat," Medeiros said of the 5-foot-10 junior.

"She's one of our taller and bigger girls and you would think that she would have power, but she makes contact and she has a good eye. At practice she does alright, but in the game she does better. Sometimes it's the other way around, but she's different so I was happy with her hitting in that game and that drives her confidence up, too. If she does good with hitting, her pitching improves, too, because she has confidence," Medeiros said.

As for her work in the circle Saturday, Lebrun-Ward scattered nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts to get the win. Medeiros was especially pleased with her command that day.

"That was good and that's one thing that we talk about a lot, that if anything, they gotta earn it. We gotta make them earn it as much as we can and not give them any free passes with walks. Sometimes you run into batters that are really good, (but) as long as we keep it close and make them work for it, I mean, other than a few big batters, go at ‘em and I think she did really well with that," Medeiros said.

Lebrun-Ward faced a total of 19 batters. She threw 33 of her 48 total pitches for strikes.

"She hit her spots, that was the main thing. She doesn't have a vast variety of pitches, but she's hitting her spots and she's starting to understand now that accuracy comes before velocity, so we want her to trick these hitters and she's starting to understand the game, she's starting to understand how to read hitters and the mental side of the game she's really coming around and starting to grasp why we do things a certain way," Medeiros said.

Most of Medeiros's players do not play club softball, which means there is much work to be done during the high school season for the third-year varsity coach and his one assistant coach, who happens to be his wife, a former Konawaena softball player herself.

"That's the thing about us, there's not much of a feeder program, so it's a new thing for a lot of them but now they're starting to understand and love it," Medeiros said.

Lebrun-Ward's love for the sport has grown, for sure.

"When softball is in season she works a job and drives her own car and when we first started up for this season she was working, but had to adjust her schedule. She told her mom that she loves softball and if she's not working she wants to spend time on softball and that was a big turnaround that's now paying off for her," Medeiros said.

Although she does not play club softball, Lebrun-Ward still found ways to improve on her own.

"Coming from where she was as a freshman to now as a junior, she's really stepped up. She worked hard in the offseason and took it upon herself to get better by watching videos about pitching, so she's really started to love the sport and she's taking it serious," Medeiros said.

Lebrun-Ward can be outspoken at times, Medeiros described, but is a consummate teammate at the end of the day.

"She's not afraid to speak her mind and most of the time it's good. Sometimes some of the girls will take it the wrong way, but I remind them that it's constructive and she's there to help you, so they take it and they take it quite well sometimes, but she will give it in a nice way and just as a teammate should do, she'll back you up; She's there for them," Medeiros said.

Just as she can dish it out, Lebrun-Ward also handles being on the receiving end of constructive criticism effectively.

"She can have a strong personality at times. She likes to talk, she communicates real well and helps out her teammate. She'll step up to the plate and she doesn't get ruffled too easily. She always has a good attitude and it doesn't matter if she gets behind on the count, or if she's getting hit, she'll take it with a grain of salt and she'll just keep working," Medeiros added.

Medeiros has witnessed first-hand the maturation process that Lebrun-Ward has undergone since her days as a freshman.

"She's worked hard as far as her grades and her attitude. She's really matured and that's what I like and the focus that she's giving," Medeiros said. He pointed out that while the team doesn't have any captains by title, Lebrun-Ward is certainly in a position of leadership.

"We had a bunch of issues at the beginning of the season with a lot of them and so we decided that because we have a bunch of juniors, that we weren't going to label anyone as a captain, but just have everybody as a team on equal ground and run with it and she definitely has that leadership role that she has filled," Medeiros said.

The win over Honokaa Saturday was a milestone one for Medeiros and his players. The victory secured the school's first state tournament berth since 2018, when it placed fourth in Division II. Medeiros's own daughter, Jayla, was a freshmen catcher/infielder for the Wildcats that season.

"I think that was the farthest Konawaena went. We beat Aiea and Kapaa that year and ran into Saint Francis (in the semifinals) – I think that was their last year – and I did mention that to our players, that there was an opportunity for us to go to states and they really took to it," Medeiros said.

The Wildcats' run to a spot in the state tournament might have seemed unlikely after an 0-4 start to the BIIF season – including a 14-4 loss in five innings to Honokaa on March 23.

"We got TKO'd from them when we played them during the season, but our girls kept working, kept climbing and kept grinding. There were moments where it was like a roller coaster, but they kept working and having fun and it paid off, so it's big for them to get this far and the girls are super excited and I'm proud of them, but they know we have more work to do," Medeiros said.

Lebrun-Ward and the Wildcats (4-8) will play in one of four first-round games at McKinley next Tuesday. The bracket for the DataHouse/HHSAA Division I and II State Championships is expected to be revealed in the coming days. The tournaments culminate with a championship doubleheader next Friday at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on the UH-Manoa campus.

SOFTBALL 

Mahealani Alayon, Kailua — Batted 3 for 5 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kalaheo 

Kailey-Ann Apigo, Konawaena — Batted 3 for 3 with a walk, RBI, three stolen bases and four runs scored in a win over Honokaa 

Sydney Capello, Punahou — Batted 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored in a win over Maryknoll 

Tehani Chinen, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double and three RBI in a loss to Kealakehe and batted 2 for 3 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kealakehe 

Kasi Cruz, Maryknoll — Tripled, drove in three runs and scored a run in a win over Punahou 

Rhea Furtado, Kapaa — Batted 3 for 4 with two stolen bases and four runs scored in a win over Waimea 

Taryn Ho, Punahou — Drew three walks, stole three bases and scored a run in a win over Maryknoll 

Shannon Inere, Kailua — Batted 2 for 4 with a walk, four RBI and a run scored in a win over Kalaheo 

Sheyzhelle Iokia, Maryknoll — Batted 3 for 4 with a home run, double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Punahou 

Rihanna Joaquin, Kealakehe — Batted 2 for 4 with a walk, two RBI, one stolen base and four runs scored in a win over Waiakea 

Leila Kahalewai, Baldwin — Homered and drove in four runs in a win over Maui 

Jayda Kaimi, Waiakea — Batted 1 for 3 with a walk and three RBI in a loss to Kealakehe 

Kiani Kaneshiro, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, double, one walk, seven RBI and four runs scored in a win over Kealakehe 

Emma Kapule, Kailua — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, two walks, one stolen base and four runs scored in a win over Kalaheo 

Charlize Kenney, Kapaa — Batted 2 for 5 with two home runs, one walk and three RBI in a win over Waimea 

Maddie Kodani, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kealakehe 

Jerzie Lopez, Konawaena — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, one walk, three RBI, three stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Honokaa 

Brianna Maio-Silva, Baldwin — Batted 3 for 4 with three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Lahainaluna 

Pollyanna Melekola, Lahainaluna — Batted 1 for 1 with two walks and three RBI in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Bailey Nagasako, Baldwin — Batted 3 for 3 with home run, triple, double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Lahainaluna and batted 2 for 3 with a home run, double and three RBI in a win over Maui

Zabree Neizman, Lahainaluna — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, one walk and three RBI in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Lennel Olaivar-Sugse, Baldwin — Allowed four runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game win over Lahainaluna and allowed three hits and one walk with one strikeout in four scoreless innings pitched in a win over Maui 

Lahela Painter, Baldwin — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, double, two stolen bases and two runs scored in a win over Maui 

Scottie Santiago, Kailua — Batted 2 for 3 with two walks, three RBI, one stolen base and a run scored in a win over Kalaheo 

Jennalyn Sniffen, Maryknoll — Homered, drove in three runs and scored twice in a loss to Punahou 

Meghan Spencer, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double, three RBI, one stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Kealakehe 

Jhayda Rose Turner, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 3 with two walks, five RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Kealakehe 

Sienna Yamashita, Kapaa — Batted 2 for 4 with two doubles, one RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Waimea 

Jasmyn Yoshikawa, Baldwin — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Lahainaluna 

GIRLS WATER POLO

Kailie Kalepa, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored three goals in a loss to Iolani 

Kyra Lurito, Iolani — Scored five goals in a win over Lahainaluna 

Alexi Sueoka, Iolani — Scored three goals in a win over Lahainaluna and scored four goals in a win over Kamehameha-Maui