ARE Hawaii's high school athletes getting better? Or is the world just getting smaller? Exceptional was the
rule in prep athleticsIt's probably a combination of the two. But whatever the reasons, an unprecedented number of local prep athletes received national recognition this school year.
Kalaheo's Nate Adams in soccer. Iolani's Erin Stovall in basketball. Kamehameha's Dane Sardinha and Iolani's Keoni DeRenne in baseball.
Not one, not two, but three guys -- Ed Taamu (Iolani), Mike Souza and Kaione Crabb (both Punahou) -- ranked nationally in the track and field power events, the shotput and the discus.
It goes on and on.
And then there are others, who -- although they might not be considered blue-chip college athletic prospects -- turned in incredible performances to match or surpass more highly-touted competitors.
Punahou's Parker McLachlin outshot Michael Jordan (on the golf course) and might be Touring with Tiger in a few years. But the defending champ was upset by Norman Asao from Hawaii Baptist in the state tournament a few weeks ago.
And just last week, Danny Kimura -- who is not even the top prospect on his own team -- belted a national record three home runs in one inning for Iolani.
A couple of days later, Matt Stevens capped one of the most outstanding track and cross- country careers in Hawaii prep history by sweeping the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs at the state meet.
In true distance-runner fashion, he operated in the shadows as the sprinters, jumpers and weight men broke eight state meet records.
What did Stevens do? He merely scored all of the 18 points that allowed Hawaii Baptist's boys to tie for third in the state. (Castle's Bryan Clay accomplished a similar yet very different feat, winning the 100, 200 and 110 hurdles for all of the Knights' 18 points.)
In state tournaments going on now, strong neighbor island entries challenge the big names from Oahu in baseball and girls' basketball shows its depth as the Iolani team led by Stovall -- a second-team All-American based on her performance last year -- didn't make the tournament.
We don't even have space here to get into volleyball and football, where local products are commonly All-Americans in the former and being sought after by more big-time colleges each year in the latter.
IT was truly a spectacular year for high school sports in Hawaii. But even if you take away the superstars and the outstanding performances, it was still a great year.
Every year's a great year -- because there are always lots of guys like Dean Yonamine, the Iolani baseball coach, who gave up a career in law to teach and coach at his alma mater. Yesterday he spent four hours writing personal thank-you letters to his 29 players. "It got pretty emotional when I got to the seniors," Yonamine said.
Every year's a great year -- because there are always lots of schools like St. Francis, where 150 of the 400 enrollees played sports this year. There are no nationally-recognized athletes at St. Francis (although several will continue to compete in college). But there are 150 young women who learned about competition and discipline, valuable lessons of winning and losing and teamwork. And they had fun.
The Troubadours, like Yonamine, come back. At Saturday's athletic banquet, five former St. Francis athletes who are now coaches at the school introduced and honored their teams. Although championships were few, the feelings of accomplishment and ohana were strong.
"In my day, we just kind of ran up and down the court," said principal Sister Joan of Arc Souza, a former St. Francis basketball player. "But I'm a true believer in the value of athletics. Students who play sports have a better chance of staying out of trouble."
Yes, it was a spectacular year in Hawaii high school sports. And -- as always -- a great year.
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at reardon@aloha.com.
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