Posted on: Friday, October 4, 2002

Punahou, Iolani play for ILH lead

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

They play together on the same team five days a week for three months all summer, then split to their separate campuses and immediately become intense Interscholastic League of Honolulu rivals.

"There's not a lot of secrets," when Iolani and Punahou water polo teams meet, says Iolani coach Mark Cornish. "The boys' season starts right after summer. It comes down to who can do the fundamentals the best."

First fundamental test of this season will be at 6:15 tonight at Iolani. Both are 2-0 in the ILH.

The ILH plays two rounds and a tournament, so depending on how the wins and losses work, Cornish explains, the teams could play five times in the next month before a league champion is determined.

Punahou has won the last two titles and taken six straight from Iolani in the process, but the Raiders have their best team since their last championship in 1999.

"We're playing a lot stronger than last year," Cornish said. "We have a real solid six people in the pool. Our confidence is high and we're all excited to get it on."

Junior goalie James Street, senior shooting leader Tim Brown and junior defender Damon Jones are Iolani's nucleus.

Punahou's Ken Smith, who co-coaches the Hawaiian Islands team with Cornish in the summer, says the Buffanblu's strength is the versatility and senior leadership of C.J. Smith, Robby Field, Kyle Morgan and Forrest Schwartz.