Posted on: Wednesday, December 10, 2003

ISLE FILE
Oyama resigns at Kaimuki

Advertiser Staff

Ronald Oyama said yesterday he has resigned as varsity football coach at Kaimuki High.

Oyama coached at Kaimuki for the past 13 seasons, the last five as the varsity head coach. The Bulldogs finished 0-8 this past season in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red East. The last-place finish means they will go to the White, or Division II, next season.

Oyama said he needs to earn more college credits to improve his standing in the Department of Education pay scale.

"If I take classes, it's going to be hard to make a commitment (to coaching)," he said.

In his five seasons as coach, Oyama compiled a 25-24-1 record, leading the Bulldogs to three postseason appearances. The Bulldogs made their only state tournament appearance in 2000. They beat Hilo on the Big Island in a quarterfinal, but lost in the semifinals to Kahuku, the eventual state champion that year.

Oyama's successor has not been named.

He is the second football coach to resign since the end of the season. Jake Kawamata left at Leilehua and was replaced by Nolan Tokuda, who coached the JV team.

SURFING

• Carroll, DeSoto win at Ma'ili: Nathan Carroll of Sunset Beach and Duane DeSoto of Makaha took top honors at the Quiksilver Pro men's surfing contest last weekend at Ma'ili Point.

Carroll won the shortboard division, edging Maui's Cheyne Magnussen in the final.

"The waves were perfect, the best size and conditions for a contest," Carroll said of the 4- to 5-foot waves.

Jamie O'Brien placed third and Nick Mita was fourth.

DeSoto won the longboard division, defeating three other O'ahu surfers in the final. Joey Valentin placed second, followed by Bonga Perkins and Kekoa Uemura.

The contest was the third of five stops on the Macy's E-Series, which was created to help prepare Hawai'i surfers for international competition.

• Contests postponed: The Xbox Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters and Billabong Pro Maui were both postponed for the second consecutive day yesterday because of declining wave heights.