Posted on: Thursday, June 5, 2003
Akiona to coach girls soccer team at Mililani
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Ray Akiona has been promoted to head coach of Mililani High School's girls soccer team, one of the state's most successful programs, athletic director Glenn Nitta announced yesterday.
Akiona, 49, has been assistant junior varsity coach for two years and long involved in community programs.
He replaces James Uson, who retired after coaching Mililani's girls into the last three state championship games and winning in 2002.
Akiona inherits a record of 51 consecutive O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division games without a defeat, dating to 1998. But Akiona is used to that. The Mililani junior varsity teams he helped coach have not lost a game in the three years the OIA has had JVs.
"I'm honored to step into (the position)," Akiona said. "It's a great program and has great tradition. I'm honored to follow in the footsteps of James Uson and Charles Esperas (who won six OIA and two state championships before Uson)."
Akiona is a supervisor for quality assurance at Pearl Harbor. Now he will supervise a different kind of quality assurance.
Uson's assistants and head JV coach Dennis Sanders did not apply for the job.
Uson, 46, said he retired to have more time with his two daughters. His record, not counting preseason, was 89-13-6. His teams were 60-3-5 in the OIA Western Division.
Nitta also announced that long-time assistant James Keamo has been appointed head girls varsity volleyball coach, replacing Rudy Sombrano, who wants to follow his son in high school sports.
COACHING VACANCIES
• Mililani: Varsity girls basketball. Mail resumes to Glenn Nitta, Athletics Director, Mililani High School, 95-1200 Meheula Parkway, Mililani 96789. Replacing Kris Tamondong, who resigned. Deadline June 30.
• Sacred Hearts: Varsity girls basketball and varsity and junior varsity bowling. Fax resumes to 732-6524 or mail to Sacred Hearts Academy, Athletic Department, 3253 Wai'alae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816.
