Kamehameha, Iolani, McKinley win

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kamehameha surged ahead of Seabury Hall in a girls' preliminary race yesterday at Ke'ehi Lagoon. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

After a five-minute videotape replay session, officials ruled Kamehameha edged Punahou by 23/100ths of a second and awarded the Warriors their second consecutive girls state high school title in the second annual First Hawaiian Bank State Canoe Paddling Championships yesterday at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

In the other races, Iolani surged past defending champion Punahou to win the boys title and McKinley cruised past Kaua'i to win the mixed title.

In the girls race, Kamehameha and Punahou raced down the half-mile course and turned in a frantic finish that left spectators and both teams wondering who had won.

"It was really, really close," Kamehameha junior steersman Lori Nakamura said. "We had to play catch up the whole way down. At the end, we thought we came in second."

So did nearly everyone else. Upon finishing, Punahou showed winning body language by immediately raising its paddles. That was enough to convince many on the beach that the Buffanblu had won without an official announcement from the officials.

"When all the news people ran down to Punahou, I thought Punahou must have won," said Kamehameha coach Rose Lum, whose team won the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. "Obviously, our girls were sad initially. I felt if we lost, we lost by a smidgen. But we won by a smidgen."

The final results stayed in limbo for several minutes before it was learned that Kamehameha nipped Punahou 4:38:58 to 4:38:81.

"I still think we won," Punahou sophomore stroker Halli Van Lier Ribbink said. "But we went and congratulated Kamehameha and they were real excited. It's fine."

Punahou co-coach Becky Fardal said she accepted the decision by the officials and will not file an appeal.

"It was a close race," said Fardal, who guided the team to an ILH runner-up finish. "We've got to trust what they say up there in the officials' stand. That's why we have officials. There's always next year."

Head judge Lilinoe Malama said she saw Kamehameha cross the finish line first, but to make sure, she decided to consult with six other officials for the final call that took an estimated five minutes. They also replayed and "freeze framed" the videotape that showed Kamehameha winning by "a hair."

"It looked like to us that Punahou had been ahead when they were coming near to us, but Kamehameha just took up a little bit more speed towards the end," said Malama, who said the officials came to a unanimous decision after looking at the videotape. "It was like by a hair. But because it was still close, I still went ahead and asked the honchos (including Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya) to come over and look at the video, too. That way, there's not a question."

Kamehameha junior stroker Elena Bryant said her team wants a return trip to the state championships next year.

"We're happy we kept (the title) for two years," Bryant said. "And we hope we can come back next year and do it again."

In the boys race, ILH champion Iolani overtook ILH third-seed Punahou in the final quarter mile after trailing by as much as a canoe length. The Raiders won in 4:05:66 followed by the Buffanblu 4:06:58.

"It was hard," Iolani junior steersman Ian Smith said. "We had a pretty good turn and a super solid finish. We just squeaked it out."

Iolani coach Brian Yee said his team's finishing kick made up for a "ho hum" start.

"Coming up against the wind in the last quarter-mile is where they really pulled it off," Yee said. "Because our crew can do a good, slow stroke we have a little edge coming back up where we can apply a little more energy at the finish line."

In the mixed race, O'ahu Interscholastic Association fourth-seed McKinley used determination and a pocket-sized steersman to blow past the field. The Tigers won in 4:15:26 followed by Interscholastic Federation champ Kaua'i 4:23:00.

The victory was sweet for McKinley because the Tigers had made little headway in the boys and girls races earlier.

"We were so discouraged," said 4-foot-11, 113-pound senior steersman Veronique Nguyen. "After a while we just sucked it all in and used it to help win this mixed race. Our crew did awesome. Our team is really supportive. I'm so glad we got this far."

Added senior Javen Peahi: "We never expected this. My coach says everyone has to work hard and believe. That's the word: believe."

McKinley coach Joven Asuncion said the championship was a fitting end for a team that overcame numerous obstacles this season.

"They really deserved it," Asuncion said. "They all worked hard. We had a lot of ups and downs. Guys getting sick, guys getting hurt and grades. They all got together and said, 'we can do this,' and they did it."

Boys

1, Iolani (Ian Smith, Peter Van Ribbink, David Stanton, Zach Okemura, Brennan Takagi, Mike Self, Matt Sullivan, Landen Buckley) 4:05:66. 2, Punahou (Chris Chapman, John Dubiel, Nick Engebretson, Brent DiMeo, Robby Field, Nick Huntsman, Darragh O'Carroll, Adam Sullivan) 4:06:58. 3, Kamehameha (Jason Fong-Aiu, Jake DeMello, Kyle Galdeira, Kellen Latham, Kaimana Smith, Kapena Kimball, Bradley Wong, William Viveiros) 4:17:66. 4, King Kekaulike 4:20:37. 5, Konawaena 4:21:97. 6, Kaua'i 4:22:34. 7, St. Anthony's 4:33:27. 8, Kohala 4:41:24.

Girls

1, Kamehameha (Elena Bryant, Michelle Bruhn, Shawna Ferreira, Lori Nakamura, Shantell Recca, Kaohinani Segovia, Kristen Souza, Tehina Wright) 4:38:58. 2, Punahou (Halli Van Lier Ribbink, Jamie Stroble, Angie Giancaterino, Meleana Carr, Teal Willingham, Alii Yoshida, Elizabeth Marr, Jessica Wong) 4:38:81. 3, St. Francis (Madisen Minkel, Melanie Keliipuleole, Jessica Yokota, Chanel Gasper, Katie Starkus, Kira Goo, Tiana Teagarden, Mahina Holomalia) 4:55:28. 4, Seabury Hall 5:01:02. 5, Castle 5:13:57. 6, King Kekaulike 5:15:57. 7, Maui 5:26:04. 8, Nanakuli (scratched).

Mixed

1, McKinley (Andrew Ferreira, Chris Joseph, Kaulike Kalama, Javen Peahi, Jeremiah Tachibana-Chun, Davilyn Edwards, Elizabeth Fuller, Jolene Groaning, Veronique Nguyen, Lisa Uehara) 4:15:26. 2, Kaua'i (Thomas Oliver, Kelly Foster, Donna Robles, Kristin Mackenzie, Ashlee Fujimoto, Luke Evslin, Darcie Gusman, Mason Akuna, Waipuna Trask) 4:23:00. 3, Nanakuli (Leona Matthewson-Wright, Valmajane "Noe" Huddy-Nahalea, Chelsee Smith, Ashley Palakiko, Joelynn Yocom, Jonathan Lucero, Richard Barrett, Ikaika Smith, Paul Rzonce, Ray Mamala) 4:24:23. 4, King Kekaulike 4:36:09. 5, Baldwin 4:36:46. 6, Kohala 4:41:62. 7, St. Anthony 4:46:60. 8, Kalaheo 4:51:57.