Posted on: Saturday, July 2, 2005
ISLE FILE
Punahou baseball ends 10th nationally
Advertiser Staff
Two-time reigning state champion Punahou finished at No. 10 in USA Today's final Super 25 high school baseball rankings, published in Thursday's editions.
The top-10 finish is believed to be the highest to date for a Hawai'i team in USA Today, which has the largest circulation of any daily newspaper in the country with more than two million copies printed every weekday.
The Buffanblu went 34-3-1 overall, won their first Interscholastic League of Honolulu title since 1994 and placed six players on The Advertiser's All-State first team.
Punahou also finished No. 3 in USA Today's West Region rankings, behind only Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Rancho Bernardo (San Diego). Russel County (Seale, Ala.) finished No. 1 in the Super 25.
One of the most storied teams in Hawai'i baseball history will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
The Asahis is trying to find former players and associates who might want to attend a reunion that is being planned for possibly next month. Those interested should call James Itamoto at 542-6850 or Lillian Yajima at 396-8092.
The Asahis were founded in 1905 by Steere Noda, when he was 13 years old. Among its distinguished alumni are Gov. John A. Burns, an was an associate coach, and Mayor Neal Blaisdell, who coached the team to the 1942 Hawaii League title. Noda himself served as a state senator.
The organization also holds the distinction of beating the Cuban national team in 1974 during a tour in Japan.
An eight-on-eight tackle football league for oversized youngsters who are too big for Hawai'i youth football leagues is accepting players today, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ma'ili Beach Park.
The league, called the Big Boyz Youth Tackle Football League, is for youths, ages 12 to 14, who weigh between 155 to 265 pounds, according to Father John Frederick. The first game is scheduled for Sept. 3.
Frederick said he started the Big Boyz league because many Hawai'i youths exceed the maximum weight limit for youth football. Youths, ages 12 to 14, who weigh more than 150 pounds are restricted from playing in Hawai'i's Pop Warner and Oahu Youth Sports leagues, he said.
The Big Boyz league is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, according to Frederick, who is expecting about eight teams to participate.
Interested players and parents should attend a meeting July 5 at Wai'anae's Pilila'au Park at 7 p.m. Cost is approximately $100 per player. Parents should bring their child's birth certificate to today's registration. For more information, call Frederick at 696-3993.
Ayaka Kaneko, the 15-year-old Jennie K. Wilson Invitational runner-up, earned medalist honors at the U.S. Women's Amateur Sectional Qualifying in Denver on Thursday.
Kaneko, who will be a freshman at Sacred Hearts in the fall, shot 68 at Buffalo Run Golf Course. She won by two shots.
The Colorado qualifier had six players advance to the national tournament, which starts Aug. 1 in Atlanta.
Mari Chun, who beat Kaneko in a playoff at Jennie K., won the O'ahu qualifier Thursday.
Many of Hawai'i's best juniors will face off against golfers from California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Australia and Guam when the PGA Junior Series stops at Turtle Bay Resort Wednesday to Friday.
The series is conducted coast-to-coast across the United States and is open to girls and boys ages 13 to 17. Players from all 50 states and 18 countries have played since the debut in 1996.
The Hawai'i field includes Alex Chu and Tadd Fujikawa, 14-year-olds from O'ahu who recently won the Brown Four-Ball "adult" tournament. Fujikawa, also the Hickam Invitational winner, will "play up" in the older (16-17) age division.
Kaua'i's TJ Kua and Kellen Watabu, and recent Wai'anae graduate Alvin Okada are also in that division, as is 2004 state high school champion Kurt Nino.
Britney Choy, the 2004 state girls champion, is in the girls field, along with Ayaka Kaneko, Kaitlen Miyajima and Kayla Morinaga.
Play begins at 7:30 a.m. each day, at Turtle Bay's Fazio Course Wednesday and Friday and the Palmer Course Thursday.
Hawai'i Pacific University announced the additions of Kurt Young and Richie Riley as assistant coaches on the men's basketball team.
Young, 33, and Riley, 22, have both spent the past two seasons as assistants at Georgetown College (Ky.).
Young, also had coaching stints as an assistant with NCAA Division I Northwestern State, Labette Community College (Kan.) and Thomas University (Ga.).
Riley is a former all-state player in Kentucky, and coached at Madison Central High (Ky.).
Kaleo Padilla of the Big Island has been added to the "Team Hawai'i" roster for tonight's Extreme Wars X-1 mixed martial arts event at the Blaisdell Center Arena.
Padilla will face California's Adam Lynn in a 180-pound bout. Padilla was selected as a replacement for Waipahu's Bryson Kamaka.
Six fighters from Team Hawai'i will take on the Next Generation Fight Academy of California on the undercard.
The card will be highlighted by three main event "Super Fights:" Jeff Monson vs. Rich Wilson, Dan Severn vs. Shannon Ritch, and Reuben Villareal vs. Ricco Rodriguez.
Tickets range from $35 to $100. The first bout is scheduled to begin around 7:30 p.m.
The Hawai'i-Hilo women's softball team signed Vanessa Badosa, an infielder from Fullerton College (Calif.), for the upcoming season, UHH coach Callen Perreira announced yesterday.
While starting at second base her freshman year, Badosa batted .272. She followed with a .276 average in her sophomore year while starting at shortstop. Both years, Fullerton finished second in the conference.
Asahis to celebrate 100th anniversary
Big Boyz Youth league registration
Kaneko tops sectional qualifying in Denver
Hawai'i's best to play in PGA Junior series
HPU hires two assistant coaches
Big Island's Padilla in Extreme Wars X-1
Vulcans sign infielder from California
