Two of Hawaii's top high school student-athletes received recognition Thursday as the competition narrowed for the 2006 Wendy's High School Heisman Award.

Ashley Medcalf of Christian Academy in Honolulu and Derek Hondo of Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Maui, were honored as state winners based on their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community service.

Both of these students embody the spirit of the Heisman tradition through hard work and dedication on and off the field.

In addition to two state winners, nine males and females from Hawaii were selected as state finalists from a total of nearly 15,000 nominees nationwide.

Medcalf, an All-State honorable mention in basketball, and Hondo, a cross country runner, face tough competition in the next phase of the competition. They join two winners from each state and the District of Columbia, and must make it through another round of elimination when Wendy's announces 12 national finalists later this month. National winners will be named in December in conjunction with the collegiate Heisman presentation in New York. 

Created in 1994 in partnership with the Heisman Memorial Trust, the Wendy's High School Heisman has recognized outstanding and well-rounded students for 13 years. Nominees are judged by a panel including past Wendy's High School Heisman winners as well as leaders in education, business, athletics and community service.

Hawaii's Wendy's High School Heisman state finalists:

Student Name Gender Student High School Hometown

Chloe Rapozo, St. Joseph Junior-Senior High School, Hilo

Sarah Chitwood, Hilo High School, Honomu

Shannon Ching, Kahuku High School, Kaawa

Chelsea Machida, Maui High School, Kahului

Ihilani Haru, Castle High School, Kaneohe

Brittany Young, Seabury Hall School, Makawao, Maui

June-Ann Lusk, Baldwin High School, Wailuku, Maui

Carolyn Pearce, Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu

Lei-Aloha Bratton, Kaiser High School, Honolulu

Louis Hoopai, Hana School Hana, Maui

Barret Schlegelmilch, St. Joseph Junior-Senior High School, Hilo

Richard Torres, Kahuku High School, Kahuku

Roy Matsunaga, Mililani High School, Mililani

Arbie Jeke Campuspos, Waipahu High School, Waipahu

Jeffrey Kahler, St. Louis School, Honolulu

Kenneth Rossi, Damien Memorial High School, Kapolei

Charles Gumm, Radford High School, Honolulu