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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Fujishige wins OIA crown on first try

Photo galleryOIA individual tennis championship photo gallery

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Castle High’s Colin Fujishige, captured the boys singles title in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Individual Championships.

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Mililani’s Megan Yoshimoto,won the girls crown.

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LA'IE — Colin Fujishige will end his odyssey through high school with at least one permanent stamp, his name now etched in as 2007 O'ahu Interscholastic Association tennis champion.

Fujishige, a Castle senior in his first year of varsity competition, swept defending champ Matt Tavares of McKinley, 6-4, 6-0, in yesterday's final at Brigham Young University-Hawai'i.

Fujishige attended Kamehameha as a freshman and Word of Life as a junior, but did not play tennis for either school. He transferred to Castle for his junior year, but left after the first semester and was home-schooled for the final two quarters.

"I never played (interscholastic) tennis my whole time in high school," Fujishige said. "So this feels really good."

Ironically, Tavares knows almost the same feeling because he also won the OIA title in his first year of varsity competition. He did not play as a McKinley freshman in 2005 because he didn't want to sit out his sophomore season if a transfer attempt to Kamehameha went through (transfers to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu are ineligible if they played the previous year).

Tavares ended up staying at McKinley and promptly won the OIA crown, and he defeated Fujishige 6-3, 6-4, last week in the league's Eastern Division final.

But yesterday, Fujishige turned the tables by using a relentless service game to take early command and never let go.

"I needed my revenge," Fujishige said playfully, jabbing at his longtime friend Tavares. "I just played my own game."

Fujishige said he and Tavares have known each other "since 10, 11 years old" and often practiced together at Ke'ehi Lagoon courts.

They played each other in youth tournaments, but faced off for the first time in high school competition during a regular-season match just over three weeks ago. Fujishige won, 6-3, 6-2.

Tavares avenged the defeat last week, but was unable to take the rubber match yesterday.

"His serve was strong, I had a hard time returning it," Tavares said. "He was really strong in the second set and I couldn't do anything."

OTHER RESULTS: Leilehua's Cainan Shingo defeated Kailua's Coleman Mira-Naeole 6-4, 6-0 for third place. In the doubles final, Pearl City's Jordan Lum and Jon Chang defeated Roosevelt's Jordan Lau and Jason Siu 6-1, 6-0. Kailua's Jason Lum and Ryan Kido held off Kaiser's Rei Yoshimine and Jesse Smothermon 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 for third place.

MILILANI'S YOSHIMOTO WINS GIRLS SINGLES

Mililani's Megan Yoshimoto swept longtime rival Tezra Damaso of Pearl City 6-3, 6-4 to win the OIA girls singles championship.

The two juniors have played each other "many, many times" over the past three years, and Damaso's only victory in the series came in last week's OIA West final, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.

"It feels really good to win this one," Yoshimoto said.

Yesterday, Damaso had to fight through health issues. She has battled lower back pain throughout the season and yesterday she twisted her left ankle during the match.

Still, she made things interesting in the second set by winning two straight games to close it to 5-4. But Yoshimoto broke Damaso's serve with strong play on the baseline to capture the title.

OTHER RESULTS: 'Aiea's Natalie Phanphengdy swept Radford's Demetria Woods 6-2, 6-4 to take third place. In the doubles final, Castle sisters Genoa and Elora Morton outlasted Mililani's Erica Kunihisa and Lokelani Paia 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8). Mililani's Alyssa Shimizu and Erin Yamamoto swept Pearl City's Charis Peichi and Jess Yim 7-6 (5), 6-1 for third place.

ILH SEMIFINALS TODAY

No. 6 seed Reid Kiyabu of Punahou upset No. 3 seed Matt Westmoreland of Island Pacific Academy 5-7, 7-6 (0), 6-2, in yesterday's Interscholastic League of Honolulu/Clay Benham Postseason Tournament quarterfinals at Central O'ahu Regional Park.

Today's semifinals start at 4:30 p.m. at CORP.

OTHER RESULTS

Boys singles — No. 1 Skyler Tateishi (Punahou) def. No. 9 Logan Chun ('Iolani) 6-0, 6-0; No. 7 Nathan Nakatsuka (Kamehameha) def. No. 2 Kevin Wong (Le Jardin) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5); No. 5 Kevin Caulfield (Punahou) def. No. 4 Erik Pang (Punahou) 7-6 (4), 6-1.

Boys doubles — No. 1 Alex Ching/Erik Shoji (Punahou) def. Spencer Choy/Brent Hashiba ('Iolani) 6-1, 6-0; No. 2 Marcus Pearman/Kyle Shiroma ('Iolani) def. No. 7 Travis Ing/Brett Katayama (Pun) 7-6 (6), 6-4; No. 3 Hiroshi Hikida/Brad Takei (Punahou) def. No. 6 Devin Anderson/Robert Tamai ('Iolani) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; No. 4 David Imanaka/Braxton Sato ('Iolani) def. No. 5 Gene Kurosawa/Robby Kelley (Punahou) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Girls singles — No. 1 Kristin Lim def. No. 9 Gabrielle Gorence (Mid-Pacific) 6-1, 6-2; No. 2 Brooke Doane (Kamehameha) def. No. 7 Samantha Kaneta (Hawai'i Baptist) 6-0, 6-0; No. 3 Janelle Arita (Punahou) def. No. 6 Sherise Lum (Punahou) by default; No. 4 Sara Yoshinaga ('Iolani) def. No. 5 Jan Matsumoto (Maryknoll) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Girls doubles: No. 1 Ashley Ohira/Nicole Nakaoka (Punahou) def. No. 8 Leslie Kawano/Alyssa Fong-Kwan ('Iolani) 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 Kelsey Daguio/Kelly Domingo (Hawai'i Baptist) def. No. 7 Robyn Ing/Morissa Kahakui (Kamehameha) 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2; No. 3 Nikki Castel/Jaime Young ('Iolani) def. No. 6 Allison Chen/Kaity Yim (Punahou) 0-6, 6-4, 6-1; No. 4 Kimberly Wo/Dara Azuma (Punahou) def. No. 5 Maille Kamisuge/Rebecca Lin (Mid-Pacific) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.