Oct. 23, 2007, Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.

Team: Sacred Hearts.

Individual: Meilin Jia-Richards, Punahou.

Recap: The Lancers placed four girls in the top six to defend their state title. Mai Oseto led the Lancers with a 531 and runner-up finish, followed by Danielle Pontes (third, 527), Maxinne Ramos (fifth, 523) and Samantha Niver (sixth, 520).

Jia-Richards said she tried to keep a clear mind while shooting.

"I tried not to think about my overall scores and shooting one shot at a time," Jia-Richards said.

DIVISION I

May 10, Les Murakami Stadium.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: The Buffanblu completed their "Drive for Five" state titles with a 4-0 win over Saint Louis. Punahou won its last eight games, bouncing back from a midseason stretch of injuries and issues that nearly dashed a state tourney berth.

"This year started out rough, and it took a lot of effort to turn it around," said senior Reece Kiriu, who pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks in the state title game. "Right before the ILH tournament, we started focusing more and guys were coming down to practice earlier, to work on their hitting and fielding. That helped."

The top-seeded Buffanblu (16-5-1) scored four runs in the second inning on four hits, one error and a wild pitch. Having one of its best seasons, Saint Louis finished 20-5.

May 10, Les Murakami Stadium.

Team: Kaua'i.

Recap: David Jordan Buster pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts as the top-seeded Red Raiders beat No. 2 St. Anthony, 1-0, to win the inaugural state Division II title. Jordan Buster outdueled St. Anthony right-hander Michael Jahns, who allowed a run in the top of the first inning on Schyler Arakaki's RBI single.

"It was a 1-2 count and the coach said sit on the fastball and adjust to curve," said Arakaki, whose hit drove in Trent Allianic. "Out of his hand, I could tell it was a curve, so I just went the opposite way and drove in the run. I was pretty happy about that."

In three tournament games, Kaua'i (14-1) outscored its opponents 19-0.

BOYS

Division I

Feb. 23, Blaisdell Center.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: Kameron Steinhoff had 13 points and 12 rebounds as Punahou defeated Kamehameha-Hawai'i, 41-38, for its first state title since 1999.

Down 39-38, Kamehameha-Hawai'i turned the ball over with 25 seconds left. Henry Cassiday's layup with 11 seconds remaining gave Punahou a 41-38 lead. The Warriors then missed a 3-point attempt and Cassiday secured the rebound as time expired.

"We've been thinking about this moment ever since we lost (to Kaimuki) last year in this game," said Steinhoff, whose team finished 14-3. "Our goal was to come right back this year and win it."

Division II

Feb. 23, Blaisdell Center .

Team: Farrington.

Recap: Christian Hernandez sent the game into overtime with a running 3-pointer at the buzzer and Jordan Ibana made the go-ahead layup with 12 seconds left in overtime as unseeded Farrington beat top-seeded 'Aiea, 70-68, for its first state title since 1960.

'Aiea's Josh Chung made a free throw with 19.7 seconds left to tie the game at 68. He missed the second, and Ibana drove in from the left side and made the go-ahead shot.

"I just saw an opening and I just drived," Ibana said. "If they foul, you can get the free throws."

'Aiea missed a couple of game-tying shots at the end.

Hernandez had 27 points, including 17 of 22 on free-throw attempts, for the Governors (17-3).

Division I

Feb. 22, Stan Sheriff Center.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: Top-seeded Punahou defeated 'Iolani, 46-41, for its third state title in four years. The Buffanblu lost to Konawaena in the title game last year without the Kuehu twins. Returning from knee surgeries this year, Shawna-Lei Kuehu had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu had seven points and 10 rebounds in the title game. Rebecca Lau added 12 points for Punahou (14-1), which rallied from a nine-point deficit.

"We pushed through it," Shawna-Lei Kuehu said. "We just had to play our game. Everybody knows how to play. It's just a matter of playing together,"

Division II

Feb. 22, Stan Sheriff Center.

Team: Campbell.

Recap: Ariel Medlin's buzzer-beating putback lifted unseeded Campbell to a 57-55 overtime win over top-seeded McKinley. McKinley's Allyson Villanueva made two free throws to tie the game at 55 with less than 15 seconds remaining. After a Campbell (18-2) timeout, Aloha Dias-Kekahuna drove on the right side to the hoop. She missed, then overshot her putback attempt, but Medlin rebounded on the left and put it off the backboard as time expired.

"I just caught the ball and put it back up," said Medlin, who finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. "I just prayed that it would go in."

McKinley erased a 13-point second-half deficit to force overtime.

BOYS

Nov. 2, 2007, Hilo Lanes.

Team: Hawai'i Baptist.

Individual: Justin Kanda, Roosevelt.

Recap: Hawai'i Baptist used a strong team effort on the final day of the two-day tournament, rallying from third place to defend its title. Three bowlers finished in the top 10 for the Eagles with Cody Gibo placing fourth, Sean Arakaki finishing seventh and Ethan Kawada in 10th. It was the Eagles' third state title in the past four years.

Kanda, who entered the final day of the tournament in third place, finished with a nine-game total of 1,817 pins.

"I finished strong," Kanda said. "About the fifth frame (of the final game), I felt I could take it. I was nervous, but I pulled through and finished with my strongest game. It feels really great; words can't describe it."

GIRLS

Nov. 2, 2007, Hilo Lanes.

Team: Mililani.

Individual: Dara Ajimine, Kalani.

Recap: Mililani placed three bowlers in the top 12 to rally past first-day leader Waiakea and win its second state title in three years. Jacqueline Lara led the Trojans with a fourth-place finish, followed by Diana Ishida (sixth) and Nani Siafuafu (12th).

Ajimine won her second straight title by finishing with a nine-game total of 1,747 pins, one better than Pearl City's Jordeen Koizumi. Ajimine rallied from sixth place on the final day of the tournament and had a strike and spare in her final frame.

"I had to bowl really good today," Ajimine said. "I felt like I needed to win."

CANOE PADDLING

Feb. 29, Ke'ehi Lagoon.

Team: Kalaheo (boys), Konawaena (mixed), Punahou (girls).

Recap: Kalaheo and Konawaena both claimed their first-ever state titles. Kalaheo's crew of Nicholas Seeger, Alexander Guillaume, Kao Malama-Custer, Shawn Reed, Lawrence Soto and James Oliva-Ancog completed the 1/2-mile course in 3 minutes, 43.21 seconds, four seconds ahead of Kapa'a.

"It's a big thing for our school," said senior Malama-Custer. "First (boys) championship in paddling for the OIA, first championship in paddling for Kalaheo High School. It's a big thing for us. I've been waiting four years for this."

Punahou's crew of Marlie Long, Chelsea Jones, Hannah Ishida, Tawni Goodman, Jasmine Daniel and Brooke Hunter finished first in 4:26.53, 0.20 seconds ahead of Kapa'a.

Konawaena's crew of Amanda Loewe-Llanes, Kelli Yamauchi, Noel Tavares, Ryan Daugherty, Joshua Yong and Michael Suber won in 4:00.73, 0.16 seconds ahead of Kamehameha.

"It means a lot to us," Yong said. "Any Big Island team can win at states. You just have to practice hard and never give up."

Dec. 2, 2007, Stan Sheriff Center.

Team: Kamehameha (large division), Radford (medium division).

Recap: Kamehameha beat defending champion Mililani for the state title, finishing with 351.5 points. The Warriors had won every state title since 2001, but lost to the Trojans in January 2007 when the sport was held during the winter season. This school year, the sport shifted to the fall sports season.

"They left with the feeling they didn't do the best they were capable of. They left with regrets," Kamehameha co-head coach Dolly Wong said. "Their goal this time was to leave the mat with no regrets. ... They knocked it down and that's the best feeling."

The Rams defended their medium division title, finishing with 345 points.

"What sets us apart is our difficulty," said Radford coach Bo Frank. "We're maxing out on the score sheet."

The event at the Stan Sheriff Center lasted more than three hours. After teams performed, the University of Hawai'i football team and its fans entered the arena to watch its bowl game announcement. After it was announced UH was playing in the Sugar Bowl, cheerleading awards were handed out.

BOYS

Nov. 2, 2007, Village Golf Course at the Kapalua Resort, Maui.

Team: Leilehua.

Individual: Bryce Jenkins, Leilehua.

Recap: A dominant team effort helped the Mules become the first public school to win a team title in 24 years. Jenkins finished first for the second straight year, followed by teammates Paul Williams in second, Juan Miguel Silva in sixth, Margarito Martinez in 12th and Alan Akagi in 16th.

"That's going to bring a lot of pride to our school," Jenkins said.

Jenkins led from start to finish on the hilly 3-mile course, nearly lost his way after the first mile and won in 16 minutes, 7.95 seconds. Williams was second in 16:37.00.

GIRLS

Nov. 2, 2007.

Team: Punahou.

Individual: Kristin Ali Keith, Mililani.

Recap: Five Buffanblu runners finished in the top 20 to win their third straight team title. Kristi Torkildson finished sixth, followed by Chelsea Oda (10th), Farrah Madanay (15th), Courtney Choy (16th) and Breehn Sasaki (17th).

Keith ran with the lead pack before pulling away with a half-mile left in the 3-mile race.

"I was tired but I knew everyone else was feeling the same way so I just had to go for it," Keith said. "I knew it was going to be tough but I really wanted it."

FOOTBALL

DIVISION I

Nov. 30, 2007, Aloha Stadium.

Team: Leilehua.

Recap: The second-seeded Mules needed a tiebreaker just to make the O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoffs, then had to bring in a junior varsity quarterback after their two QBs got hurt in the postseason. Playing against the odds, the Mules rallied for a 20-16 victory over top-seeded Saint Louis for their first state title. Sophomore QB Andrew Manley threw a 15-yard pass to Edieson Dumlao with 36 seconds remaining to lift the Mules (10-4). Manley was 5-0 during the postseason run after being brought up from the JV.

"On that last drive, we were just trying for short passes, to get the first down," said Manley, who had 18 completions in 42 attempts for 181 yards with two interceptions. "We had some lucky plays in there."

Nov. 30, 2007, Aloha Stadium.

Team: 'Iolani.

Recap: The second-seeded Raiders overcame a sluggish start to beat the top-seeded Lunas, 28-21. Lahainaluna jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and was up 21-14 at halftime. Kela Marciel's 12-yard pass to Ronnie Hirokawa tied the game at 21 with 13 seconds left in the third quarter and the Raiders took the lead on Justin Yamamoto's 3-yard run with 5:21 left. Kodi Look, daughter of 'Iolani coach Wendell Look, made the PAT for the final margin and Jarom Baldomero intercepted a pass with 1:25 left to seal the game. 'Iolani finished the year 6-6 with five of its losses coming to Division I teams.

"This feels great, especially for the seniors, the guys who played hurt," said Marciel, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. "We win as one team and lose as one team, and this was a one team win."

BOYS

May 14, Wailua Golf Course, Kaua'i.

Team: Punahou.

Individual: Alex Ching, Punahou.

Recap: In his first-ever state tournament, Punahou senior Alex Ching shot rounds of 71 and 74 to win the state title. He finished three shots ahead of teammates John David Nako and Bradley Shigezawa and Baldwin's Justin Keiley.

Though he's played golf in the summer, Ching previously played tennis for Punahou in the spring, winning the state doubles titles the last two years. This season he did both sports and finished third in state doubles, held the week before state golf.

"I kinda regret not playing the last three years, but I'm not sad I made the decision to play tennis because I love tennis," Ching said.

Punahou finished with 589 strokes, 33 ahead of runner-up Baldwin.

GIRLS

May 7, Wailua Golf Course, Kaua'i.

Team: Punahou.

Individual: Kristina Merkle, Moanalua.

Recap: Merkle, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association champion, drained an 8-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a one-shot victory over Waiakea's Britney Yada and defending champion Anna Jang of Punahou. Merkle went into the final round trailing Punahou's Alina Ching by a shot.

"I tried to be a little more aggressive," said Merkle, who had rounds of 71 and 75 to finish at 146. "It was the last day and it's golf, so you never know what's going to happen."

The Buffanblu defended their team title with a two-day total of 441 strokes, lowest total in the 10-year tournament's history. Waiakea was second at 458.

JUDO

BOYS

May 10, Stan Sheriff Center.

Team: Pearl City, Punahou (tie).

Recap: Pearl City and Punahou both finished with 74 points for the first-ever tie in tournament history.

Arnold Toriumi won the 132-pound division for Punahou and teammate Daniel Chow won at 178 for his third state title.

The Chargers made a late charge, winning three of the last five weight classes to secure the tie. Pearl City's Christian Pavo, battling through a lingering shoulder injury from football season, won at 161 to complete a four-year undefeated career.

Pavo's fourth state title came on a uchimata sukashi throw midway through the five-minute match against Moanalua's Julian Garay.

"He's a team player," Pearl City coach Robin Puahala said. "He's our best player, yet he's done whatever we've asked of him to help the team."

May 10, Stan Sheriff Center.

Team: Pearl City.

Recap: The Chargers did not win any individual titles, but had high finishes to come out on top with 63 points. Jessica Domingo (115), Mei Ling Keiki (172) and Kasey Fujihara (220) all finished second and Briana Delos Santos (103) was third.

Farrington's Taylor Ibera completed a long day by winning her 98-pound class. At 5:30 the morning of the tournament, Ibera returned from the Pan-American Games in Florida, where she was one of only two U.S. competitors to earn a gold medal. She then caught the team bus to the tournament at 7:30 a.m.

"The day was really hectic but I tried to get as much rest as I could," Ibera said. "I just tried to put it all aside, listen to music, block out everything and find my focus."

BOYS

Division I

Feb. 9, Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Team: Kamehameha.

Recap: The unseeded Warriors defeated top-seeded 'Iolani, 2-1 in penalty kicks, for their second straight win on penalty kicks. Kamehameha outshot 'Iolani, 4-2, in penalty kicks with Kainoa Kahui, Zane Dydasco, Gareth Gomez and Ryan Ho making their kicks. Goalkeeper Micah Swain blocked one shot. Kimo Komomua scored in the sixth minute to give Kamehameha a 1-0 lead before 'Iolani's Blaine Gonsalves scored in the 49th to tie the game.

Dydasco, Komomua, Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes and Hala Kane were freshmen when the Warriors (12-2-2) also won the state title in 2005.

"You know high school, to start it off great, and to end your career in a great way — what a feeling," Kalehuawehe-Gomes said.

Division II

Feb. 9, Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Team: Mid-Pacific.

Recap: Mid-Pacific defeated Kapa'a after the scoreless game was sent into penalty kicks. The Owls' Marc Obando, Jared Domingo, Brandt Kuioka and Cody Sullivan all made their kicks and goalkeeper Adam Bailey made one stop.

"It feels great," said Kuioka, whose team finished 8-6-1. "We worked hard all season. (In the ILH) every game was tough. I can't tell you how much that prepared us."

Division I

Feb. 2, Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Team: Kamehameha.

Recap: The top-seeded Warriors won their third straight title by beating Punahou, 1-0, and became just the second team to accomplish that feat.

Goalkeeper Kanani Taaca anchored a defense that didn't allow a goal during the tournament. Courtney-Rae Botelho scored the game's lone goal as the Warriors (13-2) turned around a season where league losses to Punahou and 'Iolani nearly cost them a state tournament berth.

"The first one blew my mind. The second snuck up on me. This one was so far out in left field, I don't even know what to say," Kamehameha coach Michele Nagamine said of her team's state titles. "And you know me, I'm Portuguese. When does that ever happen to me?"

Division II

Feb. 2, Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Team: Kamehameha-Hawai'i.

Recap: Jessica Marote scored on a rebound in the 74th minute and Bryanna De Lima scored in the 80th as the second-seeded Warriors finished an undefeated season by beating top-seeded Roosevelt, 2-0. Kamehameha-Hawai'i finished the year 17-0 and became the first team from the Big Island to win a state soccer title.

"I thought the girls might relax after we scored the first goal, but they kept pushing hard," Kamehameha-Hawai'i coach Charles Heaukulani said. "This is huge for us, because if you look at this season, it actually was five years in the making. Five years ago, we didn't even have a soccer program at our school.

"And for the Big Island, in the past, it was not unusual for our teams to have short stays at the state tournament. Hopefully, this will be a big boost not just for our school, but also for Big Island soccer."

DIVISION I

May 17, Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Team: Kamehameha.

Recap: Amber Waracka pitched her third straight tournament shutout to lift the second-seeded Warriors to a 3-0 victory over top-seeded Mililani. Dara Pagaduan scored two runs and Jamie Millwood scored a run for Kamehameha (16-1).

"When I was in the seventh grade, I cried my eyes out (after being cut from Kamehameha's intermediate team), so to come back like this and end my senior year on top feels so good," said Waracka, who allowed four hits, struck out nine and walked two. "But I couldn't do it without my teammates. This is the best team I've ever played on; we connected from the beginning."

Mililani entered the game batting .667 in two tournament games, scoring 36 runs on 46 hits, including 10 doubles and two home runs. But the Trojans were able to put runners in scoring position just twice against Waracka and only two of their hits left the infield.

May 17, Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Team: Pac-Five.

Recap: The unseeded Wolfpack won their second title in three years with a 4-2 win over top-seeded Kaua'i. Sheridan Mahelona, who missed the first half of the season with an illness, allowed two unearned runs and nine hits in a complete-game performance. Britney Hagihara singled in the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Pac-Five rallied for three runs. Mahelona, diagnosed with lupus three years ago and battling the autoimmune disease ever since, got the start because starting pitcher Leeann Lariosa was participating in University High's commencement ceremony. A combined team, Pac-Five (10-8) had players from University High, Hawai'i Baptist, Lutheran and Word of Life.

"We're really proud of them," Pac-Five coach Randy Oyama said. "I think they did a great job. They believed in themselves and they never quit."

BOYS

Feb. 23, Kihei Aquatic Center, Maui.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: The Buffanblu won their second title in a row and 41st overall with a total of 73 points. Punahou's Brett Gomes won gold medals in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events and as a member of the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. Teammate Mitchell Chong swam on both relay teams and also won his third straight gold in the 100 backstroke.

"This is my last year and we've been on the team together for years and now it's come down to the last meet," Gomes said of the senior-laden squad.

"We didn't expect to dominate. We just went out there and that's what happened."

'Iolani's Geramiah Simoes won his third straight gold in the 100 butterfly and Lahainaluna's Jack Pope was untouchable for the third straight year in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.

GIRLS

Feb. 23, Kihei Aquatic Center, Maui.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: Punahou's Michelle Yoshida and Christel Simms won four golds each. Yoshida won the 50 and 100 freestyle races while Simms won the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Both were members of the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. Teammate Rachel Cote, also on the 400 relay team, broke the only meet record when she bettered her own mark from 2007 in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.51, her third straight win in that event.

Punahou finished with 93 points for its third straight title and 44th overall.

"It's never business as usual. These kids worked so hard and our goal was to come and see if we could get our best times," Punahou coach Jeff Meister said.

Seabury Hall's Libby Matthews won the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke.

TENNIS

BOYS

May 10, Holua Tennis Center, Big Island.

Team: Punahou.

Individual: Fernando Aguirregomezcorta, St. Joseph (singles), Brett Katayama and Shaun Chow, Punahou (doubles).

Recap: Second-seeded Aguirregomezcorta, an exchange student from Spain, rallied to beat No. 5 Doug Ho of Punahou, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

"I started slicing my backhand and he didn't like it," said Aguirregomezcorta, who joined the exchange program to learn English and chose Hawai'i "because I could play tennis all year."

Third-seeded Katayama and Chow of Punahou beat No. 4 Jordan Lum and Taylor Pacarro of Pearl City, 6-4, 7-5, in doubles.

Punahou finished with 23 points to win its 18th consecutive title and 40th overall. Rusty Komori coached the Buffanblu for the last 15 titles, putting him one up on former Saint Louis football coach Cal Lee, whose teams won 14 straight unofficial state football titles.

GIRLS

May 10, Holua Tennis Center, Big Island.

Team: Punahou.

Individual: Kristin Lim, Punahou (singles), Ashley Ohira and Ashley Nakaoka, Punahou (doubles).

Recap: The top-seeded Lim defended her title with a 6-2, 6-0 win over No. 2 Jackie Owens of Lahainaluna. Her family is no stranger to state tennis titles with brothers Robbie and Mikey also winning two state singles titles for Punahou.

"It's an honor to be part of a family like that, but I'm not in competition with them," said Kristin, a junior.

Lim won a state doubles title as a freshman with Ohira. Ohira won her third doubles title, this time with Nakaoka as the top-seeded duo defeated second-seeded Kelsey Daguio and Kelly Domingo of Sacred Hearts, 7-5, 6-3. Last year, Ohira won with Nakaoka's sister, Nicole.

The Buffanblu finished with 28 points for their sixth straight title and 34th overall.

TRACK & FIELD

BOYS

May 17, Mililani High School.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: The Buffanblu won just one event, but had athletes place in 10 of 16 events to finish first with 55.75 points. Radford was second with 52.

"Track has changed from the past; we became more of a team sport," said Punahou's Abe Markowitz, who finished second in the shot put and discus to score 16 points. "We warm up together and start off the season together."

Punahou's Zach Coronas, bothered by a leg injury since April, hobbled into the state meet. He ended up defending his 400-meter title and placed third in the 100. Buffanblu coach Mike Pavich retired after the season. He taught for 28 years at the school and spent nearly as much time with the team.

Radford's Christopher Rainey broke the 200 dash record, helped the 4x100 team break the meet record during the trials and missed the 100 record by 0.09 seconds. He was also second in the 400 and anchored the winning 4x400 team.

Javen Correia of Maryknoll capped off an undefeated season, winning both the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Baldwin's Joey Amescua three-peated in the 800 and Kaiser's Dawson Vorderbruegge set a record in the 3,000 with a time of 8:58.14. He's the only runner to go under 9 minutes in a Hawai'i prep meet.

May 17, Mililani High School.

Team: Kamehameha.

Recap: The Warriors won their first-ever team title, unseating four-time champion Punahou. Kamehameha led by 5.5 points going into the final event, the 4x400 relay. Punahou finished first and Kamehameha finished second, earning eight points to hold off the Buffanblu.

Behind first-place finishes by shot-putter Charmaine Mokiao and volleyball player turned high jumper Kanani Herring, the Warriors scored 59.25 points to the Buffanblu's 55.75.

"I hope this isn't the last time we win," Kamehameha junior Ashlee Jimenez said. "Punahou is a tough team to beat."

Kahuku freshman Zhane Santiago won the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and triple jump. Another freshman, Kailea Tracy-Visintainer of Seabury Hall, won the 400 (56.98) and 200 (25.06) in stellar times. King Kekaulike's Bailey Massenburg nearly went the full distance, winning the 1,500 and 800 and finishing second in the 3,000. Kalani senior Yasmina Taketa won the long jump for the second straight year and Kaua'i's Tiffany Ikeda-Simao won the 100 and anchored the Red Raiders' winning 4x100 relay team.

BOYS

Division I

May 17, King Kekaulike High School, Maui.

Team: 'Iolani.

Recap: Brad Lawson had 28 kills off 'Iolani's redesigned offense in a 25-22, 22-25, 25-20 upset of top-seeded Punahou. The night before the championship game, Raider coaches devised a plan to have Lawson attack from every position on the floor instead of his usual left side.

"We had him in the same formation, but instead of swinging out to the left on every single set, we had him fake left, swing right, fake right, swing left, constant movement so the Punahou blockers had to really concentrate on him," 'Iolani coach Mike Among said. "As a result, our other hitters were able to find some success. They were so keyed on him and his movement, they would forget our hitters at times."

The title was just the second for the Raiders (16-4).

"It's pretty amazing," Lawson said. "Since I've been here, we've only beaten them once in four years."

BOYS

Division II

May 17, Radford High School.

Team: Hawai'i Baptist.

Recap: Branden Kaneshiro had 11 kills and Ryan Leung added nine kills with no errors as the top-seeded Eagles defeated No. 3 Hilo, 25-13, 25-16.

The Eagles (13-4) won the title by focusing on the basics the entire tournament: jump serves that sent teams into a scramble, passing and big kills.

"We're not the most athletic team. But we feel if we serve and we pass well, we're a pretty tough team to beat," Hawai'i Baptist coach Teoni Obrey said.

Pahoa, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation's third-place team, almost couldn't afford to attend the tournament. But after word got out, community members, family and alumni stepped in financially days before the tournament. The Daggers defeated Hawai'i Prep for third place.

Division I

Nov. 3, 2007, Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, Hilo.

Team: Kamehameha.

Recap: Using its wealth of weapons, top-seeded Kamehameha won its third straight title by defeating 'Iolani, 25-18, 25-19. Kanani Herring had 13 kills and 13 digs, Caitlin Andrade had 27 assists and Jordan Meredith added six kills.

"We always think we have to play our best in order to win," said Bekah Torres, who finished with six kills and six digs for Kamehameha.

The Warriors finished the year 44-2 overall and 20-1 in the regular and postseason. Their only two losses were to preseason national No. 1 Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) and to 'Iolani.

GIRLS

Division II

Nov. 3, 2007, McKinley High School.

Team: Hawai'i Baptist.

Recap: The short, scrappy and court-aware Eagles won their first state title with a 25-17, 25-16 win over Seabury Hall. Sarah Palmer had 11 kills and C'era Oliveira added nine in the win.

"It's incredible," said Hawai'i Baptist's Leah Shizuru. "I didn't think we'd be able to get this far. We're challenged height-wise, but we dig and play defense."

May 10, Veterans' Memorial Aquatic Center.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: Playing around a tough defensive front the entire season, the top-seeded Buffanblu capped the year with their third state title by beating Kamehameha, 9-2. After winning the first two state titles in 2004 and 2005, then missing the last two state tournaments, Punahou made it back this year behind leadership and an emphasis on caring.

"We call it our caring defense," Punahou coach Ken Smith said. "We really care about everyone else's position, so that's kind of our key."

Punahou's Aisha Price scored five goals in the title match. In three tournament matches, Punahou allowed just eight goals.

BOYS

March 1, Blaisdell Center.

Team: Punahou.

Recap: Lahainaluna senior Travis Okano won at 130 pounds and Punahou senior Daniel Chow won at 145 to both become three-time state champions.

Reid Oshiro (135) and Rudie Schaefer (152) also won for Punahou, Matthew Sasaki was second at 215 and the Buffanblu had four third-place finishes, two fourth-place finishes, one fifth and one sixth en route to a 225.5-point performance.

"This had been building all the time," said Chow, whose sister, Chrissy, won at 114 earlier in the evening.

Lahainaluna's Lake Casco won at 160 for his second state title, joining brothers Kawika (1999 and 2000) and Kainoa (2001 and 2002) as double winners. Kailua's Lowen Tynanes-Perez won at 171 for his second straight title. He won at 160 last year while wrestling for Campbell.

March 1, Blaisdell Center.

Team: Kahuku.

Recap: Dedicating their season to assistant coach Warner Pukahi Jr., who died of an aneurism on Nov. 10 at age 44, the Red Raiders won their fourth state crown with 152.5 points.

Kahuku's Danica Auna won at 120 pounds for her second state title, Amanda Soliai won at 155 and the Red Raiders had three runner-up finishes, one fifth and one sixth.

"It motivated all of us, because we knew that even though he isn't here with us physically, he was here spiritually," said Kahuku coach Reggie Torres, who also worked with Pukahi while coaching Kahuku's JV football team for 10 years. "Our kids went out there believing that. He was a teddy bear, but he also was all about ruggedness. In high school, his nickname was 'Rocky.' With him, it wasn't about wins or losses, it was about giving your best, never giving up and being happy, enjoying what you were doing."

Farrington senior Tani Ader won at 125 to become only the ninth girl in the 11-year history of the tournament to win three state championships. 'Iolani's Keiko Akamine repeated at 103 and teammate Olivia Fatongia won at 220 after finishing second the last two years.