Iolani Alumni

By the time this week is over, the Iolani Baseball team will have had more than enough of the Punahou Buffanblu…

For possibly the fourth, fifth and sixth times this season, the Raiders will face Punahou in games that could determine the ILH Championship as well as secure the only berth to the 2007 Hawaii State Baseball Tournament. The first (of possibly three games) is today at 3:45 pm at Ala Wai Field in the title game of the ILH tournament. Because they enter the game undefeated in the double-elimination format, the Raiders will have two opportunites to win the title. Should they win (on either day), they will again face the Buffanblu on Saturday, May 5th in a winner-take-all championship playoff Friday, May 4th in one of two possible games to determine the overall championship.

Prior to the season, league officials agreed that the regular season championship would be weighted more heavily that than tournament title, so the tournament champion would need to beat the regular season champion twice to be considered the overall champion.

Punahou has already secured a spot in the game on Saturday Friday by winning the ILH regular season with a record of 12-0. If, however, they are able to beat the Raiders in two consecutive games to win the tournament title, then they will be named the overall champion and there will be no playoff.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

UPDATE: Iolani lost to Punahou 9-1. The two teams will face each other again on Wednesday, May 2 at 3:45pm at Ala Wai Field.

On senior night, the Iolani Division I Girls Basketball team picked up a much needed 49-39 win over the Punahou Buffanblu to keep themselves in a tie for 1st in the ILH standings. If they are able to win their final game against Mid-Pacific, the Raiders will end their season with a record of 10-2 and, at worst, be in a tie with Kamehameha for first place. The Warriors, however, still have two games remaining, one of which is against Punahou who beat them in their most recent meeting a week ago. If there is a tie, the two teams will have a one game playoff to determine the ILH champion. (There is no head-to-head tie-breaker in the ILH.)

Earlier in the evening, the Division II Girls Basketball team defeated Punahou for the first time in several years to pick up their 8th win of the season. In the 54-39 victory, the Raiders got strong performances from Allison Nojima and Kaz Masutani who scored 15 and 12 points respectively.

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The Iolani Baseball team ended the Buffanblu’s 13-game winning streak and handed them their first loss of the ILH season with a 3-1 victory at Mid-Pacific field. Starter Jon Okada and reliever Jarrett Arakawa kept the Punahou bats quiet, allowing just one run over 7 innings, while Case Miyahira continued his hot hitting driving in 1 run on 2 hits in 4 chances.

The Raiders advance to the title game of the ILH tournament on Monday, April 30 at 6:30pm (CORP) where they will have two chances to capture the championship (due to the double-elimination format). Should they win, they will face regular season champion Punahou in a one-game playoff for the overall ILH championship and a berth to the 2007 Hawaii State Baseball Tournament.

Danny Kimura ‘97 hit 3 HOME RUNS IN ONE INNING back on May 13, 1997 in an ILH regular season game against the Damien Monarchs. Unbelievable?… Believe it.

Kimura, a pitcher and 3rd baseman for the Raiders, was named the 1996 Hawaii State Player-of-the-Year and a first team all-state selection in 1997 when he hit .534 with 9 home runs and 35 RBIs and was 4-0 with 2 saves.

The 1997 Iolani Baseball Team finished the season with a record of 23-1, winning their second consecutive state championship (of three) and earning a #6 ranking by Baseball America and a #17 ranking in the USA Today Top 25.

Other members of the 1997 team: Arizona All-American and minor-leaguer Keoni Derenne, freshman All-American and UH standout Gregg Omori, UH pitcher Ryan Yamamoto, BYU stars Kainoa Obrey and Doug Jackson as well as ILH standouts Corin Korenaga, Thad Estrada, Scott Tajima, Jeff Iwashita, Erik Yamamoto, Kanoa Fong & Mike Colosimo

The Iolani Girls Basketball team is facing their two most meaningful games of the season this week as they match up against the Kamehameha Warriors on Wednesday, April 25 and the Punahou Buffanblu the following day on Thursday, April 26.

A win over Kamehameha would put the Raiders in excellent position to finish the season as the ILH champion and secure themselves a spot in the 2007 Hawaii State Girls Basketball Tournament. Currently, the Warriors are in second place with a record of 7-2 and one game behind the Raiders, so with an Iolani win, Kamehameha would be two games back with two games to play (against Punahou and Mid-Pacific). Should the Raiders lose on Wednesday, they will face a must-win game on Thursday against Punahou who is 6-3 and fresh off an upset over Kamehameha.

In the ILH, the regular season champion receives an automatic berth to the state tournament. The remaining teams are seeded according to their regular season record and enter a playoff for the second berth.

Iolani Girls Basketball - Final Games:
Wednesday, April 25 - Kamehameha - 6:30pm @ Iolani School
Thursday, April 26 - Punahou - 6:30pm @ Iolani School
Tuesday, May 1 - Mid-Pacific - 6:00pm @ Mid-Pacific

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The Iolani Baseball team started off the ILH Tournament with a bang, defeating the Pac-5 Wolfpack 15-5 yesterday afternoon at Ala Wai Field. In the next round, the Raiders will face the Mid-Pacific Owls on Wednesday, April 25 at 3:45pm at Mid-Pacific Field. The Owls finished the ILH regular season in third place and split two games with the Raiders this season.

In his first start against a Big-12 opponent, Wally Marciel ‘06 pitched 5.2 innings giving up 1 run on 8 hits with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk in a 8-1 victory over Texas Tech. The win by the Jayhawks prevented a weekend sweep by the Red Raiders who took the first two games of the series by close margins at their home field in Lubbock.

Wally improves to 4-2 with a 4.09 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 14 walks in 44.0 total innings.

[Photo: KUAthletics.com]

Though they finished the regular season with a record of 9-3, the Iolani Baseball team will need to win the ILH tournament to have an opportunity to play for the league championship on May 4th against the Punahou Buffanblu. At 12-0, the Buffanblu won the regular season title and by doing so, have already secured a spot in the ILH title game (if necessary).

This season, because of the departure of Maryknoll from the varsity level, the ILH will receive a single berth to the 2007 Hawaii State Baseball Tournament. That berth will be awarded to the overall league champion in a single game playoff between the winner of the regular season and the winner of the postseason tournament. If the winner of the regular season and the tournament are the same team, that team will be considered the champion (without a playoff).

Iolani opens the ILH Tournament with a game today against Pac-5 at 3:15pm at Ala Wai Field. Should they win, the Raiders will face the winner of Mid-Pac vs. St. Louis in the second round on Wednesday at 3:15pm at Ala Wai Field. A loss would place them in the loser’s bracket, but because of the double-elimination format, they’d still have an opportunity to win the tournament.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

See the full ILH Baseball Tournament Schedule »

Mr. Who?… Mr. U!

Current Student Activities Director, Kirk Uejio ‘98 was named the 1998 Hawaii State Player of the Year in basketball after helping the Raiders win the state championship in his senior season.

Though his numbers weren’t gaudy, “Mr. U” was the unquestionable leader of a talented Iolani squad which featured 6-4 twins Cord and Brad Anderson as well as 6-7 center Shawn Christensen. With the ball in his hands, Kirk commanded the court, organizing and directing teammates each time down the floor like a general in the armed forces… Whatever the mission, he made sure it was accomplished.

From the Star Bulletin:

When the situation required him to hurl his body into the bleachers in pursuit of a loose ball, he did it… If it required a pickpocket steal, he got it done… If it meant hitting the 3-pointer when the whole season hinged on it - as it did in the last minute of regulation in the state championship against Kalaheo - he hit it…

It must be the spring weather… Since the start of April, Wally Marciel ‘06 has been “lights out” for the Kansas baseball team appearing in 5 games and allowing just one (unearned) run.

In the last three weeks, Wally has pitched 14.1 innings for the Jayhawks with 12 strikeouts, 2 walks and no earned runs. The team, however, is only 2-3 in those games with their most recent loss coming yesterday to Wichita State, 2-1.

Against the #10-ranked Shockers, Wally pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief and recorded 3 strikeouts, 1 walk and 1 hit, but the Kansas bats were kept quiet, only able to drive in single run. With the loss, the Jayhawks are 18-23 overall and 5-10 in the Big 12.

Wally is 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 4.46 in 15 total appearances. In 38.1 total innings, he has recorded 33 strikeouts and just 13 walks with an opposing batting average of .255.

Update: According to a Kansas press release, Wally will make his first Big 12 start of the season against Texas Tech this Sunday.

After months of planning and tons of work, the Iolani Family Fair is finally here! For some this means an enjoyable time with family and friends eating flavorful food, playing games with the kids and talking story with “long-time-no-see” buddies of years past. For the rest of us responsible alumni, it means busting a** for an entire shift cooking kalbi, making fries, serving drinks, cutting beef…

Date: April 20-21, 2007
Time: 12pm to 10pm
Parking: Kaimuki High School - Football Field

For those that don’t plan to be there this Friday and Saturday, or the one’s dreading the work, here’s a list of the “Top 5 Reasons to Go to the Family Fair“:

5. Cafe Ole - Going along with the “Fiesta Fever” theme, Cafe Ole is a new food booth at this year’s fair that will feature favorites from popular mexican cuisine. Stop by the Sullivan Courtyard to enjoy fajitas, tamales, taco salads and burritos served by the men and women of the Class of ‘89 and ‘90.

4. Green Light Go - The musical duo of Ikaika ‘96 and Kamuela ‘98 Kahoano will be performing songs from their recently released album on Saturday, April 21st at 4:30pm. Don’t miss your first chance to see them play their mix of catchy high-energy, alt-rock-hawaiian arrangements on stage at the fair… John Berger Review »

3. Ekolu - Hailing from the island of Maui, this musical trio is rarely on Oahu to perform despite being among the most popular Hawaiian music groups in the islands. They have recently released their 4th album, “Ekolu Music”, which received the Hawaii Music Award for “Reggae Album of the Year” for the smooth contemporary style and lyrical versatility that allowed them to produce 10 original songs, several of which you’ve probably heard on the radio. Check out the Ekolu Website »

2. Huli Beef - This delictable beef snack could be the very reason why many come to the fair year after year. For those that don’t know, Huli Beef is a hand-sized sandwich filled with carved huli-ed beef and served with a side of au jus for dipping. An exclusive to the Iolani Family Fair, these “no-chance-of-being-healthy” treats are entrusted to the capable hands of the Classes of ‘88 and ‘87.

1. IOLANI ONE TEAM - Cheesy?… Of course. But the words have to have at least some meaning to you. You know you’ve all said it at some point whether in seriousness or in jest so you might as well “walk the walk” and help support the school that put you where you are today. (That may mean “broke and penny-less” but that’s besides the point… Haha)

Two brothers with the same dream, Kila ‘02 and Kala ‘03 Ka’aihue are slowly making their way through the minors with the hope of one day seeing each other across the diamond as members of a major league team.

Kila was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals in the 15th round of the 2002 amatuer draft. Since that time, he has steadily moved up through the organization, having a breakout year in 2005 where he batted .304 with 20 home runs and 90 RBIs for the High Desert Mavericks. In 2006, Kila was promoted to the Wichita Wranglers (AA), but struggled through various injuries and ailments to finish the season batting below .200 with just 6 home runs and 45 RBI. Prior to the start of this season, Kila was assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks (A - Advanced) and has yet to find his groove, batting .067 (2-30) through his first 8 games.

Drafted in 2003 by Boston, Kala turned down the Red Sox and signed with the Atlanta Braves a few years later in 2005. Since his signing, the power-hitting first baseman has been on a tear quickly being promoted from Low-A Rome to High-A Myrtle Beach in under a year. While at Rome, Kala hit .329 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI and had contiuned success with Myrtle Beach, batting .223 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. To start this season, Kala is again a member of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High-A) and, through 9 games, is hitting .111 with 1 home run and 5 RBI.

Minor League News article on Kila and Kala »

The Iolani Baseball team closed out a successful weekend with victories over Kamehameha (8-2) and Mid-Pacific (8-4) and improved their record to 9-2 to clinch second in the ILH. The Raiders still have one game remaining in the regular season against defending champion Punahou, but because the Buffanblu are undefeated (11-0) with a two game lead, the game won’t have much meaning.

This season, because of the departure of Maryknoll from the varsity level, the ILH will receive a single berth to the 2007 Hawaii State Baseball Tournament. That berth will be awarded to the overall league champion in a single game playoff between the winner of the regular season and the winner of the postseason tournament. If the winner of the regular season and the tournament are the same team, that team will be considered the champion (without a playoff).

Punahou has already clinched the regular season title and reserved themselves a spot in the playoff game on May 4th. The Raiders, on the other hand, must win the postseason tournament to earn a spot in the playoff game and have a shot at becoming the ILH champion.

The ILH tournament begins on Monday, April 23 and will run through Wednesday, May 2 (if necessary). Teams will be seeded according to their performance during the regular season and will play in a double-elimination format to determine the champion.

In their first game against Punahou a week and a half ago, the Iolani Girls Basketball team was incredible in the first half and terrible in the second, but were able to hold on for a 37-27 win. Last night, their performances were just the opposite, but, fortunately, the result was the same.

Iolani struggled through an “ugly” first half, scoring just 9 points in two quarters on 1 of 15 shooting from the field and 7 of 15 from the freethrow line while also committing 14 turnovers. In the second half, the Raiders were MUCH better, outscoring the Buffanblu 40-18 in the final two periods.

Junior guard Dayna Jandoc led the team in scoring with 12 points and senior forward Alana Matayoshi contributed 11 with most coming in the second half. The unsung hero for the Raiders was reserve forward Sarah Turgeon (shown) who entered the game midway through the first first period (after starter Jamie Smith picked up her second foul) and provided an invaluable spark to the Iolani team by diving for loose balls, keeping the ball alive on the offensive end, and controlling the defensive boards. The senior returnee also hit a key three-pointer with under 3 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter to give the Raiders their first lead of the game at 23-21.

Iolani improved to 6-1 in the ILH and Punahou fell to 3-3. Complete ILH Girls Basketball Standings »

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

Kawika Shoji ‘06, the 2004 Hawaii State Player of the Year in Volleyball, returns home as a member of the Stanford Men’s Volleyball team to take on the Hawaii Warriors this weekend in their final two matches of the MPSF regular season.

Stanford comes in with a record 3-23 overall and is currently in last place in the MPSF (2-18). They have tallied two wins over UC San Diego and one against Quincy and in their most recent games, took both Pepperdine and USC to four games.

Though his team has struggled, Kawika, while not satisfied, remains optimistic about the future of the program. Next season, the Cardinal will welcome a couple more of Hawaii’s top players in 2006 State Player of the Year Spencer McLachlin and All-State libero Jordan Inafuku. The influx of new talent and familiar faces will hopefully lead to more wins as well as allow Kawika to move back to his familiar spot at setter, the position at which he started this season.

At the midway point of the year, coach John Kosty decided to make the most of Kawika’s versatility by moving him to left-side hitter to help the team’s offensive production and ball control. At his new position, Kawika is averaging 1.69 kills per game and hitting .247 with 1.73 digs and 0.48 blocks.

Stanford will take on the University of Hawaii at the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14. Both games will begin at 7:00pm. (Televised on K5)

Special Notes: Former Iolani teammate and 2003 State Player of the Year, Sean Carney ‘04 will lineup opposite Shoji sometime during the two games potentially as a server, setter or left-side hitter.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

The Iolani Girls Basketball team picked up its first loss of the regular season last night as the host Kamehameha Warriors “took it to them” from the tipoff and led throughout for a 55-42 victory.

A small crowd at Kekuhaupio Gym watched as the Raiders struggled on both ends of the floor, unable to convert consistantly onf offense and giving up numerous second chance opportunites on defensive. Iolani’s top scorers, Jamie Smith and Alana Matayoshi, who averaged 25 points per game (combined) going into last night’s game, were held to season-low 13. Smith ended her night early, picking up her 5th foul with just under two minutes to play, and Matayoshi was unable to find her jumper throughout the night, scoring her only 3 points late in the 4th quarter.

Iolani got solid contributions from reserve guards Tami Konishi (11pts) and Dayna Jandoc (8pts) who combined on 5 three-pointers and helped keep the Raiders in the game. With the loss, Iolani is now in a tie for first in the ILH Standings with Kamehameha at 4-1. Later this week, they will face the Maryknoll Spartans (0-5) on Thursday and the Punahou Buffanblu (2-2) on Friday.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

On TV: Junior forward Jamie Smith will be honored tonight as the KHON2 Athlete of the Week which will air at 6pm and 10pm.

Three women from three of Hawai’i’s most popular musical groups have joined together to form Mighty J. It’s members include Mailani Makainai (Keahiwai), Tiki Suan ‘94 (Milo Shade - shown) and Jenn “JRoQ” Wright (Kanalo and Simple Souls). These ladies are passionate about their music and because of their different backgrounds, create a sound that is unique enough to be called “World Music,” but also rooted in the soul of Hawai’i. Their usage of different types of instruments and infusion of different genre knows no bounds. It’s easy to see why that without a completed album, they have already developed a sizable following who strongly believe Mighty J is Hawai’i’s next “Big Thing.”

Their name, “Mighty J”, is derived from the collection of nicknames for each of the group members… Mai (for Mailani), T (for Tiki) and J (for Jenn)… together, that’s Mai-T-J. Get it?

The group is currently working on their first album and is documenting the creative process for all to see on their website under “Mighty J TV“. There you’ll get the chance to see the 3 ladies in studio and listen to them record a few tracks off of their upcoming album. Look for it in stores soon…