Iolani Alumni

Colorado School of Mines junior guard Kyle Pape ‘05 will be spending the holidays at home this Christmas… though not just for sentimental reasons.

His Orediggers are in Hawaii to face Seattle Pacific and Hawaii Pacific in a two-game series that begins today at 2:00pm. Kyle, a preseason all-conference selection, currently leads the team in scoring at just under 20 points per game and is coming fresh off of a 21 point performance in a loss to Western New Mexico this past Sunday.

CSM faces Seattle Pacific today at 2:00pm at BYU-Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific tomorrow (12/22) at 7:30pm at Neal Blaisdell Center.

Star-Bulletin - Hawaii Grown Report »
Honolulu Advertiser - Homegrown Report »

Because state association rules in New York and Kentucky prohibit teams in their league from competing against schools that are not members of their own state associations, the 2007 Iolani Classic has been readjusted to a “pool-play” format with all the final round matchups pre-determined to prevent any potential conflicts.

After defeating Ji Lin of China in the opening round, the Raiders final three games will be as follows:

• Thursday (11/20) - vs. #10 Rice @ 5:00pm
• Friday (11/21) - vs. #15 Mount Vernon @ 6:30pm
• Saturday (11/22) - vs. Mason County @ 3:30pm

See the complete bracket for the 2007 Iolani Classic »

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

It was an undefeated day for the Iolani Soccer Teams against Punahou yesterday afternoon.

The boys team defeated the Buffanblu 1-0 at home on a goal by Zach Lee while the girls played to 0-0 tie at Punahou’s home field.

The Iolani Boys are 3-1 in the ILH, one game behind undefeated Kamehameha. The girls are 2-1-1 and also behind the first place Warriors.

Each team will be back in action on Friday afternoon when the boys take on Damien at Kapiolani Park and the girls face Pac-5 at Iolani. Both games will begin at 4:15pm.

There’s a lot of things going on today in the Iolani Community, so if you want to see everything, you’ll have to “use your time wisely.” (Sounded kinda teacher-y huh?)

• Iolani Classic - Opening Round: In addition to the usual matchups of Hawaii teams vs. the top mainland opponents, Iolani will take on Ji Lin of China at 8pm.
• Iolani Soccer vs. Punahou: The girls play at Punahou at 4:15pm. The boys play at Iolani at 4:15pm.
• Iolani Winterball: The first formal dance of the year takes place tonight at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel from 5:30pm to 11:00pm.

Two players from Iolani School were honored in Saturday’s Honolulu Advertiser as All-ILH First Team selections for the 2007 season. Senior wide receiver Lionel Fujioka, who also made appearances on defense and special teams, was the only Raider named to the first team offense. Junior Kela Marciel, Iolani’s standout quarterback, was named to the first team as a punter.

The Second Team honored senior wide-out Ronnie Hirokawa, senior offensive lineman Cody Kamakana and junior linebacker Carl Gibson. Marciel was also selected to the second team as a quarterback.

Jarom Baldomero, JR Bunda, Reid Furukawa, Kekai Demello, Aaron Fong, Josh Lee, Zach Shikada, Jordan Sele, Christian Siania and Justin Yamamoto were all recognized as Honorable Mention selections.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

The inaugural girls division of the 24th Annual Iolani Prep Classic moves into the semifinal round this evening when No.2-ranked Iolani takes on the Redondo Union Seahawks, a perennial contender in the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation).

The Raiders are coming off of an opening round blowout (51-29) of Moanalua and will be looking to keep their undefeated 9-0 record intact as they attempt to stop Redondo Union and their 6-0 UCLA-bound forward Atonye Nyingifa who scored 16 points in the Seahawks first round win over the Kamehameha Warriors (44-29). Iolani standout Jamie Smith will likely get the opportunity to matchup with the California star which should make for an exciting game.

In the other semifinal, top-ranked Punahou will take on national powerhouse Narbonne from Harbor City, California. The Buffanblu advanced to the second round with a 59-30 win over Granada (California) led by Berkley-bound forward Shawna-Lei Kuehu and her twin sister Shaena who scored 16 and 14 points respectively. Narbonne moved on with an impressive 88-51 victory over the Roosevelt Rough Riders who had a difficult time getting the ball past half-court on their opening possessions against the Gauchos overwhelming full-court press.

Iolani faces Redondo Union in the first semifinal at 6:30pm with the Punahou vs. Narbonne game to follow at 8:00pm. All games are in the Iolani Lower Gym.

From Dave Reardon’s UH Sports blog in the Honolulu Star Bulletin:

Quarterback Kiran Kepo’o ‘06 said he’s “doing fine” nearly three months after a bicycle accident that caused a fractured cheekbone and other injuries. He can’t play or work out yet, but will be on the Sugar Bowl trip. His hope is to be back at practice in time for spring workouts.

Kepo’o, a redshirt freshman quarterback at the University of Hawaii, was injured in an apparent “hit and run” while riding his bicycle home after an evening study session in late-September.

After convincing wins to open their seasons, the Iolani Boys and Girls soccer teams stumbled yesterday, losing by one goal margins to their respective opponents.

Coming off of a 4-0 shutout of Mid-Pacific last Tuesday, the boys team was upended by the St. Louis Crusaders yesterday 3-2 at Iolani School. Iolani was led by goal scorers Kevin Fung (shown) and Nick Goo, both of whom picked up their second goals of the season.

The girls team was equally as disappointed after coming off of a 7-0 win over St. Francis last week. Julia Nishioka scored her third goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to the Kamehameha Warriors yesterday at their home field.

Both teams are now 1-1 and will return to action on Friday, December 14th at Iolani at 4:15pm. The boys will take on Pac-5 while the girls will face Sacred Hearts.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

Their name may not be familiar, but their sound is unmistakable.

In a collaboration with former Ho’onu’a bandmate Sani Apuakehau, Christian Yrizarry ‘94 recently released the self-titled debut album for his newly formed group Beach 5. Named for the duo’s favorite beach spot (Makapu’u), Beach 5 takes an updated spin on the “feel good island sound” that Ho’onu’a made popular over the past decade.

As a part of Ho’onu’a, Christian released three albums which included a number of memorable singles including “When I Think About You”, “Blue Light” and “Passion Love” among many others while Sani, who actually attended Iolani School with the Class of ‘92 until second grade, released two solo albums of his own, the second under Christian’s production company label, Feel Good Entertainment.

See them on Hot Hawaiian Nights on K5 » (Windows Media)
Buy the album at e808.com »

Competing in the 1st Annual Wahine Warriors Basketball Classic on the Big Island, the Iolani Girls Basketball team faced three tough teams from three different leagues to capture their first tournament title and maintain their unblemished preseason record (8-0).

In the opening round on Thursday, the Raiders defeated Hilo 45-42 behind 24 points by senior forward Jamie Smith. The Vikings feature all-state guard Vicky Tagalicod and are expected to be among the top contenders for the title in the BIIF.

With a 51-40 semifinal win over Lahainaluna, the MIL’s top team, Iolani advanced to the finals against ILH opponent Kamehameha (Oahu) where they turned a 1-point game after three quarters into a 46-34 win.

Smith led the Raiders in scoring in each of the three games (20.6 ppg) and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

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The Iolani Boys Basketball team (3-1) had their own share of success at the James Alegre Tournament at Radford, advancing to the finals with wins over Moanalua (59-45) and Mid-Pacific (50-40).

In the title game, the Raiders fell to top-ranked Punahou 53-52 on a buzzer beater by Buffanblu guard Dalton Hilliard who went the length of the court with 5.5 seconds remaining to score a layup as time expired.

Linebacker Christian Siania, offensive lineman Cody Kamakana and receiver Ronnie Hirokawa will play in their final high school football game tonight as a part of the East squad in the 2007 HUB Goodwill Senior Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

The annual all-star game is now in its 17th year and features the top seniors from the OIA and ILH (Division I and II) in a format very similar to the Hula Bowl. The players are separated onto East and West squads and practice with their designated coaches for two weeks prior to the game. The Senior Bowl is sponsored by the Hawai’i Union Builders Foundation which provides scholarships and funds educational activities that require financial assistance.

The game will kickoff at 7:30pm tonight at Aloha Stadium. Admission is $5.00.

See the complete rosters »

Six members of the Iolani Girls Volleyball team were honored as top performers in the ILH for the 2007 season. Middle blocker Chelsea Hardin, outside hitter Leinani Keanini and setter Malie Yoon were all named to the first team. Mahina Haina, Lauren Minkel and Jana Tokuhama were second team selections.

Head Coach Jenic Tumaneng, in his second season with the Raiders, was named the ILH Coach of the Year for his efforts in leading Iolani to the ILH Regular Season Championship and a 2nd place finish overall.

Due to complications resulting from the overnight storm, Iolani was one of the many schools around the state closed today to ensure the safety of the students and faculty.

There doesn’t appear to be any major damage to the campus, but the general loss of power to the school resulted in the early morning decision to cancel all classes and sports activities until tomorrow. As of 10am, power returned to a majority of the buildings on campus, but the Castle Building was still without electricity (and if you’ve been in the Castle Building in a blackout, then you know how dark it gets).

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While you’re home, make sure you tune in to ESPNU to watch Derrick Low ‘04 and the #8 Washington State Cougars as they take on the #17 Gonzaga Bulldogs at 6:00pm HST.

Kyle Pape ‘05, a junior guard at the Colorado School of Mines, is off to strong start this season leading his team in scoring in each of their first six games. Pape is averaging 22.3 points per game on 43.6% shooting while also knocking down 84.2% of his freethrows (32-38) .

Through his last three games, Pape is shooting 50% from the field and 45% from three-point range. On November 24th, he had the opportunity to play against former high school adversary and summertime teammate Sam Wilhoite (Kalaheo ‘04) when UH-Hilo traveled to Denver to face the Orediggers. Pape scored 24 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the 77-72 win while Wilhoite picked up a double-double with 16 points and 14 boards.

The Orediggers are currently 4-2 and will open conference play on Thursday at home against Western State.

FYI: Pape and his CSM teammates will be in Hawaii on December 21 & 22 for games against Seattle Pacific University and HPU.

Occidental forward Jesi Sasaki ‘07 was named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year after recording 7 goals and 4 assists in her first collegiate season for the Tigers.

“Sasaki has shown that she is astute in her movement with and without the ball, has good vision and awareness and demonstrates composure beyond her years in tight situations as well as in front of goal. She is quick, has a great change of pace and direction, takes defenders’ challenges and just gets on with playing the game she truly enjoys.”

Also receiving post season honors was fullback Marci Kang ‘06 who was named to the All-SCIAC 2nd Team.

“The sophomore defender has started every game, is vocal on the field and has become a highly respected and hugely effective team leader. She reads the game exceptionally well, is tactically astute, is comfortable on the ball, strong in the tackle, and is a real competitor who always puts the team first.”

Occidental finished second in the SCIAC with an overall record of 11-5-1 (9-3 in conference).

[Photo: Leahi Soccer Club]