Iolani Alumni

Iolani School has named Lance Watanabe the new head coach of the Varsity Softball Team. He succeeds former head coach Chris Shimabukuro ‘85 who stepped down in late March after nine seasons with the Raiders during which time he led the team to three ILH Championships and back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000.

Since 2004, Watanabe has been an assistant on the Iolani varsity staff, serving as the team’s batting instructor. Prior to his time with the Raiders, Watanabe served as the head coach at Wai’anae from 1995-2003. In 1996, he lead the Seariders to the OIA West title, but fell twice to perennial power Kailua in the OIA and State finals. For his efforts, Watanabe was named the OIA West and Hawaii State Coach of the Year in 1996.

With Watanabe at the helm, the Raiders will be looking to contend for an ILH title and improve on their 3rd place finish in the state tournament this past season. Iolani will return several starters in 2007-08 including outfielders Kryn Masutani, Raechele Takara and Jana Tokuhama, All-State second teamers Kylie Ahlo (2B) and Kai Masutani (C) as well as starting pitcher and early season ace Brittney Guro.

Iolani Softball Coach Chris Shimabukuro ‘85 has stepped down after 9 seasons with the Raiders during which time he led the team to three ILH championships and back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000.

This season, the Raiders finished 2nd in the ILH and 3rd in the state, reaching the semifinals of the 2007 Hawaii State Softball Tournament before falling to the Mililani Trojans.

While there was no reason giving for the resignation, Chris said (in a press release by the school) “I am grateful for the opportunity that ‘Iolani School gave me and I have enjoyed the experience very much. It is time to give someone else this wonderful opportunity.”

A successor has yet to be named for next season when the Raiders return several starters including outfielders Kryn Masutani, Raechele Takara and Jana Tokuhama, All-State second teamers Kylie Ahlo (2B) and Kai Masutani (C) as well as starting pitcher and early season ace Brittney Guro.

[Photo: SportsHigh.com]

Iolani senior Kaz Masutani was named to the 2007 Honolulu Advertiser All-State Softball First Team for her strong performances in the field at shortstop and at the plate as the leadoff hitter for the Raiders. Iolani finished 2nd in the ILH and advanced to the semifinals of the 2007 State Softball Tournament where they lost to Mililani 5-0.

Senior 1B Tara-lyn Odo, junior 2B Kylie Ahlo and junior catcher Kai Masutani were named to the Second Team and senior 3B Lauren Oyadomori, senior pitcher Kellie-Ann Imada and freshman centerfielder Kryn Masutani were Honorable Mention selections.

After getting off to a hot start in the opening rounds of the 2007 State Tournament (22 runs in two games), the Iolani Softball team was cooled off in the semifinals by Mililani ace, Makani Duhaylonsod, who scattered 4 hits in a complete game shut-out. The Raiders had their chances thoughout the game, but couldn’t string the hits together to overcome an early lead by the Mililani Trojans who scored all 5 of their runs in the first two innings of the game.

In their final game against ILH Champion St. Francis, Iolani was able to get a little revenge on the Troubadours, scoring 3 runs in the third inning en route to a 3-2 victory to finish in 3rd place.

Iolani 3rd baseman, senior Lauren Oyadomori was named to the All-Tournament team.

The Iolani Softball team got off to a fast start tonight scoring 4 runs in each of the first two innings to jump out to a quick 8-0 lead and never looked back. Iolani left-fielder Jana Tokuhama came up big for the Raiders with a 3-run inside-the-park home run and run scoring double early in the game and starting pitcher Kelly Imada kept the Menehune batters in check through seven innings en route to a 10-4 victory.

Iolani faces the #4-seed Waiakea Warriors on Thursday, February 1st at 2:00pm at the UH Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The Honolulu Advertiser has written a nice feature on the three Masutani sisters, Kaz ‘07, Kai ‘08 and Kryn ‘10 (shown, Honolulu Advertiser), as they enter their first state tournament together as members of the Iolani Softball team. Both quality hitters and fielders, the trio have been a large part of the success of this year’s team which is making its first appearance in the state tournament since 2002.

Iolani is coached by Chris Shimabukuro ‘85, who in his first two years as head coach in 1999 and 2000, won back to back state championships. He and his team hope to have the same success this year.

The story was written by Iolani alum Wes Nakama ‘86 who covers prep sports for the Honolulu Advertiser.

Read the full article in the Honolulu Advertiser »

Event Date: Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

The Iolani Softball team finished second in the ILH after losing a close game in extra innings last Friday to the St. Francis Troubadours, but will still be a part of the 2007 state tournament which opens this Wednesday at the UH Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The Raiders, making their first state tournament appearance in a few years, open up with the 12-3 Moanalua Menehune on Wednesday, January 31st at 8:00pm. Should they win that game, Iolani will face the #4 seed Waiakea Warriors at 2:00pm on Thursday.

Only the semifinal and final games will be televised (OC16) so you’ll need to be there live and in person to cheer on the Raiders.

See the full 2007 Hawaii State Softball Tournament Schedule »

Event Date: Friday, January 26th, 2007

The Iolani Softball team picked up a much needed 5-2 win today over Sacred Hearts to force a playoff with the St. Francis Troubadours on Friday at 3:45pm @ Kamamalu Field.

The Raiders are tied with the Troubadours at 11-3 and have already beat them twice during league play, but because the ILH does not use head-to-head results as a tie-breaker, the two teams will play off to determine the overall championship. Win or lose, both teams have qualified for the state tournament which starts on January 31 and will be played at the UH Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

With a win today against the Sacred Hearts Lancers, the Iolani Softball team will end the ILH regular season in first place tie with the St. Francis Troubadours. According to Coach Chris Shimabukuro ‘85, the Sacred Hearts team is “tough” and definitely “no push-over.” The Lancers have already beat Kamehameha once and Punahou twice and will represent the ILH in the Division II State Tournament with a record of 6-7.

Here’s the highlights from their last meeting: (Honolulu Advertiser)

‘IOLANI 7, SACRED HEARTS 4

Kai Masutani’s two-run single highlighted a five-run fifth inning as the Raiders (5-1) beat the Lancers (2-4) at Crane Park. Sacred Hearts out-hit ‘Iolani, 8-5, but also committed four errors. Joslyn Eugenio went 2 for 4 with a homer for the Lancers and Noel Soma added a double.

If the Raiders win, they will clinch a spot in the state tournament and playoff with St. Francis on Friday for the ILH Championship. If they lose, they will be at worst in a tie for 2nd with Kamehameha (if the Warriors beat Mid-Pacific today) which will also result in a playoff on Friday (2 teams go to State). If Kamehameha loses to Mid-Pacific (and the Raiders lose), then Iolani will end in second and earn the automattic spot in the state tournament.

Let’s just hope they win… Iolani vs. Sacred Hearts - Ala Wai Field at 3:45pm

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Both the Iolani Boys’ & Girls’ Soccer teams are in bad shape with regards to the state tournament… but they still have hope.

With a 2-1 loss to Kamehameha, the boys’ team dropped to 4-3 and are now a few games behind Punahou (7-0-1) and Kamehameha (6-0-1) with 3 games remaining. The ILH has one “and a half” berths to the state tournament. The league champion receives one berth and the second place team plays off with the MIL (Maui) second place team for the other berth. So… basically, Iolani needs a “lot to happen” in order for them to land in second, but its possible….

The girls’ team is in a similar predicament… they’re in need of “a lot of help” to finish in first for the ILH’s only state tournament berth. With two losses (to Punahou) and one tie (to Kamehameha), Iolani needs to win out and have currently undefeated Punahou pick up a few losses in order for them to overtake the Buff-n-Blu for the ILH lead. So unless everything falls into place, they’re out… BUT, there is a rumor lingering around that the ILH second place team may have an opportunity to playoff with the 6th place OIA team for a final berth. Hopefully its true…

In a televised game (OC16) this morning, the Iolani Softball team defeated the Maryknoll Spartans 7-3 behind the solid pitching of Kelly Imada who gave up only 5 hits and 1 run over 6 innings. With timely hitting and a few throwing errors by Maryknoll, the Raiders were able to slowly build their lead, taking a 6 run advantage into the final inning. In the seventh, Iolani closer Brittney Guro gave up two runs but was able to close out the game forcing two short pop-outs with runners on second and third. (Shown: Senior, SS, Kaz Masutani)

Note: Despite what was reported on the OC16 telecast, the Iolani Softball team has NOT yet clinched a spot in the state tournament, but remain in at least a tie for first (Standings will depend on other games that were played today.)

With a 7-0 shutout of the St. Francis Troubadours, the Iolani Softball team now sits in a tie for first (with St. Francis) at 9-3, one game ahead of 3rd place Kamehameha. Iolani has won both contests against the Troubadours, but remain tied because the ILH does not recognize head-to-head results in tie-breaking situations.

The Raiders have two games remaining in their ILH season against Maryknoll and Sacred Hearts - teams they have previously beaten (7-4 vs Maryknoll & 9-3 vs Sacred Hearts) and need to maintain their margin over Kamehameha to ensure a state tournament birth (2 slots).

UPDATE: Iolani vs. Maryknoll will be TELEVISED (OC-16) on Saturday, January 20th @ 11:00am. Don’t miss it!

The Iolani Boys’ Basketball team picked up its first loss of the ILH season on Saturday night against the St. Louis Crusaders despite holding their leading scorer and main offensive threat, 6-6 center Scott Smith to 9 points. During the first half the Raiders were on fire hitting 6 three pointers to take a 9 point lead midway through the 2nd quarter, but were not able to sustain it as St. Louis ended the half on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 25.

The second half went back and forth until the Saints went on a 9 point run sparked by the accurate shooting of Kulia Aiona (son of Lt. Governor Duke Aiona) who had one of his better days hitting for 15 points on 7-8 from the field. Iolani was able to close the gap and had several chances to close the margin, but were not able to get any closer than 3 points which is how the game ended. The Raiders were led by seniors Case Miyahira (15 pts) and Ryan Dung (14 pts).

On Friday, the Raiders took care of Damien at home pulling away in the end for a 16 point victory. Up next for Iolani is a tough week of games including Maryknoll (Tuesday), Mid Pacific (Thursday @ Mid Pacific) and Punahou (Saturday @ Punahou).

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The Iolani Softball team (8-4) pulled out a big 7-6 win on Saturday morning against the Kamehameha Warriors (6-4) putting them clearly in second place a game and half ahead of the Warriors. On the same day, the first place St. Francis Troubadours were upset by Punahou leaving them only one game ahead of Iolani at 8-2. The Raiders will face the Troubadours this coming Wednesday, January 17th at 3:45 at Kamamalu Park in a game that could decide the ILH Champion. (As for the state tournament implications, the top TWO teams in the ILH are given births to the state tournament.)

Event Date: Saturday, January 13th, 2007

The Iolani Division I Basketball team will face the St. Louis Crusaders at 7:30pm at McCabe Gym on the St. Louis campus. The Crusaders are expected to finish among the top teams in ILH with a roster that includes at least 4 players over 6-5 and features 6-6, 240+ lb. Scott Smith (Photo: Honolulu Advertiser), the ILH Defensive Player of the Year in football.

The Division II Basketball team will face the top team the last two years in their division, the Kamehameha Warriors at 7:30pm on the Iolani campus.

After a tough 4-0 loss yesterday to Punahou, the Iolani Softball team will have a chance to rebound against the Kamehameha Warriors at 10:00am on the Kapalama campus. Iolani is currently in second (7-3) in the ILH standings behind St. Francis (9-1) and is a half game up on Kamehameha (6-3) whose game yesterday (vs. Maryknoll) rained out.

With their best finish in the Iolani Classic (3rd) in several years, the Iolani Raiders gained a spot in the Star Bulletin Poll moving into second behind the Punahou Buff-n-Blu. In case you missed it, the Raiders upset White Station of Memphis, got blown out by Leflore of Alabama, the eventual champion and USA Today #11, and then rebounded in the 3rd place game to beat Vincent of Milwaukee, the #6 ranked team in the Midwest (#1 in Wisconsin).

Still without their starting center, 6-5 Taylor Mounts, the Raiders are continuing to improve and hope to have a full squad back within the next week or two when they open their season against the Kamehameha Warriors on Thursday, January 4th at home.

The Iolani Softball team dropped a spot in the ILH standings with a disappointing 6-0 loss to the Mid Pacific Owls. Coming into the game with a 2-5 record, the Owls scored 5 runs in the second inning and were able to shutout the Raiders to earn their 3rd victory of the season. With a win by St. Francis, the Raiders were pushed into second place behind the Troubadours and are currently a game back.

The Iolani Boys’ Soccer team picked up a win in their ILH season opener against Mid Pacific on Friday, December 22nd. The Raiders got their lone goal from Ian Watson to notch their first ILH victory. The boys team is coached by 1988 Iolani alum Chris Lee.

The Iolani Girls Soccer team is also 1-0 in ILH play with a 3-1 win over Pac-5 in their season opener at Iolani School. The Raider got goals by Sammi Teramae, Nicole Ha and Alyssa Simbahon. The girls’ team is coached by alumnus Chris Nied, Class of 1979.

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the basketball team as of late, but don’t forget about the Iolani Softball Team who is currently tied atop the ILH standings with the St. Francis Troubadours at 6-1 (Iolani beat them earlier this month 5-2). The Raiders are led by ace pitcher Britney Guro and nearly the entire Masutani family (Kaz ‘07, Kai ‘08, Kryn ‘10). Make sure you keep track of them as they move into the second round…

Oh… and don’t forget about the spectacular alumni coaching staff led by head coach Chris Shimabukuro ‘85 and assisted by Al Inaba ‘84 and Clem Hew.