Blog: Moanalua High School boys volleyball, judo teams leading the pack

Last week sports fans around the island had a lot to choose from when it came to what homegrown story they wanted to witness.

On Thursday, the OIA crowned champions for Division I & II boys’ volleyball. In front of an almost packed house at McKinley High School, Moanalua Na Menehune repeated as OIA White (DII) champions. Their opponent, Waipahu, ends their OIA season 12-3 with the three losses all coming from Moanalua (15-0). Both teams have qualified for the eight-team Division II state tournament that begins on Thursday. I’m hoping to see my alma mater (Moanalua) go all the way especially since I played under current coach Doug Hi. The second match of the doubleheader was to determine the DI champion. The Rough Riders of Roosevelt also achieved their second straight league title. The young team of Kalani High School seemed to be no match for the Rough Riders as it was close in the first two sets, but Roosevelt ran away sweeping the Falcons 25-22, 25-20, 25-9. The DI state tournament begins Wednesday, May 12 at McKinley High School.

Prep baseball came to an end this weekend in Wailuku, Maui for the 2010 season. Punahou set the standards even higher this year, walking away with its high school record seventh straight Wall Yonamine Foundation Baseball State Championship, Saturday night. The Buffanblu, while finishing third in the ILH for the second straight year, showed no signs of weakness beating the home favorite Baldwin High School 13-2.

Another high school spring sport capped its season on Saturday, as Punahou’s girls’ water polo team was crowned state champions for the third straight year. Punahou defeated Iolani, 9-2, ending their season undefeated (11-0). Iolani came into the match looking for revenge, with only one lost, 14-1, to Punahou in the ILH title game. However, the Buffanblu proved to much as they had for so many teams outscoring opponents 157-18 during the regular season.

One more prep sport that almost often gets overlooked unless you’re involved in it: Judo crowned their champions this Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. Moanalua High School, after placing five judokas in the state finals, took the title winning with 69 points, followed by Kamehameha (56), for the team’s first ever-state title. In even more news for the Na Menehune, Brady Lafortune set a record that only four other judoka have accomplished, by winning his fourth straight individual judo title. The other four Na Menehune that made their own finals all finished second in their matches.

What to look for: Datahouse Division I & II state softball championships from May 11 to 14; New City Nissan Division I & II boys’ volleyball state championships (not at the Stan Sherriff Center) from May 12 to 15; and the Island Movers Track and Field state championships May 14 to 15.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to go for a run, swim, hike, play a pick-up game or just get out of your office, if you have one. Enjoy Hawaii and being healthy!