Island Youth

Paddling Top 8 in State

Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

The Molokai girls’ paddling crew capped off their season in the state finals on Saturday, finishing seventh out of 16 teams in Kahului. In their preliminary race, Molokai finished sixth in four minutes and 54.13 seconds, qualifying for the semifinals. The Farmers chopped 15 seconds off of their preliminary time and took first in the semifinals with 4:39.90, launching them into the finals.

“In the semifinals … only the top two could move on to the finals,” said senior paddler Waipuna Paleka-Kelly. “It was really intense again because it was a lot on our shoulders.”

The state championship featured 16 boys’ crews, 16 girls’ crews and 16 mixed.…

Basketball Three-in-a-Row MIL Champs

Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

Junior point guard Hepuakea Falealii said her heart is still pumping hard after last week’s games. Falealii played a big part in Molokai’s two thrilling last-second wins in the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championship, as the Lady Farmers (13-1) scooped up their third consecutive league title.

Molokai defeated a pair of familiar opponents by a point each, winning against the Hana Dragons 33-32 on Thursday and against the Seabury Hall Spartans 39-38 on Friday. The Lady Farmers have now won seven of the last eight MIL Division II titles.

“The girls did a great job making key plays down the stretch for us to win,” said Head Coach Lee DeRouin.…

Swimmers Fastest in Season Finale

Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

At last week’s MIL championships, Molokai’s swimmers were faster than they’ve been all season—and everyone noticed.

“They’re doing stuff they’ve never done before mentally and physically,” said Head Coach Jess Ford. “The officials and the other coaches, they were like, ‘We saw your kids. They swam so good.’”

On Friday, MIL swimmers competed in preliminary heats before moving on to the final competition on Saturday. Five Molokai boys and two girls made it to the final rounds, competing with the top eight swimmers in the league in each category. Senior Luke Kikukawa was the only Molokai swimmer to officially medal, winning bronze in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of two minutes and 20.22 seconds.…

Farmers Gear Up for MILs, States

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

Tiebreaker Sends Paddling to States

Molokai’s girls had to race twice on Saturday to earn a place at the state championships. The Farmers finished third in the MIL’s final regatta and came in second in a tie-breaking race to earn the MIL’s last state berth.

“It was pretty intense and really nerve-racking, but we made it,” said paddler Waipuna Kelly-Paleka.

Seabury Hall had already been guaranteed a place before Saturday’s race. After Molokai finished third, the Farmers were locked in a three-way season tie with King Kekaulike and Kamehameha Maui, forcing a second, shorter race.

“Thankfully, during practice I have them do half-mile sprints nearly back to back,” said Head Coach Stefanie Hubbard.…

Girls Basketball Bound for States

Wednesday, January 28th, 2015

With a pair of wins over Seabury Hall (3-7) last weekend, the Lady Farmers (10-0) stayed undefeated, won the regular season crown and guaranteed themselves a spot at the girls’ basketball state tournament in February.

“[It’s] very rewarding,” said senior forward Edel Mae Alvarez of the team’s accomplishments. “Everything—night practices, long boat rides and bus rides—was totally worth it.”

Molokai topped Seabury Hall 42-35 on Friday and 39-30 on Saturday. Lehiwa Pedro and Hepuakea Falealii brought in 10 points apiece on Friday, while Camille Ledesma and Brooke Keliihoomalu each scored 13 in Saturday’s victory.

Although Molokai plays second-place Lanai (7-3) this weekend, the Pine Lasses are three games out of first place and can’t steal the Farmers’ regular season crown in two games.…