Sports

7 Judoka Compete at States

Friday, May 15th, 2015

Molokai’s introductory course in judo is complete. The Farmers ended their first-ever judo season at last Saturday’s state competition, and while none of them took home a medal, the coaches were pleased to see how far their developing judoka, or judo students, have come.

“Considering that these guys just learned judo about two months ago, making it this far, winning some matches, getting to states, that’s real good pretty darn good,” said boys’ Head Coach Eli “Lihau” Maioho.

Three Molokai judoka were seeded within the top four in their weight classes going into the tournament. Senior Kaila`oe Cabanting (115) and junior Kui Han (285) went in ranked third, while freshman Ikua DePonte (145) went in fourth.…

Baseball Finishes Fifth at States

Wednesday, May 13th, 2015

For six and a half innings, the teams had fought hard. Pac-5 had been aggressive on the basepaths and Molokai had been timely with the bats, but with the two-hour limit up and the score tied, it had all come down to a coin toss, per the league’s time limit rule. A flip of a piece of silver would determine who would advance to the next round of the Division II state baseball tournament, and who would go home.

“In my mind I was thinking, this is the biggest coin toss of our life,” said Molokai Assistant Coach Kenny Adachi.…

Two Sports States-Bound

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

Four Molokai sports teams competed in last week’s jam-packed Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championships. While volleyball and track wrapped up their seasons, the softball and judo teams will continue on to the state tournaments.

Volleyball

The boys ended their season last Thursday on Lanai at the Division II Tournament with a thrilling five-set loss to Hana. The Dragons (12-2) outlasted the Farmers (3-9) 25-19, 18-25, 26-28, 25-20, 15-7, and later qualified for the state tournament.

The Farmers played well, and Coach Hale Domingo was happy with the season.

“Words can’t explain how proud I am of these boys,” he said. “I try to teach them everything I know about volleyball, but in the end they teach me more than I ever known.”…

Baseball Wraps Up MIL Title

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

The Molokai High School boys’ baseball team will be headed to the state tournament for the third year in a row after winning the MIL Division II Baseball Championship this past weekend at Maehara Stadium on Maui.

The Farmers outscored their opponents in the tournament 26- 1 and had solid pitching from their two aces, Nohi Meyer and Hanale Dudoit Enos.

On Thursday, they defeated Lanai 15-0 in three innings, and on Friday they defeated St. Anthony 11- 1 in five innings. Ena Victorino had a home run and a triple in the game against the Trojans, and all of his teammates also contributed to the successful weekend.…

Softball Sweeps First Homestand 

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

The Molokai girls’ softball field may be brand new, but the path to home plate is already well worn by the cleats of the high-scoring Farmers.

Last weekend in Ho`olehua, the Lady Farmers (7-1) swept the St. Anthony Trojans (1-7) in a pair of three-inning wins, 16-1 on Friday and 23-1 on Saturday.

It was the Farmers’ first and final series on their new home field, which was officially blessed on March 20.

“I’ve practiced here before, but this year, having a game and having everyone from the community and our parents coming to watch us, it just felt really exciting, and I felt really honored,” said senior Kelsie Espiritu-Tanabe.…

Tennis Teams Stay Hopeful

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

Molokai’s tennis teams exited early in last week’s Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championships, but not before giving opposing schools a glimpse of what’s to come from this young, growing program.

“Our team is mostly comprised of sophomores and first year players,” said Luke Kikukawa, the team’s only senior. “… We really were starting to become a much bigger figure in MILs. Coaches are becoming more aware of us.”

Multiple underclassmen contributed to the Farmers’ five first-round victories, while sophomores Kaiea Dowling and Preston Pascua-Kaho`okano were named the sixth seed in the boys’ doubles competition and received a first-round bye.

Freshmen doubles teams Cassandra Ragonton and Romelyn Ragonton, and Michelle McGuire and Althea Cariaga got past the first round, as did junior duo Kea`a Davis and Oceana Madani.…