Sports

Catching Up

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Since the ancient days of the first Makahiki games, Molokai has had a proud athletic tradition. Today, the island continues to produce an unproportionally high amount of sports stars. From high school to college and the pros, our athletes have represented the Friendly Isle well on the national stage. Many have gone on to play sports for colleges throughout Hawaii and on the mainland. A few of Molokai’s now-professional athletes are listed below. If you have information about any of these athletes, or how to get in contact with them, let us know! The Dispatch wants to help share their stories with the island and inspire a whole new generation of great Molokai athletes.


Jarrin Akana -- Basketball

Joe Kupaka – Volleyball

Keith Luuloa –Baseball

Miles Luuloa –Baseball

Mike McCutcheon –Baseball

Kaipo Naki – Basketball

Kimo “Scooby” Von Oelhoffen – Football

Split Decision

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Farmers win season opener, fall in rematch the next day

The Molokai girls’ basketball team tipped off their season at The Barn last weekend with a win and a loss against visiting King Kekaulike from Maui. The Farmers came from behind Friday night to pick up a 37-30 win before dropping the rematch 40-37 the next morning.

“Both these games had a similar hard fought style,” said Molokai coach Michael Hooper. “The girls need to learn how to play these types of games if we want to repeat for a state championship.”

Friday night’s game was also the debut of The Barn’s brand new gym floor. The bright new parquet with a fierce-looking farmer at mid-court was designed by William Kaole Place with help from one of the school’s art classes.

“The new floor was nice. It was a little slippery at first, but after that it was great,” said senior guard Danna-Lynn Hooper.

played really well,” Michael Hooper said.  “I think we’re going to have a pretty good team.”

Round Two
The following morning, Molokai and King Kekaulike were back in The Barn for a rematch. This time the Farmers’ comeback fell just short.

Once again it was three-pointers from King Kekaulike’s Carillo and junior Tori Kawahara that put the Farmers behind in the first half.

Molokai kept things close until Na Ali`i sophomore Jennifer Treu scored seven straight to give her team a 29-22 edge with time running out in the third quarter.

Jolenta Duvauchelle had a pair of clutch hoops to keep the Farmers close late in the game, but King Kekaulike was able to control the ball and take away too much time in the final quarter.

“We need to work a little more on ball control, sticking with the defense and our mental preparation,” Danna-Lynn Hooper said.

Coach Hooper said with only 10 practice days before their first game, he wasn’t surprised the girls weren’t completely mentally prepared.

“It was kind of expected,” he said. “But this is what we’ll be facing all preseason – big, quick and aggressive.”

King Kekaulike is one of the several Div. I teams Molokai has slated for their 12 game preseason schedule. Coach Hooper said the tough line-up was necessary to have the team ready for the postseason.

The Farmers get back on the court this weekend for four games in four days on the Big Island. All four of their opponents are Div. I teams including last year’s champions, Konawaena.

Footsteps For Football

Friday, November 27th, 2009

There hasn’t been a high school football game on Molokai since 1961, but the possibility of ending that streak took a small leap towards reality last month. Mike Kahale, a physical education teacher at Kualapu`u School, recently received a $2,000 grant to purchase football equipment.

Kahale, who has been working to create a high school football team since moving to Molokai five years ago, said the grant from USA Football was a step in the right direction.

“It’s a huge step,” he said. “Getting the equipment was one of our biggest obstacles and the fact that we got it from a nationally recognized organization shows we are willing to look to outside sources to get this done.”

Kahale and his wife, Nichol Helm Kahale, presented a strategic five-year plan to bring football back to Molokai to High School Athletic Director Cami Kimball last year.

“We sat down at the beginning of the year last year and talked about possibly bringing it back to the school,” Kimball said. “It’s on our backburner, but I don’t want to give the impression that we will have a team next year.”

The cost of high school football is exponentially higher than most other sports and a good deal of money would still need to be raised to help pay for travel costs, field maintenance and additional equipment.

Starting a football program seems even more daunting as it comes on the coattails of major budget cuts for high school sports across the state. Supporters of the program will be looking to other outside businesses and organizations to help with funding.

Kahale said Molokai’s most famous football player, Kimo “Scooby” Von Oelhoffen, has offered to help fund the program, but the two have yet to discuss actual dollars and cents. Von Oelhoffen played football at University of Hawaii and Boise State before starting a 15-year NFL career, despite never getting the chance to play in high school.

Crazy Eights
The $100,000-plus price tag that comes with a traditional football team is a stretch at this point, but that doesn’t mean the sport can’t exist at all. In the past year, some of the Maui Interscholastic League’s (MIL) smaller schools have started to look into an eight-man football league.

Eight-man football – rather than traditional 11-man teams -- is played in many rural regions on the mainland and allows small schools with small budgets a chance to play football. MIL Executive Director Joe Balangitao and St. Anthony’s High School Athletic Director Charlie Pico have been working to develop such a league for Maui County’s smaller schools.

“An eight player league is way more suitable for us,” Kimball said. “There is no way we can do a regular league. For us to send that many players every will is just not a possibility.”

Kahale said they still hope to establish a full team in the future, but see the possibility of an eight-man team as good progress.

“It’s not exactly what we wanted, but right now it’s either eight-man or nothing and it is definitely better than nothing,” he said.

Moving Forward
Kahale said the next step is to inform other possible contributors and Balangitao about the new grant. The MIL requires commitments from only three schools to sanction a league.

“We just have to let everyone know we are headed in the right direction and get our plan into the hands of people who can help us raise the money we need,” Kahale said. “We should be afforded every opportunity that every other high school has in Maui County.  Our kids deserve it.”

Winter Sports Preview

Friday, November 27th, 2009

The rains are starting to fall, turkeys are in the oven and Christmas decorations are not far away, which means that it is almost time for Molokai High School to kickoff its winter sports seasons. This year the Farmers will compete in seven winter sports and all of the teams are entering their season with high hopes.

Basketball
The Lady Farmers come into the new season with high expectations after capturing last year’s Div. II state championship. Molokai returns nine of its ten players from the championship squad and appears poised to make another long postseason run.

Seven players on this year’s team put in serious minutes on the court last year and are expected to do the same with another year of experience under their belt.

, and I intend to build on those,” she said.

Megan Stephenson also contributed to this story.

Cream of the Crest

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Surfing takes Molokai boy around the world and to the top of the NSSA leaderboard.

Ka`oli Kahokuloa didn’t stand up the first time he was on a surfboard, but then again most nine-month-olds can barely stand up at all. A few months before Ka`oli’s first birthday, his dad took him out to the waves of Rock Point on Molokai. He’s been in the water ever since.

“Everybody was worried,” Ka`oli said of his first surf session. “They all thought my dad was crazy, but ever since then, I guess I’ve really loved the ocean.”

“It was kind of a lot like Hawaii but a lot crazier,” Ka`oli said. “There’s a lot really old buildings that people still live in and mopeds speed past you on the streets.”
Ka`oli was in Bali for a photo shoot with three other boys from Australia, Italy and France. The resulting photos from the trip are set to be released in Europe this year.

“It’s a lot of fun to meet boys from all over the world and hear them talk different languages and try to understand them,” he said. Ka`oli said he is hoping his next trip will take him to New Zealand, but no date has been set yet.

Between his home-schooling, surf competitions and traveling the world, Ka`oli has a very busy schedule. He and his family moved to Oahu a couple of years ago to make their lives a little simpler. Ka`oli said he has not been back to Molokai in almost a year, but still considers it home.

“I wished I live there again. Everybody in my home wants to go back,” he said. Despite having surfed waves thousands of miles away, he still considers Rock Point to be one of his favorite spots in the world.

Bombs to Beauty

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Ilio Point on Molokai’s northwestern tip has seen its share of earth shattering events – literally. Acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1940 as an aerial bombing range, the area still has so many unexploded ordinances that access is prohibited. Ilio Point, despite the devastation, is rich in rare plants and animals, cultural sites and archeological specimens. Because of that, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Natural Area Reserves (NARS) Commission has recommended the area for designation as a Natural Area Reserve.

The proposed area consists of 261 acres of state land that is not designated to any specific department. The state’s deed on the land currently prohibits access because of the unexploded ordinances, and the NARS designation would not change that, or affect native gathering rights, according to Emma Yuen, NARS Enhancement Coordinator.  However, part of the goal of the NARS designation is to remove safety hazards from the area.

Ilio Point is home to seabird species, the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and many native and rare plants. Fossilized goose bones and snail shells of now-extinct species have also been found in the area.

If designated, the land would be preserved in perpetuity, according to Bill Evanson, District Natural Area Program Manager. Final approval of the NARS designation is up to the Governor.

“It needs to be protected,” said Molokai resident and Hawaiian plants specialist Bill Garnett. “It’s one little place on Molokai where it still is what it used to be.”

Garnett and others testified at a public hearing about the proposed Ilio Point reserve held on Molokai last week.

Resident Halona Kaopuiki explained his family’s history in the area and the cultural important of preserving access to Ilio. 

“We’re talking about access. We have burials out there,” he said.

Yama Kaholoaa, Sr. expressed apprehension about the plan because it is not community initiated. He testified about the knowledge and resources of Molokai residents that are left unused, and said he hoped a plan for Ilio Point would be developed in close communication with the community.

“It should be the native Hawaiians that take care of the native species,” Kaholoaa said.

There are two other Natural Area Reserves on Molokai already – Pu`u Ali`i and Oloku`i on the island’s north central shore. The last NAR in the state was designated in 1991.

Another public hearing will be this Wednesday, Nov.. 18 from 6-8 p.m. at the Mitchell Pauole Center.