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Keane Palmer

Iolani soccer  •   #7  MF  Senior

Whether its on the soccer pitch, or on a cross country course, it's likely that Keane Palmer will be right in the thick of the action.

Palmer, an Iolani School senior, has been an elite performer in both sports over the years for the Raiders. Currently, the 5-foot-8 Palmer is in the home stretch of his final season of prep soccer and his play has been a big factor in his team's success this winter.

Iolani, the No. 2 team in the ScoringLive Power Rankings, successfully defended its Interscholastic League of Honolulu title last week and is seeded first in this week's Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Division I Boys Soccer State Championships.

Palmer, a team captain, has scored a team-best seven goals on the year, with two of them coming in pivotal wins to wrap up the ILH schedule last week. He scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over No. 5 Kamehameha last Tuesday and followed that up Wednesday by netting the game-winner against previously-unbeaten and then-No. 2 Punahou.

Raiders coach Chris Lee gave his thoughts on what makes Palmer special.

"I think it's just his drive and his competitiveness to be his best individually and also I guess what his expectations are out of the rest of his teammates," Lee said. "His leadership and then just his endurance and ability to play a lot of minutes."

Palmer's endurance can obviously be traced to his durability as a high-level cross country harrier. Palmer placed fourth in the boys state cross country meet both as a sophomore and as a senior; He won the individual state championship as a junior a year ago.

"He brings that endurance and that energy level," Lee said of Palmer, who began with the Iolani soccer team as a wing, but has since moved to the defensive (holding) midfielder position.

"He covers a lot of ground in the middle, which is perfect for that defensive midfield position that he plays, but he also has the freedom to get forward and into the offense, so he's created quite a few opportunities for us," Lee noted.

Scoring goals, however, is just part of Palmer's job duties.

"He does a lot of the dirty work. He's picking up loose balls, which might not be the flashiest of jobs, but definitely a key component to helping the defense and also being a part of starting up the offense," Lee said.

Lee pointed out that Palmer rarely gets substituted out of the game, again, thanks largely to his endurance.

"It's good and bad. I mean, cross country, because it's a steady pace, they might not be the quickest players, but they can go for long stretches of time, but I think they have that mental toughness to just keep running and keep going, so that definitely helps. There's a huge crossover between cross country and soccer," Lee said.

Lee, who has several players on his soccer team who also run cross country in the fall, said that Palmer is able to carry over the team aspect from one sport to the other.

"On the surface it might look like an individual sport, because it's you against the rest of the field, but I think the cross country program really has a camaraderie amongst the runners where they really feel like they're all contributing to the team and they look at it more that way than just as an individual, so I think it's easy for him to carry that over," Lee said. "I mean, know when he sees the younger soccer players around, because of that cross country experience he has with them, those players really look up to him as a mentor and a role model for not only cross country, but the soccer program as well."

As with all athletics teams at Iolani – who are unified under the school's ‘One Team' mantra – it's always about the team and never about the individual.

"Keane's definitely been one of the instrumental players, but I guess we don't really stress the individual achievements as much as we emphasize it's a team sport and that's why we got 11 guys on the field, but also relying on our depth on our bench, where hopefully these situations where you have to play multiple games in multiple days, hopefully that's something we can do and that will be a benefit to us," Lee expressed.

Palmer's best individual game came against Division II-Saint Louis on Jan. 20, when he recorded a hat trick and led the Raiders to a 4-0 win over the Crusaders.

One of Palmer's goals in that game came off of a set piece on a free kick, much like his goal against Punahou last Wednesday.

After the Buffanblu goalie was ruled to have picked up the ball just outside the 18-yard box, the Raiders were awarded a free kick from the spot. Both Palmer and Devin Lee lined up behind the ball, after Lee ran over the ball from left to right, Palmer booted it around a five-man wall and into the top right corner of the goal.

Chris Lee said that he typically leaves it up to the players on the field to decide who will take the free kick.

"We have several players that do, but Keane's one of the main guys. He's left footed, so we don't have that many true natural left-footed players on our team, so there's certain situations that we want that type of free kick that he's able to take. A lot depends on the situation and how the other team sets up and those kinds of things. He takes a lot of our corner kicks also for us," Lee said.

He went on, "We kind of leave it up more to the players that are taking the set pieces to recognize what the opponent is giving them, what may be the best for that situation, so in that case Keane felt that it was on for him to take that shot and we were fortunate that he was able to make that shot."

Palmer's goal in the 22^nd minute was all Iolani needed.

Goalkeeper Brayden Obrero made several pivotal saves the rest of the way to ensure a clean sheet and Iolani's 15th ILH title. 

Palmer and the Raiders (9-0-2) will open state tournament play against Kealakehe Thursday, 3 p.m. at Field No. 5 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. Winners from Thursday's quarterfinals will advance to the semifinal round Friday at the Waipio main stadium.

The championship game will take place Saturday at 7 p.m. and will be preceded by the D2 state final at 5 p.m. Both matches will be played at the Waipio main stadium.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Jericho Adolpho, Molokai — Scored 17 points in a win over Maui Prep 

Trotter Apo, Baldwin — Scored 18 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Jordan Babcock, Kekaulike — Scored 19 points in a loss to Maui 

Jayah Bayol, Lahainaluna — Scored 19 points in a win over Maui 

Reimel Camacho, Kapaa — Scored 22 points in a win over Kauai 

Kyran Canete, Pahoa — Scored 18 points in a win over Waiakea 

Jermaine Cline, Christian Liberty — Scored 21 points in a loss to Honokaa 

Lindcey Constantino, Waimea — Scored 20 points in a win over Island School 

Levi Damo-Agcaoili, Damien — Scored 27 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Koen De La Cruz, St. Joseph — Scored 20 points in a loss to Kau 

Haven Dewees, Waiakea — Scored 19 points in a win over St. Joseph 

Ivan Domingo, Maui — Scored 22 points in a win over Baldwin 

Regan Estrada, Lanakila Baptist — Scored 17 points in a win over Assets 

Jared Fuerte, Hilo — Scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Christian Liberty 

Kai Goodwin, Maui Prep — Scored 19 points in a win over Hana 

Camren Holt-Ho, Kauai — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kapaa 

Jayden Hook, Kohala — Scored 11 points with 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a win over Kealakehe 

Landon Kauka, Kohala — Scored 28 points, including six 3-pointers, with three rebounds, three assists and one steal in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Layden Kauka, Kohala — Scored 22 points with eight rebounds in a win over Kealakehe and scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Koa Laboy, University Lab — Scored 23 points in a win over Damien 

Marcellus McCullah, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 22 points in a win over Island Pacific 

Abraham Ogata, Konawaena — Scored 28 points in a win over Honokaa 

Payton Pana, Hilo — Scored 17 points in a win over Christian Liberty 

Kenna Quitan, University Lab — Scored 19 points in a win over Hanalani 

Joshua Rego, Kauai — Scored 19 points in a loss to Waimea 

Dylan Schnitzer, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 17 points in a win over Lahainaluna 

Tristen Scully, Kapaa — Scored 24 points with six 3-pointers in a win over Island School 

Eli Shibuya, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 22 points in a win over Hanalani and scored 28 points in a loss to Damien 

Mathew Shigetani, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 18 points in a win over Hanalani 

Kai Shively, Maui Prep — Scored 23 points in a win over Hana 

Lucas Summerhays, Island School — Scored 28 points in a loss to Waimea 

Kukia Tagabi, Honokaa — Scored 23 points in a loss to Konawaena 

Noah Takahata, Hanalani — Scored 18 points in a win over Le Jardin and scored 29 points in a loss to University Lab 

Jayden Torres-Leeber, Baldwin — Scored 19 points in a loss to Maui 

Rodnyl Tuscano, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 17 points in a win over Lanakila Baptist 

Rodney Vaka, Maui — Scored 18 points in a loss to Lahainaluna 

Kiai Yasso, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 22 points in a loss to Kohala 

BOYS SOCCER

Nolean Bowler, PAC-5 — Scored the lone goal in a win over Saint Louis 

Micah Chung, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored two goals in a win over Parker and scored two goals in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Jedidiah Griffin, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Dani Habiak, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Honokaa 

Isaiah Kutaka, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Kailey Reverio

McKinley basketball  •   #55  F  Senior

McKinley girls basketball coach Donald Kamai is very candid when it comes to how far Kailey Reverio has come in her three years on the team.

Once a thorn in Kamai's side, Reverio has become the unquestioned leader of the Tigers, who captured their first league championship in 16 years last week. Kamai, now in his 10th season leading the program, recalled Reverio's penchant for being easily distracted as a sophomore first-year varsity player two years ago.

"It was her first time playing (organized) basketball and it was rough for her," Kamai said. "She really would get under my skin her first year because she would be laughing or talking when we'd be trying to go over things — just young people stuff — but she's come a long way since then and it's been amazing just to see her grow."

Reverio, a 5-foot-9 center/forward, saw little playing time that season and averaged a modest 2.3 points per game. The Tigers went 3-9 that season, which came to an end with a loss in the first round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II tournament.

"I mean, it was good for her, but we had no choice but to start her and play her because I think that year we only had about seven players after that COVID year and so few players came out and other than the two returnees, I really didn't know any of them until they came out for tryouts," Kamai shared.

The following year, however, saw Reverio mature quite a bit — enough so that Kamai selected her as a captain. As a junior, Reverio averaged 5.5 points per game and helped her team qualify for the D2 state tournament. She went on to receive All-OIA East Honorable Mention recognition.

McKinley put together a 5-9 record in league play that year, when it finished as the third-place team in the OIA. However, it went two-and-out at the state tournament, with losses to Hanalani and Castle.

"Her sophomore year she was a big girl, built strong, but she had never played so to see her growth and all the work she's put in, I mean, she's really come a long way because of her determination and hard work; She's so determined to be good," Kamai said.

The Tigers experienced a turnaround this season, which saw them go 8-6 in league play and culminated with a 41-33 win over Farrington in last Wednesday's OIA D2 final at Pearl City. Reverio, who is averaging a team-best 10.6 points per game, recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win. She also came up with one assist, a steal and a block.

"She is a powerful player, really explosive. She's got a good skillset in the low post, she actually has a mid-range but unfortunately for us she doesn't get that much chance to show it," Kamai said.

"She's really an intense player and a perfectionist and that's the thing with her, she's such a perfectionist that she gets out of pocket and speeds herself up sometimes, but when she's in the flow and she's calm, she definitely makes a huge impact on the game," he added.

Kamai praised Reverio's composure against the Govs while working through some foul trouble.

"She stayed in control and did what she needed to do to win that game," Kamai said. "She showed her leadership by cheering on her team and encouraging them when she was on the bench and in foul trouble and she just managed her own emotions. She was definitely frustrated with some of the calls and being in foul trouble, but she kept her composure."

Reverio's composure was important to McKinley's narrow win over Kapolei in the tournament semifinals two Fridays ago. Reverio scored eight points against the Hurricanes, but her defensive effort in limiting Kapolei's Leila Paraoan to only four points proved crucial.

"(Paraoan) is an awesome player. She's quick and athletic and some of those quicker players usually give Kai a hard time, but just her presence in that particular game, you could see her maturity. A lot of times she tends to press, but she stayed within her game, she missed a few easy ones but she made huge shots down the stretch and she's such a great free throw shooter and whenever we have a hard time offensively we just kind of get it to Kai and slow it down and if she gets fouled, she'll hit those free throws, so she just steadies us in every way possible," Kamai described.

It's a far cry from the once-troublesome sophomore that Reverio was a few years ago.

"She took that leadership role on and now if somebody is not paying attention in practice, she'll get on them – she's like the boss on the team. She'll let you know if she doesn't think you're doing it right. She's an enforcer and is outspoken, but the rest of the girls see her work ethic and that she's always working and she's never going to ask them to do anything that she wouldn't do herself, so she's really developed into a great leader, too," Kamai said.

Outside of basketball, Reverio is also heavily involved in student leadership on campus.

"It's been really nice to see her grow as a basketball player and as a person. All of the seniors have been through a lot and Kai totally represents that, having gone through the ups and downs, but she shows up every day, works hard, she leads by example – all the seniors do, but she sets the tone for sure – she doesn't miss any offseason works and all the underclassmen totally look up to her not just by of what she says, but because of what she does," Kamai added.

McKinley ended a championship drought of 16 seasons with its win over Farrington last Wednesday. It is the seventh OIA title in program history and first since back-to-back crowns in 2007 and 2008.

"To see the joy on their faces to finally win, that's everything. They've been through a lot on the court and off the court, they've grown together, gone through a lot of struggles and I think that was key – they're battled-tested because they've played so many games together and with the limited amount of players that we have – so they've been through a lot of battles and I think it showed in that game because we had to hold on. They didn't fold in the face of adversity and it's great to see them grow and reach their goals," Kamai said.

Reverio and the Tigers are seeded fourth in this week's Heide & Cook D2 State Championships. They will face Hanalani in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal Wednesday at Kalani's Earl C. Holmer Gymnasium.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Shynastee Ahina, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 24 points in a loss to Sacred Hearts 

Isabella Arrisgado, Maryknoll — Scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Sacred Hearts 

Aliyah Bantolina, Campbell — Scored 24 points with six rebounds, five steals and two assists in a win over Moanalua

Kailee Barrientos, Sacred Hearts — Scored 17 points in a win over Hawaiian Mission 

Emily Ching, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 24 points in a win over La Pietra 

Juseana Rae Delatori, Lahainaluna — Scored 29 points with seven 3-pointers in a win over Kekaulike 

Lola Donez, Lahainaluna — Scored 18 points in a win over Kekaulike and scored 27 points in a win over Maui 

Nihoaokealii Dunn, Kamehameha — Scored 16 points in a loss to Iolani 

Kailey Furuta, Mid-Pacific — Scored 18 points in a win over University Lab 

Miyah Galdeira, Kailua — Scored 15 points in a win over Mililani 

Myah Galdeira, Kailua — Scored 15 points in a win over Mililani

Puaena Harrington, Waiakea — Scored 20 points in a win over Hilo 

Tavina Harris, Konawaena — Scored 16 points in a win over Keaau 

Elisa Holakeituai, Kahuku — Scored 15 points with seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in a win over Radford 

Kiani Hoolulu, Kailua — Scored 17 points in a win over Leilehua 

Keanu Huihui, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 19 points in a win over Honokaa and scored 27 points in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Kristle Kagawa, Mid-Pacific — Scored 17 points in a win over University Lab 

Brooke Kurasaki, Mililani — Scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Kailua 

Shailoh Liilii, Moanalua — Scored 16 points with 14 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a loss to Campbell and scored 16 points in a win over Radford 

Akaecia Mateo, Moanalua — Scored 18 points with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a loss to Campbell and scored 15 points in a win over Radford 

Dynasty Maunakea, Leilehua — Scored 17 points with five 3-pointers in a loss to Kailua 

Rheanna Nobleza, Moanalua — Scored 20 points with five rebounds, four steals, one assist and a block in a loss to Campbell 

Kylie Oshita, University Lab — Scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Mid-Pacific 

Leila Paraoan, Kapolei — Scored 16 points in a win over Kalaheo 

Brooke Samura, Hawaii Prep — Scored 40 points with 10 rebounds, four steals, one assist and a block in a win over Kohala and scored 16 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Jaynalyn Sotelo, Campbell — Scored 15 points with six rebounds, five steals and one assist in a win over Moanalua 

Kenna Wengler, Damien — Scored 17 points in a win over St. Andrew's, scored 22 points in a win over Sacred Hearts and scored 16 points in a loss to Hawaii Baptist 

Posia Wily, Kahuku — Scored 15 points with four assists, four steals and one rebound in a win over Radford 

GIRLS SOCCER 

Emma Attwood, Kamehameha — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu 

Nicole Beauchemin, Punahou — Had two assists in a win over Baldwin

Madie Buczyna,Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Leilehua 

Callie Chong, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kapaa 

Lahela Cootey, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Made 11 saves in a loss to PAC-5

Carly Cormack, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Baldwin 

Taegen Deocares, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Campbell 

Atianna Tauiai Fuamatu-Maafala, Mililani — Scored three goals in a win over Kaiser 

Erika Hammer, Seabury Hall — Scored three goals in a win over Waialua 

Amaris Ishikawa, Campbell — Made eight saves in a loss to Kamehameha 

Kendra Knapp, Waimea — Scored three goals in a win over Radford 

Krychalei Loui, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored the lone goal in a win over Waiakea 

Zoe Maikai, Leilehua — Scored five goals in a win over Waialua and scored two goals in a loss to Hawaii Prep 

Alexyz Nakamoto, Leilehua — Scored four goals in a win over Waialua 

Solala Nasu, PAC-5 — Scored two goals in a win over Hawaii Prep and scored two goals in a win over Kauai 

Kaiulani Nishigaya, Kalani — Scored two goals in a win over Waimea 

Aatiyana Racado-Kahoohanohano, Baldwin — Scored two goals in a win over Moanalua 

Madison Sharrer, Kamehameha — Scored two goals and assisted on another in a win over Campbell