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Apau's athleticism aided Bulldogs in win; Unbeaten Warriors lean on Honma's consistency




Tyson Apau

Waialua football  •   #7    

Waialua football coach Gary Wirtz is succinct when describing his quarterback, Tyson Apau. 

"Pure athlete of the field," Wirtz said of the 6-foot, 190-pound senior. 

Apau proved that to be true last week, when he led the Bulldogs to a pivotal 36-13 win over Kalani at Toshiyuki Nakasone Field Thursday night. He completed 22 of his 37 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Apau did not throw an interception and also ran for 63 yards and two more scores on 13 carries. 

"I think he played really well. He could have done better – as a coach you're always wanting better – but he did really well. He made some minor mistakes, but overall he didn't let the game overtake him," Wirtz said. 

Wirtz noted that the Falcons were keying on stopping Waialua's run game, which forced an in-game adjustment centered around Apau. 

"They came in with a game plan to stop our run, so we had to depend mainly on Tyson's arm and his athletic ability, so we had to adjust and he was able to adapt to our adjustments and he excelled. He didn't shy away from it, he stepped up. He was making plays with his arm and with his feet," Wirtz described. "He was our guy."

The Bulldogs struck first with Apau's 29-yard touchdown pass to Jack Amancio in the first quarter. Apau's 1-yard TD run gave Waialua a 17-7 lead in the second quarter following the Makoakai Fierro PAT. He threw a 20-yard TD pass to Ryz Miranda Perreira and a 27-yard scoring strike to James Zara, sandwiched around his own 4-yard TD run – to account for Waialua's second-half scoring. 

"His vision on the field," Wirtz answered when asked what impressed him most about Apau's performance Thursday. 

"Just being able to see what Kalani was trying to do and us coach on the sideline, we see it, but we don't see it from his point of view. He was able to see it in advance and he had good decision-making and was just accurate with his arm, with his throws and decision-making with his feet," Wirtz added. 

Apau is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 75 rushing yards per game through the Bulldogs' first six games. He ran for 130-or-more yards in back-to-back games against Kalaheo and Kaiser. Apau has seven rushing touchdowns on the year. 

"He's very shifty when running the ball and he's accurate throwing the ball," Wirtz said. "He's just an all-around, polished athlete."

Apau ended a string of four consecutive games with an interception with his outing against the Falcons, which was his best game-to date in terms of completion percentage (59.5 percent) and passing yards. Apau's three TD passes Thursday were to three different receivers – indicative of his ability to make the right reads, his coach said. 

"He doesn't have a favorite receiver, he throws to that open guy and those were the open guys that night. He trusts his receivers and he knows it's not like he has to throw it to this one guy because this one guy's got it," Wirtz said. "He's able to share the wealth and spread it around and his relationship with all his receivers is tight and then his understanding of defenses, how to read them and the decision-making has really improved."

Although Apau has been playing quarterback since his Pop Warner days, he also has the ability to line up at wide receiver and even free safety on the defensive side of the ball.

"We knew we had a quarterback in him, but I would say that's not his primary position, which would be a slot or receiver, but he's a football player so he'll play anywhere you put him and do anything you ask of him," Wirtz said of Apau, who also serves as the team's punter. 

"He's an athlete," Wirtz added. "He wants to be on the field, he's shown that he can play multiple positions and just do what he needs to do and his football IQ is through the roof because he's been playing his whole life and he has older brothers that he looked up to, his dad was a star and so it just runs in the family."

Apau, who also plays volleyball, is a team captain, but has his own unique style of leadership. 

"He's not the most vocal guy; he's more of a lead-by-example (type)," Wirtz described. "He's in the weight room putting in the work, he's on the field putting in the work, he's on time, where he needs to be when he needs to be there, his grades are good, so he's not so much vocal, but more ‘do as I do.'"

The win came just six days after Waialua (3-4 overall, 2-3 league) was dealt a 53-33 loss to Kaimuki. The result kept the Bulldogs' hopes of earning one of four playoff in next month's OIA Division II tournament alive. 

"It was a big win for us. The Kaimuki game, we were all disappointed because we were in that game," Wirtz reflected. "We were up at halftime and it was the same against Kaiser – we were up at halftime – but injuries and still being a young team is what kind of went against us, but it was a good win over Kalani. Tyson just let his athletic ability shine and do what he needed to do to help the team be successful."

Apau and the Bulldogs will host McKinley (0-6, 0-5) Saturday night, before they conclude the regular season at Pearl City (5-2, 4-1) on Oct. 7.

 

FOOTBALL

Jacob Ah Mook Sang, Konawaena — Caught three passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kealakehe

Tai Aipia-Barrett, Waipahu — Caught six passes for 128 yards in a win over Roosevelt 

Kilinahe Aki, Farrington — Recovered two fumbles, one of them in the end zone for a touchdown, and had one tackle for loss in a win over Castle 

Keoki Alani, Konawaena — Threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-17 passing without an interception in a win over Kealakehe

Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu, Campbell — Scored on a 32-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Moanalua 

Alika Amasiu, Kalaheo — Threw two touchdown passes, ran for another and made 6 1/2 tackles, including two for losses, in a win over McKinley 

Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, Konawaena — Threw a touchdown pass and caught three TD passes in a win over Kealakehe

Waylon Allen, Radford — Made seven tackles, including one sack, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in a loss to Kailua 

Kaimana Carvalho, Kahuku — Caught 10 passes for 126 yards in a win over Kapolei 

Jadin Chaves, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored on a 40-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Pahoa 

Daunte Ching, Castle — Threw for 235 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-22 passing without an interception in a loss to Farrington 

Kainalu Davis, Roosevelt — Had 242 all-purpose yards, including eight receptions for 115 yards and made three tackles in a loss to Waipahu 

Elijah Falaniko, Radford — Made eight tackles, including one sack, and forced a fumble in a loss to Kailua 

Khalil Federico, Nanakuli — Made 3 1/2 tackles and recovered two fumbles in a win over Pearl City 

Brock Fonoimoana, Kahuku — Scored on a 28-yard interception return in a win over Kapolei 

Maa Fonoti, Kailua — Threw for 266 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-29 passing with one interception and ran for 104 yards and two TDs on 15 carries in a win over Radford 

Michael Hayslett, Radford — Ran 21 times for 114 yards in a loss to Kailua 

Nakoa Hing, Konawaena — Ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in a win over Kealakehe 

Chris Holt, Kalani — Caught 13 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Waialua 

Kamuela Kaaihue, Roosevelt — Made eight tackles, forced a fumble and caught six passes for 78 yards in a loss to Waipahu 

Maika Kahele-Akeo, Kapolei — Forced and recovered a fumble in a loss to Kahuku 

Koyo Kekauoha, Kailua — Ran for three touchdowns in a win over Radford 

Ikaika Kuaana-Lacno, Farrington — Ran for a touchdown and a caught a TD pass in a win over Castle 

Harley Lee, Nanakuli — Scored on a 72-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Pearl City 

Iosefa Letuli, Kaimuki — Threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-18 passing with one interception and ran for 108 yards and two TDs on 16 carries in a loss to Kaiser 

Kayman Lewis, Roosevelt — Threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-42 passing without an interception in a loss to Waipahu 

Keagan Lime, Kaiser — Caught two touchdown passes and intercepted a pass in a win over Kaiser 

Gabriel Liua, Leilehua — Made 7 1/2 tackles, including two sacks, in a loss to Waianae 

Aiden Manutai, Kahuku — Scored on an 81-yard kickoff return in a win over Kapolei 

Jayden Montgomery-Gaopoa, Roosevelt — Caught five passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Waipahu 

Kela Moore, Campbell — Scored on a 54-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Moanalua 

Makana Naleieha, Kaiser — Caught eight passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kaimuki 

Mikala Nishimoto, Kalani — Caught 10 passes for 154 yards in a loss to Waialua 

Tea Nuuhiwa-Santos, Kaiser — Had five tackles for loss in a win over Kaimuki 

Joseph Pomele, Pearl City — Made three tackles for losses, including one sack, and recovered a fumble in a loss to Nanakuli 

Kanvas-Sway Palaylay, Kailua — Forced and recovered a fumble in a win over Radford 

Miles Parlet, Campbell — Scored on a 91-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over Moanalua 

Dante Peltier, Kaimuki — Caught three passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kaiser 

Maika Peralta, Nanakuli — Made 3 1/2 tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss, and forced two fumbles in a win over Pearl City 

Michael Perry, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Threw for 156 yards and four touchdowns on 10-of-16 passing without an interception in a win over Pahoa 

Joseph Randolph, Baldwin — Ran 12 times for 112 yards in a loss to Kekaulike

Jesse Reppuhn, Castle — Scored on a 39-yard interception return for touchdown and had one sack in a loss to Farrington 

Marcus Rodriguez, Pearl City — Caught seven passes for 105 yards and made two tackles in a loss to Nanakuli 

Jaron Sagapolutele, Campbell — Threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing with one interception in a win over Moanalua 

John-Keawe Sagapolutele, Punahou — Threw for 146 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-16 passing without an interception in a win over Kamehameha 

Joshua Santiago, Waianae — Caught two touchdown passes in a win over Leilehua 

Nainoa Smith-Akana, Kailua — Caught three passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in a win over Radford 

Eric Stephens, Moanalua — Caught two touchdown passes in a loss to Campbell 

Aiden Takuma, Punahou — Made four tackles, intercepted two passes and broke up another in a win over Kamehameha 

Coby Tanioka, Castle — Caught eight passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and ran for a TD in a loss to Farrington 

T'nias Tavale, Campbell — Scored on a 10-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Moanalua 

Oren Tavares, Kailua — Made eight tackles, including one sack, in a win over Radford 

Elijah Taylor, Kalaheo — Ran for a touchdown and scored on a 65-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over McKinley 

Anieli Teleaai, Waipahu — Ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and caught a TD pass in a win over Roosevelt 

Trez Uemoto, Konawaena — Made four tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss, one-half sack and scored on a 55-yard interception return in a win over Kealakehe

Liatama Uiliata, Waipahu — Threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-21 passing without an interception and ran for 94 yards and three TDs on nine carries in a win over Roosevelt 

Ofa Vehikite, Kaimuki — Carried 27 times for 109 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kaiser 

Jeremiah White, Kaimuki — Caught four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kaiser 

Tevin Wilbur, Waianae — Ran 10 times for 115 yards and a touchdown in a win over Leilehua 

Taohi-John Williams, Pearl City — Made 9 1/2 tackles, including one-half for a loss, and forced two fumbles in a loss to Nanakuli 

Kalelepono Wong, Kekaulike — Ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in a win over Baldwin

Easton Yoshino, Kaiser — Threw for 331 yards and six touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing without an interception in a win over Kaimuki 

Tysin Zackious, Kekaulike — Ran for 147 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in a win over Baldwin

James Zara, Waialua — Caught eight passes for 142 yards in a win over Kalani 




Maela Honma

KS-Hawaii volleyball  •   #10  OH/OPP  Junior

There isn't a whole lot that Maela Honma can't do for the Kamehameha-Hawaii girls volleyball team. 

The 5-foot-9 junior is the reigning Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I Player of the Year and a six-rotation player for the undefeated Warriors (12-0), who are ranked sixth in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings. 

"She's got a great skillset: she's our primary receiver, a great serve – she can serve short, serve long, she can hit her spot 65 percent of the time, which is pretty good if you're hitting your areas – she's probably our most consistent point-getter and a decent blocker," Kamehameha-Hawaii coach Guy Enriques said fo Honma, a third-year varsity member. 

"She's basically our OH1 and one thing about her is just her consistency on all levels, across the board; She's the total package," Enriques summarized. 

Honma has turned in some all-around performances this season, which has seen the Warriors roll to the tune of just two dropped sets through their first dozen matches in league play. Just last week she tallied six kills, six digs and two aces in a sweep of Laupahoehoe. She followed that up with five kills, six digs and four aces in a romp of Parker two nights later and then closed out the week with a four-kill, 12-dig effort in a three-set win over Konawaena Friday night. 

Enriques said that the numbers are quite respectable, considering the fact that his starters typically play a "game and a half and then they sit because we play our second team.

"So they don't get the kind of competition they need to really blossom like Kamehameha (Kapalama), Punahou and Iolani battling each other every night, so we know that our practice has to be top notch, if it's not then we're not gonna get better, but so far we've been able to stay focused and get the job done, when with other teams in the past, they knew they're gonna win so they didn't always play their best," Enriques expressed. 

In order to improve its level of competition against out-of-league opponents, Kamehameha-Hawaii hosted the inaugural Labor Day Volleyball Classic earlier this month. A few weeks ago, it traveled to Las Vegas to take part in the long-standing Durango Fall Classic, where it finished 19th in the 64-team field. 

"That kind of showed us how we stack up because we don't know, right There is no real competition that's going to push us (in the BIIF), so that's why we put on a Labor Day tournament to bring teams in and that's why we went to Durango and that's why in a week we will be going to San Diego for another tournament," Enriques revealed. 

He went on, "We have to go out because nobody will play us, there's no tournaments on Oahu after Labor Day, so we have to pay a major price to find the competition we need to be competitive with the likes of Iolani, Punahou, Kamehameha and even OIA teams like Kahuku and Moanalua." 

Enriques had to look no further than last year, when the Warriors ran the table in the BIIF in a truncated regular season, but went two-and-out at the Division I state tournament. 

"Last year we only played five matches and that was our whole (league) season: five matches and we went to states," he reflected"But this is basically the same team as last year. We were junior heavy and now we're senior heavy. When you look at last year with our five matches, maybe four of them were (one-sided), but whether it was lst year or this year, Maela does a great job," Enriques said. 

"She's a great kid, a great person, great team player and she understands her role and for that, all the accolades that she's gonna get, it's all earned, regardless of the competition. If the competition was better, she would still be the standout," he added. 

Honma, who earned All-Hawaii Honorable Mention as a sophomore last year, came up just shy of a double-double (10 kills, nine digs) in Monday night's four-set win over Waiakea. 

"She came through with a number of off-speeds and a number of different types of shots. She's got all the tools offensively as far as hitting angles, lines, roll shots, tips – and the nice thing about this girl is you can tell her what you want and it's not lost in the play and when the situation comes up, she's going to execute," Enriques said. 

Enriques calls Honma, along with fellow veteran outside hitter Sarah Schubert, the stabilizing factor for the Warriors. 

"They've been dependable, but this year we've been focusing heavily on improving our middle options, so as our middles get better, they become more effective on the outside," he explained. 

Honma's prowess is not limited to the volleyball court; She is also quite the basketball player. In fact, Honma was an All-BIIF D2 First Team all-star a year ago and received All-Hawaii Honorable Mention on the hardwood. 

"I mean, if you saw her play basketball, you'd probably be wondering why she's playing volleyball because she's a helluva good basketball player, but she loves the game of volleyball," Enriques said. 

Honma and the Warriors continue league play Friday, when they host Kau. They close out the regular season at home against Christian Liberty next Tuesday.

 

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Hiwa Agbayani, Kaiser — Had 41 assists, one kill, one dig and an ace in a four-set loss to Kalani 

Anna Allman, Radford — Had 21 assists and one kill in a four-set loss to Waialua 

Natronai Anana, Baldwin — Had 10 digs, three aces and an assist in a three-set win over Kekaulike 

Anae Asuncion, Mililani — Had 17 assists, six digs, five kills, three block assists and an ace in a three-set win over Kapolei 

Brynn Basilio-Chun, Waialua — Had 27 assists, three digs and two kills in a four-set loss to Campbell and had 34 assists, 10 digs and three kills in a four-set win over Radford 

Maria Cabasag, Radford — Had 15 digs and one ace in a four-set loss to Waialua 

Piikea Carvalho, Campbell — Had 12 digs, five kills and three aces in a four-set win over Waialua 

Haley Coggins, Radford — Had 13 kills and six digs in a four-set loss to Waialua 

Alohi Garcia, Waialua — Had 12 kills, eight digs and three solo blocks in a four-set win over Radford 

Marley Hartley, Kapolei — Had 11 digs, two kills and one ace in a three-set loss to Mililani 

Tehiwa Hookano, Castle — Had 12 digs and one dig in a three-set loss to Roosevelt 

Zienna Kama, Kalani — Had 16 digs, two assists and one ace in a five-set loss to Kalani 

Leisey Kelii, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 19 digs in a three-set win over Laupahoehoe and had 14 digs in a three-set win over Parker 

Leleapaoo Krug, Waianae — Had 10 kills, 11 digs and two aces in a three-set loss to Kapolei 

Mao Lauhingoa, Kahuku — Had 11 kills, three block assists and one solo block in a five-set win over Kalani 

Mari Lawton, Iolani — Had 42 assists, 10 digs and three block assists in a four-set win over Kamehameha 

Raymie Lum, Kalani — Had 15 kills, five digs and two aces in a four-set win over Kaiser and had 23 kills, 15 digs and one ace in a five-set loss to Kahuku 

Haylee Lyons, Kalani — Had 18 kills, four digs, three aces and one block assist in a four-set win over Kaiser 

Madison Mamizuka, Kahuku — Had 16 assists, 12 digs, three aces and one kill in a five-set win over Kalani 

Marlayina Masani, Campbell — Had 10 kills, 12 assists, seven digs, five aces and a block assist in a four-set win over Waialua

Macy Matsushima, Kaiser — Had 14 digs, two aces and a kill in a four-set win loss to Kalani 

Tehya Militante, Waialua — Had 12 digs, eight kills and an ace in a four-set loss to Campbell 

Henua Moefu, Kapolei — Had 10 kills and 11 digs in a three-set loss to Mililani 

Amanda Naipo, Baldwin — Had 13 kills, three digs and two aces in a three-set win over Lahainaluna

Ariana Naipo, Baldwin — Had 14 kills, 10 digs and a solo block in a three-set win over Kekaulike 

LC Nakagawa, Mililani — Had 10 kills, seven digs and two aces in a three-set win over Kapolei 

Brooke Naniseni, Iolani — Had 15 kills, eight digs and three block assists in a four-set win over Kamehameha 

Tessa Onaga, Iolani — Had 15 digs, three assists and one ace in a four-set win over Kamehameha 

Lilinoe Paschoal, Baldwin — Had 28 assist, seven digs, two aces and a kill in a three-set win over Lahainaluna and had 29 assists, nine digs and one block assist in a three-set win over Kekaulike 

Kailia Phillips, Waialua — Had 10 kills, two digs and one assist in a four-set loss to Campbell and had 12 kills, four digs and two aces in a four-set win over Radford 

Mia Polloi, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 12 kills, two digs and an ace in a three-set win over Laupahoehoe

Malinah Purcell-Telefoni, Kapolei — Had 10 kills, three digs, two solo blocks, two aces and one block assist in a three-set loss to Kapolei 

Cha'lei Reid, Kahuku — Had 15 kills, 11 digs, one solo block and an assist in a five-set win over Kalani 

Alexis Rodriguez, Mililani — Had 15 digs, five digs and an ace in a three-set win over Kapolei 

Senna Roberts-Navarro, Iolani — Had 23 kills, 16 digs and a solo block in a four-set win over Kamehameha 

Kanoe Santiago, Waialua — Had 14 digs, six kills and three aces in a four-set win over Radford 

Kaliko Schilling, Kahuku — Had 13 kills, seven digs and two block assists in a five-set win over Kalani

Valo Sopoaga, Kaiser — Had 12 kills, four digs, three block assists, one solo block, an assist and an ace in a four-set loss to Kalani 

Ayre Takamoto, Kalani — Had 35 assists, nine kills, three digs and an ace in a four-set win over Kaiser and had 33 assists, seven digs, one kill and an ace in a five-set loss to Kahuku 

Mele Taumoepeau, Kahuku — Had 11 kills, six digs, one solo block, a block assist and one assist in a five-set win over Kalani 

Shereya Ufuti, Kaiser — Had 16 kills, four digs, one assist and an ace in a four-set loss to Kalani 



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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