By KEVIN JAKAHI By KEVIN JAKAHI ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports writer LAUPAHOEHOE — At 5 feet 1, Ronnie Domingo stands as an underdog in a sport where height is always helpful. Still, the sophomore outside hitter kept swinging with all his
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
LAUPAHOEHOE — At 5 feet 1, Ronnie Domingo stands as an underdog in a sport where height is always helpful. Still, the sophomore outside hitter kept swinging with all his might, knocking down four kills, and giving his Laupahoehoe teammates a spark all night long.
But Hualalai made enough scoring runs to topple Laupahoehoe 25-19, 25-14, 25-22 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation volleyball match Thursday night at the Seasiders Gym.
“I was having fun, spiking the ball,” Domingo said. “It’s been good this season with the team. We’re working together. I came out for the team because of my friends Alsten (Soria) and Collin (Lodivero).”
Without Domingo, there would have been only five players. There are seven on the roster, but senior Aaron Kvenild was injured during the BIIF wrestling championships. The 5-11 middle, the tallest on the team, is expected back next month.
Lexton Silva had nine kills to lead the Seasiders (0-5). Soria added six kills and Lodivero had five.
Laupahoehoe is not only short on depth, but also on experience. Soria and Silva have played before but everyone else — Kvenild, Domingo, Lodivero, Justin Jose and Jarrin Stevenson — are new to the game.
It might be a struggle to fill a roster next season. Besides Kvenild, Soria and Silva are also seniors. Laupahoehoe’s enrollment is 58 students in the high school, and 130 in the elementary. But that’s a concern for another day, just like the scheduled charter school conversion set for July.
“It’s a very unique team,” Laupahoehoe coach Kahea Rodrigues said. “Only two seniors have played before, but we play pretty well together. They team is committed and hustles for plays. I like the attitude and their heart.
“It seems like they’re having fun for their first year. They all shine in their own way. There’s only six of them, so they all have to do their jobs.”
At least the Seasiders are not stuck in the Blue Division, where Waiakea, Kamehameha and Kohala are slugging each other to remain standing at the top of the mountain.
Rodrigues also coached the Laupahoehoe girls volleyball team, which played in the tougher Blue bracket. So she knows how it is to take your lumps. But she has high hopes for the Seasider boys.
“Our goal is to win a game. We’re progressing good during games,” she said. “Even though we’ve lost (in straight sets in every match), we’re progressing and that’s nice to see.”
Meanwhile, Hualalai coach Rick Steger likes the parity in the Red Division. He noted at the same time last season the Pueo (3-4) hadn’t won a single set.
“We appreciate the parity. All of our kids are enjoying every match and the competition in every game,” he said. “I like our spirit. We’re a small school, a close-knit group and we cheer for each other and make sure everybody plays.”
Steger was right about Hualalai being a small school. There are 21 students, 14 boys and 12 are on the volleyball team. It’s the third year for volleyball and the Pueo (Hawaiian for owl) made their BIIF debut in cross country during the winter season. Canoe paddling has been around for four years.
“The school is about six or seven years old,” Steger said. “All 21 kids participate in some sport. We had 18 on the cross country team. We get a lot of support from the school and parents.”
Like Laupahoehoe, Hualalai’s goal is improvement. For inspiration, the Pueo can also look at the Seasiders, who last qualified for the Division II state tournament in 2005. They also went to states in 1992 when there wasn’t statewide classification.
Last season, the Pueo had a moment of sunshine in the postseason, finishing in a three-way tie for the last BIIF Division II playoff spot, then beating Laupahoehoe and Konawaena. Ka‘u eliminated them in the first round.
Alex Ward pounded 14 kills Thursday, Mason Hulen nine and Zane Woodard four to lead Hualalai.
“Our goal each year is to improve,” Steger said. “We’ve got four seniors (Randal Honour, Gott Raksasuk, Nic Steger and Ward) and they started playing volleyball three years ago. They had no experience when they started at the school. They’ve gotten better each year.”
Charter status
If Laupahoehoe is converted into a charter school in July, it will still be included under the Department of Education budget for 2012-03. Then the new Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School would have to raise its own funds to support an athletic program.
The Seasiders offered girls volleyball, air riflery, cross country and bowling during the fall; wrestling, girls and boys basketball and swimming during the winter; and boys volleyball, tennis, track and field, and judo this spring.
If a sport is not offered, only then would a LCPCS student-athlete be eligible to play at a neighboring public school, said Laupahoehoe athletic director Hoku Haliniak, who is running the BIIF’s website — biifsports.org — which launched in February.
