Since the day of the dinosaur or before the invention of the iPad, Waiakea, for so long, has been the powerhouse — the definition of dominance — in Big Island Interscholastic Federation boys and girls golf.
Since the day of the dinosaur or before the invention of the iPad, Waiakea, for so long, has been the powerhouse — the definition of dominance — in Big Island Interscholastic Federation boys and girls golf.
The girls have the most impressive dual streak in BIIF history: 10 years in a row for team and individual championships. It’s the BIIF’s version of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, a record unlikely to ever be broken.
“I would love to extend Waiakea’s streak for individual and team titles,” coach Sandra Goodale said. “We are rebuilding the team and working on being competitive this year on both levels. It looks to be an exciting season for girls golf as the East side schools have more girls participating this year than in past years.”
Ciera Min won the girls crown last year. She’s on scholarship at Gonzaga. The freshman Bulldog had a par 72 to finish in 27th place at the UCI Irvine Invitational last Tuesday. She’s home for the University of Hawaii’s Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, which concludes today on Oahu.
Like Min, runner-up at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championships, Waiakea senior Andi Igawa is a born grinder. As a freshman, she carded rounds in the 90s. She won one BIIF match, placed runner-up once and shot much better as a sophomore.
Igawa has been the league runner-up the last two years, twice to the accomplished Min, the first female winner in the 90-year history of the Big Island Amateur Championship, held in August at Mauna Lani Resort.
However, Igawa has a chance to make her own history, adding her name to the list of Warrior golfing BIIF greats: Amanda Wilson, 2004; Christine Kim, 2005; Nicole Aoki, 2006; Britney Yada, 2007-09; Nani Yanagi, 2010; Shaina Mizusawa, 2011; and Min, 2012 and ‘13. (Hilo’s Kira-Ann Murashige won in 2003.)
Also, another team title would be gravy, too, under third-year coach Goodale, who relied on Min, Mizusawa and Igawa to win all six BIIF meets last year. The Warriors coach pointed out that Igawa offers value without swinging a club.
“At first I thought I was only going to have Andi as an individual this year, but I have Keely Kitamura, a junior, who has been a gymnast up until this year, Breanne Kagimoto, a sophomore, and three freshmen, Maya Oshiro, Shania Rapoza and Krystan Kaneda. Maya and Shania took lessons when they were younger and are interested in getting back into the game. I’m excited for the season and the opportunities it will bring for the girls to grow their games.
“Andi is the backbone of the team and provides a good foundation. It’s good for her to have a support system to take some of the pressure off and the team is lucky to have Andi as the team captain. Her experience can help the girls work on being competitive and hone their skills. Last year, Andi was a Top 15 individual finisher at states and is looking to improve her standing this season.”
Fun for boys
Meanwhile, Hilo took the boys championship last season, stopping Waiakea’s nine-year run and showing that there’s no such thing as a lifetime guarantee when it comes to winning streaks.
“Waiakea was not their usual self last year. They were young,” Hilo coach Randy Pak said. “We had a good team. But they won a bunch of titles over the long haul. We lost three seniors, Davin Yagi, Liam Tsue and Joshua Kitagawa.”
Yagi was second at the BIIF championships while Tsue was 13th. The Vikings return senior Casey Nakatsu, who was eighth at BIIFs. Golf is his second sport, the same deal for another senior returnee, Cody Hamane, who repeated in the 200-yard freestyle at the BIIF swimming championships.
“Casey’s actually a soccer player,” Pak said. “He’s improved every year. He’s very straight and he practices hard during the season. But he’s a soccer player, not a full-time golfer. He’s an excellent competitor.
“Cody’s a swimmer and a four-year player, too. He doesn’t spend that much time in golf. But for the hours he puts in, he’s really good.”
In the boys lineup, five start and the top four scores are taken. That makes depth a necessity. It’s the next best thing to low scores. Freshman Cody Pinzon and sophomore Spencer Bento will also start for the Vikings, whose last BIIF champion was Shaun Downie in 1997.
“We’re not that experienced,” Pak said. “We’re kind of rebuilding. I think it’ll be a good battle between Kamehameha and Waiakea this year. They’ll have fun with that. Waiakea freshman Shon Katahira is going to be a big factor in the BIIF. They’re going to have fun this year.”
Last July at the Club at Hokulia, Katahira won the 13-14 age division at the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association state tournament, a primer for the state’s upcoming top golfers. The Warriors also return sophomore Trevor Hirata, the highest returning finisher at BIIFs. He was fifth.
Unlike the girls, the boys field has featured a diversity of champions: Waiakea’s Jarett Hamamoto, 2000; Waiakea’s Gabriel Wilson, 2001-02; Waiakea’s David Kim, 2003; Honokaa’s Sean Maekawa, 2004-07; Kamehameha’s Nainoa Calip, 2008-10; Waiakea’s Chad Suzuki, 2011; Konawaena’s Ryley Chong, 2012; and Hawaii Prep’s Andrew Paisley, 2013, and a three-time runner-up.
There will be a new boys champ because Paisley is a freshman on Arizona State’s club team. That race will be a dogfight with Katahira, Hirata, Nakatsu, and Kamehameha senior Cody Pereira (sixth at BIIFs, one spot behind Hirata) all in the mix for the BIIF title.
The girls team race will be equally entertaining. The Vikings return three seniors who placed in the Top 10 at BIIFs: Amanda Loeffler (fourth), Annie Sadamoto (sixth) and Kelsey Nishimura (eighth). Scoring balance is a nice hammer, and senior hunger is always the best motivation.
“I think it’ll be fun and our girls on paper are the favorites,” Pak said. “But just like last year, you have to go out there and do it. Juby Aipoalani is a returning sophomore. Numbers-wise we’re pretty good. We’ve got freshmen Chelsea Ward and Sunny Sakai. But we’re really short on the boys with only four.”
It all counts
Unlike cross country, where the regular-season meets are basically tune-ups, all the golf meets are meaningful. There’s no such thing as taking it easy in golf, like tapering for a later date. Every meet counts and occasionally history is on the line.
Let’s call 2003 the Year of the Great Viking Upset, confirmation that when competitors swing clubs sometimes the champion goes down.
That season, Hilo’s girls beat Waiakea in a playoff to win the BIIF team crown. The talented and steady Murashige led the way that day with a 1-under-par 73 at Volcano. For the boys, the Vikings pocketed enough meets and topped the Warriors for the title, ending Waiakea’s nine-year streak.
In the girls lineup, four start and the top three scores are taken. Obviously, there’s less margin for error while chasing a team championship. But the biggest carrot on the stick is the chance to shoot for bigger fish.
To qualify for the BIIF championships, it’s the best three-round average. To qualify for states, it’s the best four-round average.
It would next to impossible for any school to pull of a 10-10 in a row feat at states. On the BIIF level, that’s historic. That record belongs to the Waiakea girls, who keep building that snowball.
“The BIIF championships will depend on who can keep their head in the game and remain competitive throughout the rounds,” Goodale said. “That is what we are working toward. It’s going to come down to total points from each match this season to determine the team title.
“I am very excited to have six girls out for golf this season. If all five return it will be a solid foundation for the girls coming up next year and the future of the Waiakea girls golf program.”