The appreciable momentum that was built up and being drawn upon by the Kealakehe and Kohala softball teams hasn’t been shut down completely.
The pandemic has just caused both programs to hit the pause button.
The Waveriders’ first BIIF Division I softball title defense lasted all of two games – including a raucous comeback victory at former nemesis Waiakea – before COVID-19 wiped the slate clean.
“I miss the girls, I miss the fights and the smells and the environments, all the good things that come along with softball season,” Kealakehe coach Loni Mercado said. “I check in with them, shoot them a text. If I see them at Walmart or whatever the case is, man, I want to give them a bear hug, but you have to stick to the rules.”
Mercado always was quick to stay upbeat when the Warriors were relegating the Waveriders to runner-up status from 2016-18, so you can bet she can find a silver lining during a pandemic.
“It’s a good opportunity for everyone to spend time with their families and take care of their bodies,” she said. “Hopefully, they are reflecting on the season that they were looking forward to and use that to fuel their fire for next season.”
After sweeping Waiakea in the 2019 BIIF championship series, Kealakehe’s momentum was real, Mercado said. She could see it in her players’ eyes and in their preparation and approach, even in the confidence they exhibited on their bus ride in mid-March to face Waiakea.
Kealakehe could return a bevy of front-line players in 2021, including 2019 BIIF player of the year Nanea Kalua’u and first-team selections Mia Joaquin and Telsea Taketa.
Of the five seniors who lost their final high school season, Mercado said she’s most “devastated” for Lucky Isisaki, an honorable mention all-BIIF choice as a junior.
“I was excited to see what Lucky could do, her bat was on fire this season and during the workouts we’d been doing,” Mercado said. “I saw a lot of great things coming out of her bat. When this pandemic broke, it was really hard for me, it was kind of like taking the bat out of her hands.”
Waiakea was trying to restore its legacy under first-year coach Melissa Pang. The Warriors notable seniors included pitcher Halee Sweat, infielder Alize Kaapana, both first-team all-BIIF selections as juniors, and Kelsie Imai.
Coming off a state runner-up finish in D-II and riding freshman pitcher Jaylah Kekoa, Kohala set its sights on challenging eight-time BIIF champion Kamehameha. That’s a tall task, to be sure, but the Cowgirls were feeling good vibes after the school’s boys basketball team brought Kapaau its first state championship in February.
“I think that made their momentum (rise) more,” coach Glen Roxburgh said. “That kind of started their fire, and they wanted to prove a point. I was going to just cut them loose.”
While Kekoa looks primed to follow in her sister Mikayla’s footsteps as a pitching and slugging force strong enough to build a team around – Jaylah went 5-for-5 with nine strikeouts in her BIIF debut – Kohala loses four seniors, including Laila Caravalho, and all-BIIF pick as a junior. The coach thought his daughter, senior Danyka Cazimero-Roxburgh, was due for a breakout season.
“The four seniors, they are really tight, a lot of the girls pretty much grew up together,” Roxburgh said. “They are always talking and sharing things on social media.”
He’s got three players in his household – daughter Anela Cazimero-Roxburgh is a junior and niece Harley Yamasaki is a sophomore – so they can all work out together to stay sharp, but any thoughts of playing in summer leagues remains in limbo.
Over at Kamehameha, slugging third baseman Leiloa Bustamante was a front-runner to win BIIF player of the year, and all-BIIF catcher Kawai Kauahi-Raquel also saw her high school career end prematurely. The Warriors have never lacked talent since they began their dynasty in 2012, and all-BIIF selections Dioni Lincoln Kamehameha, Kawehi Ili and Kaula Martin could provide a strong senior nucleus in 2021.
As for the pandemic, it’s the on-field interactions that Glen Roxburgh yearns for the most. In many ways, life off the field hasn’t changed all that much.
“Before all of this, there was a lot of social distancing going on in Kohala anyways,” he said. “It’s a small town in the boonies. It’s all good.”