Kamehameha’s Colby Terlep took an astronomical approach Tuesday at the HHSAA air riflery championships.
He aimed high.
The senior didn’t just gun for a state crown, but an old teammate’s record as well. He didn’t get there, but when you aim for the heavens and moon and miss, you can still mingle among the shooting stars.
Putting a cap on his undefeated season in Honolulu, Terlep became the fourth boys state champion from the Big Island in the past eight seasons.
“I’m just happy that it all worked out,” Terlep said. “I was kind of worried at the beginning. I was second after prone, but then I brought my scores up in standing and kneeling.
“It was really cool with all the BIIF teams coming and congratulating me after I won.”
Terlep was a freshman in 2018 when Devez Aniol delivered Kamehameha with its first boys state champion – the previous winners all came from Waiakea – shooting a record 645.7. That mark still stands after Terlep came in at 632.
He had a 10-point cushion entering the final round and finished 13 points clear of Punahou’s Chasen Matsuoka (619.8). Kalani Jay Suh (615.9) took bronze.
“It was kind of a stress reliever that I had that cushion,” he said.
Terlep said he would probably reach out to Aniol and tell him, “I came for your record but I didn’t quite get there.”
BIIF girls champ Kylie Iwamoto of Kamehameha took a more measured approach to the state shoot, just hoping to reach the final round.
She did, just a point out of first place of the eight that qualified, and wound up tying for second place (626.4) and taking bronze because Kamehameha-Maui’s Bailey Kuumana had a better mark in the final round. Moanalua’s Olivia Akina (632.1) claimed gold, and the Na Menehune also won their first team title.
Kamehameha (Iwamoto, Calleigh-Rose Lee, Briani Iyo, Tia Tanimoto) was third. Kamehameha’s boys (Terlep, Rion Chong, Treston Paio, Caysen Guillermo) also were third as Mid-Pacific won its fourth title in eight seasons.
Lee and Keaau’s Dakota Muranaka each shot 526, and Lee took a tiebreaker for 11th because she had more bulls-eye (12-7). Iyo won a similar tiebreaker for 18th after she and Waiakea’s Carys Urasaki each posted 521s.
On the boys side, Hilo High teammates Nikolas Galdones and Kingston Sarme Shin each shot 517, with Galdones taking 13th, and Waiakea’s Raiven Chinen (512) was 16th.
“I think the kids performed very well,” Kamehameha coach Kelly Galdones said. “It had been two years since we’d been here.”
He became worried Monday when travel delays from Hilo caused the Warriors to miss a scheduled practice at Saint Louis School, meaning his team would enter the state championships “cold.”
That word, however, could never be used to describe Terlep at any point this season.
“He’s been on fire all year,” Galdones said.
Terlep, an aspiring lawyer, won all eight high school shoots he entered this season, and he said he felt less pressure Tuesday than he did in winning the BIIF title Nov. 27, and his improved score certainly reflected his calm and focus.
“I knew one missed practice (Monday) wasn’t going to change all the work we put in this season,” he said.