LIHU‘E — A plethora of KIF student-athletes were on the lot at King Auto Center, but instead of buying an automobile from Kaua‘i’s only five-star dealership, they were earning the rights to a huge distinction: King Auto Center KIF athletes
LIHU‘E — A plethora of KIF student-athletes were on the lot at King Auto Center, but instead of buying an automobile from Kaua‘i’s only five-star dealership, they were earning the rights to a huge distinction: King Auto Center KIF athletes of the month.
For the month of November, Waimea High School air riflery athletes, Sharla Shimono and Brian Martin took the honors for their amazing shooting skills and their outstanding grades, too.
Kaua‘i High School’s Meiling Keopuhiwa (bowling) and Kekoa Crowell (football) were the athletes of the month for December.
For January, Waimea’s Chad Thompson (soccer) and Kaua‘i’s Sheri Gebauer stole the show with the honors for the first month of 2005.
Martin, a junior, garnered a medal at the state riflery competition with a 12th-place finish.
“I was shocked at first that I got this award (King Auto KIF athlete of the month), but I’m very happy,” Martin said.
If the last name Martin sounds familiar, it may be because he is the cousin to the Martin triplets (Rachel, Scott, Nathan). Scott won the award for the month of October for his dominance in cross-country.
After high school, Brian plans to join the armed forces and wants to eventually stay in Hawai‘i for college.
Shooting for the KIF champion Menehune girls’ squad, Shimono was a staple at the top of the leaderboard throughout the KIF season. Her ninth-place finish at states was her biggest accomplishment last season.
“I’ve been doing it for three years (air riflery) and my sister, Ashley also does it too,” Shimono said.
Along with her prowess on the athletic surface, Shimono sports an extremely high GPA at 4.1.
“I want to go to the west coast for college and be a science major,” Shimono said. That shouldn’t be hard to do with such a determined mind!
Red Raider quarterback Crowell is one in a million. Kaua‘i will never see another QB with his athletic talent and mental capacity. A rare mix that brought the KIF football crown to Kaua‘i for two years in a row.
With the December KIF King Auto Center KIF athlete of the month under his belt, the senior is looking towards three schools, which will definitely utilize his skills.
“Well right now Tulane, Idaho, and Linfield are my top choices,” Crowell said.
The multi-sport athlete, who possesses a hefty 3.4 GPA, is also a starting forward for the KIF champion, undefeated Red Raider basketball squad.
“At states, we’re going to try our best, but as far as my position goes, I just try to be the defender of the team and help others,” Crowell said.
Unselfishness at the QB position is rare, but for the Kaua‘i senior, it’s all about the team.
“I’d definitely like to thank all of my teammates for the past four years, they’re the best and to the guys coming up, I wish them the best of luck,” Crowell said.
Red Raider junior bowler Keopuhiwa has been bowling since the seventh-grade and ever since then, she’s been rising to the top.
“My aunty got me into bowling and I never stopped doing it ever since then,” Keopuhiwa said.
As a freshman, she medaled at the state bowling tournament, finishing in ninth-place.
“That was my biggest accomplishment so far, just because it was unexpected for me to do so well,” Keopuhiwa said.
This past season, she also medaled with a 10th-place showing at Lihu‘e Lanes.
Keopuhiwa nails down a 3.1 GPA and feels that her team should do extremely well next season.
“We had a young team last year, so we should do really well this season, with all of our experience,” Keopuhiwa said.
Kaua‘i senior Gebauer had a terrific year as the ace on the Red Raider softball squad.
“Making it to states was my biggest accomplishment, but even though we didn’t win a game, it was still a great experience,” Gebauer said.
Also on the basketball and cross-country squads, Gebauer manages a formidable GPA at 3.3. She plans on either majoring in Business or Marketing at a mainland college.
“It feels really good to get this award and I really wanted to get it,” Gebauer said.
Last, but certainly not least, “Mighty Mouse” Thompson, who just completed one of the best seasons in KIF history, is one of January’s King Auto Center KIF athletes of the month.
A shoe-in for an all-state spot, Thompson was the leading goal scorer in the state tournament with four scores, including two against the 4-time defending champion Mililani squad, who were the top seeded team.
“I honestly can say that we didn’t expect to do as well as we did, but we knew we had a really good team,” Thompson said.
The Menehune, who finished with the best season ever for a KIF boys soccer team, grabbed the third-place spot in the state. The only loss for the Menehune this season was against the state champion Kamehameha-O‘ahu squad.
“I think we had wasted legs in that game (Kamehameha game), because we put everything into the games against Kaiser and Mililani,” Thompson said.
Waimea, who’s starters consisted of nine seniors (Thompson and Kollin Morikawa, both juniors), will have to reload next season, but with “Mighty Mouse” at the helm, the task might not be as “Mighty” as predicted!
The King Auto Center KIF student-athletes of the month are selected by the five athletics directors, representing each of the five high schools in the KIF.
Each month, nominations for a female and male athlete are made by coaches or athletic directors, based on athletic achievement, academic standing, citizenship/sportsmanship, other extra-curricular activities.
Teams in competition will be considered, but not necessarily will there be a representative from each sport in season.
