Year in review

Lanaly Cabalo

the garden island

Hawai‘i may be a small state and Kaua‘i may be a small island, but they have made some big headlines in 2008.

The Warriors break into the BCS. June Jones bolts for Southern Methodist. Greg McMackin replaces him. Ken Niumatalolo becomes the first Samoan to become a college head football coach. Clay Stanley leads Team USA to Olympic gold in volleyball. Natasha Kai wins Olympic gold with women’s soccer. Shane Victorino wins the World Series.

Malia Manuel becomes the youngest female to win the U.S. Open of Surfing. The Kaua‘i High School boys baseball team wins the Division II state championships. Jordon Dizon gets drafted to the NFL in the second round.

These were some of the biggest headlines for Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i this year and as we say good-bye to 2008, we revisit some of these stories in random order.

Hawai‘i

1. The University of Hawai‘i Warrior football team breaks in to the BCS. The Warrior football team led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan finished its regular season undefeated and broke into the Bowl Championship Series to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. On Jan. 1, the Warriors took on the Bulldogs of Georgia.

The Warriors won a national-best 13 straight games dating back from their victory over Arizona State in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl. With that in mind, Brennan, his offensive team of Ryan Grice-Mullins, Davone Bess and Jason Rivers and the ranked defensive squad headed into the Sugar Bowl with high hopes.

But that day, the Bulldogs trounced the nation’s only unbeaten team, 41-10.

Colt Brennan has since signed a contract with the Washington Redskins where he is the third-string quarterback and Davone Bess has become one of the hottest rookie receivers for the Miami Dolphins.

2. June Jones leaves Hawai‘i for Southern Methodist University/Greg McMackin takes over as head coach. Just days after the Warriors lost to the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, Jones accepted a coaching position at Southern Methodist University.

Jones took over a fledgling football program in 1999 and in his tenure, he led the Warriors to an undefeated season, their first BCS berth and a produced a Heisman Trophy candidate in Colt Brennan.

However, he was ready for a change. But that change also started a dispute between he and the university. Under his contract with Hawai‘i, Jones was not to accept any employment as a football coach at any NCAA school or professional team. Jones reportedly said he and former athletic director Herman Frazier had a different agreement.

The dispute was settled days before Hawai‘i’s current football team was to play Notre Dame in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

The university appointed defensive coordinator Greg McMackin to be Jones’ successor. McMackin became the highest-paid state employee when he was signed to a $1.1 million deal.

McMackin led the Warriors to an even 7-7 record and an appearance in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl.

3. Ken Niumatalolo appointed Navy’s head football coach. Forty-three-year-old University of Hawai‘i grad Ken Niumatalolo became the first person of Samoan descent to be appointed to a head coaching position when he replaced Paul Johnson (also a former Hawai‘i coach) at Navy.

Upon graduating from Hawai‘i, Niumatalolo worked under Johnson as a graduate assistant. When Johnson left for Navy, Niumatalolo followed. Earlier this year, Johnson left for Georgia Southern and Niumatalolo was promoted.

He and O‘ahu’s Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada led Navy to a 8-5 finish and appearance in the inaugural EagleBank Bowl.

4. Bryan Clay becomes world’s greatest athlete. Hawai‘i’s Bryan Clay became the world’s greatest athlete when he won Olympic gold in the decathlon in Beijing. Clay, who won silver at the previous Olympic games, won the event by a whopping 240 points, finishing the 10-event competition with 8,791 points over silver medalist Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus (8,551).

Clay’s best was the long jump, which earned him more than 1,000 points. He also led in the 100 Meter Dash. Clay was so far ahead in the standings that he was able to cruise in his final event — which he also claims is he weakest.

Clay became the first American since Dan O’Brien in 1996 to win the decathlon.

5. Clay Stanley, Team USA wins Olympic Gold. Kaiser and University of Hawai‘i grad Clay Stanley had 15 kills as the U.S. men’s volleyball team completed a perfect run at the Beijing Olympics and won the gold medal over Brazil.

Team USA defeated top-ranked Brazil in four sets 20-25, 25-22, 25-21 and 25-23. The win was a bright light for the men’s team which was struck by tragedy on the first day of the Olympics.

Head coach Hugh McCutcheon’s father-in-law was stabbed to death causing McCutcheon to miss the team’s first three games.

It was Stanley’s final kill that won the gold for Team USA. The Americans previously won gold in 1984 and 1988.

6. Natasha Kai, U.S. women’s soccer team win Olympic gold. Natasha Kai of Kahuku and the University of Hawai‘i played in all six of Team USA’s soccer matches and made the most impact against Canada. It was Kai’s overtime header that gave the U.S. women a 2-1 victory and a spot in the semifinal medal round.

Team USA went on to defeat Brazil 1-0.

7. Shane Victorino, Phillies win World Series. St. Anthony grad Shane Victorino and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games to win the World Series.

In the series which was partially delayed because of weather, Victorino drove in a team-high 13 runs for the postseason and holds the franchise record for RBIs in a single season.

In Game 5, the Phillies got on the board early with a two-run single from Victorino.

Victorino later received a National League Gold Glove award.

8. Punahou grad Parker McLachlin wins PGA Tour event. Parker McLachlin emerged as Hawai‘i golf sweetheart, temporarily taking the spotlight away from popular teens Michelle Wie and Tadd Fujikawa. McLachlin won the Reno-Tahoe Open (Wie and Fujikawa also played in it) with a 7-stroke lead over Brian Davis to finish 18 under 270. 

It was his first win official PGA Tour win. McLachlin is slated to play in this month’s Sony Open.

9. Waipi‘o Little League wins World Series. The young men of the Waipi‘o Little League World Series went undefeated in Williamsport and won the Little League World Series by defeating Mexico 12-3 in August.

Waipi‘o, who first went through Kaua‘i to win the Hawai‘i state tournament, put on a spectacular show in the Series by pulling off a come-from-behind victory to beat Lake Charles, La., to win the Little League World Series to advance to the finals against Mexico.

Waipi‘o won the fourth straight victory for the United States and Hawai‘i’s second Series title. The last Hawai‘i team to win the Series in this division was the team from ‘Ewa Beach.

10. The Pro Bowl leaves Hawai‘i. Just barely off the presses, the NFL confirmed on Tuesday that the Pro Bowl leave for Miami for 2010. It will be now be played the week before the Super Bowl in attempt to increase the profile of the game. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been quoted as saying the game was “somewhat anticlimactic.”

He also said future games will most likely rotate between Hawai‘i and another Mainland destination.

Kaua‘i

1. Waimea grad Jordon Dizon gets drafted in second round. The Detroit Lions selected the Waimea High School and University of Colorado grad Jordon Dizon in the second round, 45th overall, during this year’s NFL draft in New York.

Dizon initially had concerns that he might not get a shot in the NFL because of his size — he stands at 6 feet, which is relatively small for a linebacker. But he put up good numbers at Colorado, leading the nation in solo stops (120), was second for total tackles (160) and was named the Big 12’a Defensive Player of the Year.

Dizon finished his rookie season with the Lions (0-16) with 17 total tackles (10 solo, 7 assisted).

2. Malia Manuel becomes the youngest to win U.S. Open of Surfing. Wailua’s Malia Manuel made Association of Surfing Professionals history by becoming the youngest women to win the U.S. Open of Surfing over the summer, defeating fellow surfing teen Coco Ho in the championships.

Manuel started strong in the opening moments of the final, securing two lengthy righthanders to post solid scores while her opponent struggled to find her footing in the challenging afternoon conditions.

Manuel issued out upsets throughout the competition, defeating former world champion Sofia Mulanovich and then ratings leader Sally Fitzgibbons.

3. Kaua‘i’s baseball team wins state championships. Kaua‘i High School’s Red Raiders won its first ever state baseball championship at the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association’s first ever Division II championship at the Les Murakami Stadium, defeating St. Anthony 1-0.

The Raiders won the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division II State Championships with a run by Trent Allianic which came in the first inning. Batting third, he was the first to get on base when he singled to second base.

Rysan Sakamoto was then walked, advancing Allianic to second. Allianic would later score off a right-field single by Schyler Arakaki.

Kaua‘i wouldn’t get another hit until the top of the third inning when Allianic singled to Jordan Kahalekai-Bermoy at shortstop. Sakamoto followed that with a single hit to left field.

Kaua‘i also placed three players on the HHSAA State All-Tournament Team: Allianic, Arakaki and Aaron Soong.

Pitcher Jordon Buster was named the Most Outstanding Player.

4. Kaua‘i football team remains lone undefeated team. The Kaua‘i High School football was the only undefeated team left standing heading into the HHSAA Division II state championships. The Red Raiders, the 2006 football runners up, received the No. 3 seed and home-field advantage for the tournament.

Kaua‘i (8-0) was set to play the Radford Rams (8-3) at Vidinha Stadium. Radford eliminated the Raiders from state contention, winning 17-7.

5. Kapa‘a boys play for the state title. In the first ever Division II state championship title game for boy’s soccer, the Kapa‘a Warriors took the Mid-Pac Owls to two overtimes and a penalty shootout.

The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation champions went into the tournament unranked and knocked off McKinley 8-0 in the first round, No. 4 Kahuku 3-0 in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Honoka‘a in the semifinals 2-1 to win their spot in the championships.

Mid-Pac was able to net four goals in the shootout to Kapa‘a’s two.

6. Kaua‘i’s Tiffany Ikeda-Simao inducted into the Hall of Honor. Tiffany Ikeda-Simao was one of a dozen high school student athletes from in the state named to the prestigious Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Hall of Honor 2008. The Kaua‘i High School senior was one of three athletes from Neighbor Islands to be elected and was one of two to come from a public school.

With the selection, Ikeda-Simao and the 11 other student athletes were inducted at the annual recognition banquet June 8 at the Waikiki Sheraton where she was presented a $2,000 scholarship as one of her awards.

The announcement capped an exciting weekend for Ikeda-Simao who rose from a second seed position to finish first in the Girls 100 Meter Dash at the Island Movers State/HHSAA Track and Field Championships held at Mililani High School. Ikeda-Simao topped that event with a 12.38 run, and pocketed another first place finish for the Girls 4×100 relay team where she is the anchor leg runner.

That team, consisted of Ikeda-Simao, Jamilee Jimenez, and the sisters Kathleen and Kelsey Cadiente, finished first with a time of 49.03, just missing the state record of 48.92 set by Mililani in 1999.

She has a total 12 state championship medals, accumulated from the four years she’s been competing.

7. Waimea’s girls volleyball team forces playoff against Kaua‘i/Kaua‘i girls come from behind for championship. The Waimea girls volleyball team overcame a slow season start to win Round 2 to force a playoff for the championship against Kaua‘i.

Kaua‘i had gone through the first half of the season undefeated, before falling in the second.

The Raiders came dangerously close to dropping to the defending champions of Waimea after the Lady Menehune (9-4) shot up to an 8-1 lead in the fifth set. The Menehune had been on a roll toward the end of the season, going undefeated in the second round to force the playoff and were on track to winning their third consecutive KIF title.

But Kaua‘i rallied to close the gap. Mikaila Naholoholo faked a set for a quick sneak over the net to bring the Raiders within two at 13-11. Shyanne Sadora then served up an ace to bring them even closer and on the next play sneaked a tip past Waimea’s Brandee Victorino to tie. A light touch by Jori Jasper won the match for the Raiders, giving them their first KIF title in five years.

8. Kaua‘i’s girls play in second-straight title game/Kapa‘a wins third. Wailana Borrero struck out 10 and Jessica Iwata went 2-for-2 with three RBI in Kaua‘i’s 6-2 win over Lana‘i High School in the DataHouse/Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association State Division II Softball Championships, at the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

With the win. top-ranked Red Raiders (13-1) advance to their second-straight state championship final appearance. Last year, the Raiders earned the second-place state finish when they lost to Sacred Hearts in the finals. Sacred Hearts has since moved to Division I.

The Raiders were upset by Pac-Five 4-2.

Kapa‘a’s girls also played in the Division II championship tournament and defeated Lana‘i 3-2.

Kapaa, though, won the game at the bottom of the sixth. Jocelyn Enrique doubled to left center and Leeana Baltazar reached on an error by the second baseman. Enrique then scored off a sac bunt from Lokelani Manaku.

9. Alana Blanchard earns Tour card. After an impressive rookie year on the Association of Surfing Professionals qualifying series, Hanalei’s Alana Blanchard finished 9th place on the world rankings, securing her spot on the women’s Dream Tour. Blanchard will begin the tour in Feb.

10. Kaua‘i’s Bruce Irons retires. Bruce Irons announced earlier this year that he will retire from professional surfing at the end of the 2008 season, regardless of the outcome. He is slated to surf in the Eddie Aikau big-wave invitational, but if that goes off, it should be his last competition. There is no official word on the pro status of his older brother Andy. He is rumored to take 2009 off.