HANAPEPE — Former Major League Baseball player and current Kaiser head coach Kila Ka‘aihue probably best stated the caliber of competition the Kaua‘ Interscholastic Federation has when he was asked the question of his assessment.
Ka‘aihue’s response to the question was indisputable. His Division I team, which qualified for the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division I state playoffs last season, were defeated by all three KIF schools, Kapa‘a, Kaua‘, and Waimea, in the preseason round-robin tournament that ended here Saturday.
Ka‘aihue brought the Cougars here to gain valuable preseason field time and to get prepared for the grueling-but-fast regular-season action against some of O‘ahu’s best.
Several of the prep baseball teams on O‘ahu may feature some of the best baseball prospects in the country, and have developed several top-rated baseball talent.
Hawai‘i, along with Florida, North Carolina and the entire southern region on the mainland, still all have excellent reputations for being hotbeds for baseball prospects in the United States.
Both Kila and Kala Ka‘aihue are shining examples of the success of baseball in Hawai‘i.
The brothers were not only top-rated prospects in baseball in the state in mid-2000s, but also both made it to the MLB, where Kila played several years with several teams.
Waimea High School, which has its entire nucleus returning from a team that finished second in the Division II state tournament last year, are expected to do well again this year, but the battle to see how to hoist the KIF trophy this season is anything but a give-me.
Kapa‘a High’s Nainoa Cardinez certainly impressed. Kaua‘ High’s Spencer Yates has his team playing very competitive ball, and Red Raiders’ left-handed senior Dahlus Hood showcased his brilliant pitching effort, hanging in there against Mid Pacific Institute, a Division I powerhouse in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
Menehune skipper Chad Delanoza is only in his second year, but he knows his team needs to solidify its roster if they are going to keep up with the other two teams gunning for their coveted KIF title.
Ka‘aihue summed it up best.
“We had a losing record against the KIF, but I think our team is good,” Ka‘aihue said. “The competition is good up here.”
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Jason Blasco, sports reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or jblasco@thegardenisland.com.
