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Bears advance to state soccer quarterfinals

2011-02-24T08:13:00.000-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

All three of the MIL qualifiers for the state high school boys soccer tournaments will be in action today.

That was assured when Baldwin earned a berth in the quarterfinal round of the Division-I tourney with a dramatic 1-0 win over Aiea yesterday at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

The Bears dominated the match in terms of time of possession and shots on goal, but were unable to capitalize on those advantages for most of the match. But freshman midfielder Jaren Otani ran down a pass and hammered a six-yard shot into the back of the net with eight minutes left in the first-round match.

Baldwin then had to survive a huge scare in the waning minutes as senior goalkeeper Leo Fayt made back-to-back saves on a breakaway situation to save the victory and enable Baldwin secure a berth against second-seeded Kapolei. The match is scheduled for a 5 p.m. kickoff at the Main Stadium at Waipio.

King Kekaulike and St. Anthony were seeded fourth in their respective divisions and drew first-round byes.

Kekaulike will play at D-I match at 1 p.m. at the stadium against Kaiser, which advanced with a 4-3 overtime win over Waiakea.

In other D-I results, Punahou needed overtime for a 2-1 comeback win over Roosevelt and Mililani scored both of its goals in the final eight minutes for a 2-0 win over Moanalua. Punahou next faces No. 3 Hilo and Mililani meets top-seeded Kamehameha-Oahu.

The eight-team D-II tournament kicks off today. St. Anthony will open its bid against Mid-Pacific at 3 o'clock. In other match-ups: No. 1 Honokaa faces Radford, No. 2 Kapaa meets Konawaena and No. 3 Waipahu tangles with Hawaii Prep.

YOUTH SOCCER: The Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex also was the site for the past weekend's President's Day Cup youth tournament, with a team from the Valley Isle bringing home a championship.

The Maui United Soccer Club 1999 Red took top honors in the under-12 boys division with a 2-0 victory over Rush 99 Nike in the final to finish the tournament with a 6-0 record, outscoring their opponents 17-2 en route to their second straight PDC title.

United's goals came in the second minute by Angelo Deloso-Flacco and in the 47^th by Noa Harrisson.

Two other Maui United boys teams won their respective pools and reached the semis only to be eliminated by eventual champions.

The MUSC 99 White was defeated by Rush 99 Nike, 2-0, in the under-12 division, finishing with a 4-1 mark. MUSC 2002 lost 3-1 to the Bulls Kaula.

Two other Valley Isle teams reached the semis.

Pono 99, competing in the under-11 girls division, was ousted following a 1-0 loss to Blitz Orange and the under-10 Wailuku Bruiser boys were beaten 3-2 by Bulls 2001

MIL SOFTBALL: Members of the Lahainaluna softball team feel they let one get away last year, when arch-rival Baldwin staged a late rally in the regular-season finale to capture its seventh straight MIL title.

The Lunas partly avenged the setback in impressive fashion yesterday with a season-opening 11-4 spanking of the Bears.

Hope Morikawa went the distance for the pitching victory and the Lunas erupted for six runs in the sixth inning to secure the win. Brenna Nakamura had a two-run triple for the Lunas.

Kekaulike opened its campaign with a 7-2 road win over Maui High as Karlee-Rose Perry allowed four hits and struck out eight for Na Alii.

Maui fans pack War Memorial for UH volleyball win

2011-02-13T11:36:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

Take a bow, Maui fans. You were the real winners on Saturday night. As a result of your enthusiastic support, don't be at all surpised if the Valley Isle ends up hosting additional University of Hawaii athletic events in the future.

A loud, ti leaf-waving overflow crowd of 2,047 fans packed War Memorial Gym, providing inspiration for the Hawaii men in an error-filled but exciting 26-24, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20 non-conference volleyball victory over California Baptist.

Adding to the great atmosphere was the presence of a travel party that included cheerleaders, promotions and announcers that are part of matches at the Stan Sheriff Center, with the Maui High band capable filling in for their UH counterparts.

Hawaii coach Charlie Wade described the environment as "great," and he wasn't merely being polite. The sentiment was shared and expressed by players on both teams.

Possibly because of the reduced space behind one of the end lines, the teams struggled with their serves. There were a total of 41 service errots, including 23 by Hawaii.

Still, UH managed to come up with the big plays when they most mattered to sweep a the series against the defending NAIA national champs. Hawaii won Friday's match at The Stanley in three games.

Leading UH were Jonas Umlauft with 20 kills, Joshua Walker with 17 and defensive specialist Nick Castello came up with nine digs.

UH SOFTBALL: Eighth-ranked Hawaii opened the softball season in impressive fashion, winning all five games in the Paradise Classic.

The Rainbow Wahine closed out the tournament on Saturday with a 5-1 win over Southern Utah thanks to a grandslam by Melissa Gonzalez and completed the title run with an 8-0 mercy-rule victory over UC Davis as Stephanie Ricketts posted her third win of the event.

UH, most noted for its power-hitting prowess after slugging a national-record 158 homers last season, posted a team ERA of 0.44 while holding its five opponents to a .143 batting average. Hawaii outscored its opponents 32-3.

The Wahine close their season-opening homestand today against Texas State at 5 p.m. before traveling to Las Vegas to take part in the high-profile Desert Classic that starts on Friday followed by another major tournament in Southern California.

UH HOOPS: The UH men return to action tonight, hosting Nevada. Following an 0-5 start in the conference, Hawaii has won four of its last six WAC games and are seventh in the league. The top eight teams qualify for the WAC tournament.

WAHINE HOOPS: Following a pair of encouraging home wins, Hawaii shot a dismal 23.3 percent from the field and suffered its most lopsided loss of the WAC season when it was beaten 69-42 at Nevada. The loss dropped UH to 8-16 overall and 2-9 in the WAC. UH dropped into a tie with Boise State for eighth place with five regular-season games remaining. The last-place school among nine WAC teams is left home from the WAC tournament in Las Vegas next month. The Wahine, who has lost 18 straight away games, remains on the road for games at NMS on Tuesday and at league-leading LaTech on Thursday.

UH BASEBALL: Hawaii opens its season on Friday with the first of a four-game series against Oregon, ranked No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason Top 40 poll. The Rainbows are No. 38.

Plan in works for all-UH TV sports channel

2011-02-08T14:27:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

You may have heard the old saying about when one door closes, another opens. Such could be the case regarding televised sports at the University of Hawaii.

The status of its lucrative pay-per-view package is in jeopardy as Hawaii transitions out of the Western Athletic Conference and into the Mountain West for football and the Big West for most other sports.

UH athletic administrators are working on a plan that could complement or replace its current TV arrangements.

The Star-Advertiser is reporting that Oceanic Time Warner Cable is moving toward the creation of all-University of Hawaii channel on its statewide system that could be operational as soon as this fall.

Oceanic's current contract with UH runs through 2014 and guarantees UH a minimum of $2.3 million per year plus a share of revenues past certain thresholds. The contract calls for UH to receive $500,000 from KFVE and the balance from Oceanic.

But the future role — if any — of KFVE, which has been part of UH sports for nearly 30 years, is said to be undecided, according to the Star-Bulletin. KFVE has partnered with Oceanic on pay-per-view since 2002. That arrangement is under negotiation.

While things would likely be little changed in the Big West, both UH and Oceanic are awaiting word from the Mountain West whether pay-per-view, as we currently know it, will continue.

Lunas, Farmers girls seeded second at state hoops

2011-01-31T20:37:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

A pair of MIL teams have been seeded second in the state girls basketball tournaments that tip off Tuesday on Oahu.

That means Lahainaluna in Division-I and Molokai in D-II will draw first-round byes before beginning their bids on Wednesday.

King Kekaulike, the MIL D-I runnerup, opens against Kaiser on Tuesday in a 5 p.m. game at McKinley High. The winner of that game faces top-seeded Konawaena.

Lahainaluna will open defense of its state title against the winner of Kapolei versus Pearl City in Wednesday's 5 p.m. game at Radford High.

Punahou is seeded third and Farrington fourth.

Molokai is the only MIL entry in D-II. The Lady Farmers won the title in 2009 and finished second last season. They will face the winner of Waianae versus Maryknoll in a 7 p.m. game Wednesday at Kaimuki High.

Radford is the top seed in D-II, with Kamehameha-Hawaii ranked third and Kapaa fourth.

On Saturday, reigning state player of the year Maiki Viela scored 35 points as the Lunas defeated Molokai 60-41 in a special non-league game between the MIL's two title teams.

MIL BOYS: The MIL boys tip off their league tournaments on Wednesday at the Baldwin High gym.

The Bears raised their hopes for the overall league title by handing Lahainaluna its first MIL loss of the season with a 61-55 victory on Saturday before a big, noisy crowd at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Gabe Ross scord 19 points and Tim Pang added 18 for the Bears, who avenged a pair of earlier losses to the Lunas..

Seabury Hall closed out a perfect D-II campaign by posting weekend wins of 58-38 and 53-35 over Molokai, but the Spartans apparently lost high-scoring Phelan Pagano to a season-ending knee injury.

SOCCER: Each of the contending teams have two games left in their respective MIL boys soccer schedules, and still no one has even assured themselves of a spot in the state tournament. Here's where things stand:

Baldwin, which survived a furious comeback at Kamehameha-Maui on Friday for a 3-2 win, is in first place with 21 points.

Lahainaluna, which routed St. Anthony 4-1 on Saturday behind a hat-trick by Jorge Hernandez, is second with 20 points.

King Kekaulike dropped to third with 19 points after playing to a 1-1 tie with Maui High, which is fourth and barely alive mathematically for a post-season berth with 15 points. Logan Bantilan accounted for Kekaulike's goal, while Justice Florendo-Bourne scored the tying goal midway through the second half.

That sets up some huge matches this week. Kekaulike visits Baldwin for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday. On Thursday, Seabury visits Kekaulike and Maui High travels to Kamehameha.

In girls' action, Baldwin took a major step toward repeating as D-I champion thanks to a 0-0 tie with Kamehameha on Friday followed by a 9-0 romp past Hana on Saturday.

Kekaulike was eliminated from post-season contention following a 3-0 loss to Maui High. In D-II, Seabury Hall and St. Anthony have clinched spots in the state tournament.

MORE MIL: In paddling, Seabury won the boys and mixed titles and finished second in the girls competition to Molokai. … In wrestling, Lahainaluna's boys and girls continued their domination by capturing 16 of 20 weight classes in the final tuneup before the upcoming MIL championships.

Na Alii, Trojans post big soccer victories

2011-01-20T10:26:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

All four teams involved desperately needed to win their respective MIL boys soccer matches yesterday.

When all was said and done, King Kekaulike and St. Anthony emerged with huge victories while Seabury Hall and Maui High suffered key setbacks.

Bouncing back from a slow start to its season, King Kekaulike routed upcountry rival Seabury Hall 4-0 in Olinda, improving to 5-3 overall for 15 points and moving to within one point of idle Division-I leader Lahainaluna.

Na Alii scored all of its goals in the first half, with Kaimana Purdy, Logan Bantilan, Taylor DeGuerra and Brison Ino finding the back of the net within the opening 30 minutes of action.

Later at War Memorial Stadium, first-half goals by Chris and Gerry Maeda lifted St. Anthony to a 2-0 victory over Maui High.

St. Anthony improved to 4-5 for 12 points and a three-point lead over Seabury in the D-II standings. Maui High fell 3-3-2 for 11 points and finds itself four points behind the Lunas in the D-I standings.

In girls action last night, Maui High beat St. Anthony 4-0 on goals by Chelsey Calvert, Rachel Rivas, Tiana Lucas and Shauni Okazaki.

PREP HOOPS: The MIL girls' basketball tournaments tip off semifinal action tonight with three games in two divisions at the Kamehameha-Maui gym.

At 4 p.m., Seabury Hall will tangle with Lanai in a Division-II game. The winner will face regular-season champion Molokai High in Friday's D-II title game at 5:30.

In Division-I action, top-seeded Lahainaluna will meet Kamehameha-Maui at 5:30.

The Lunas are the state's fourth-ranked team and have not been remotely tested so far in MIL competition. Kamehameha earned a berth in the semis by beating Baldwin 37-27 behind a 12-point effort from Tori Cambra.

At 7 o'clock, King Kekaulike and Maui High will meet in the other semifinal. Kekaulike finished second to the Lunas in the regular-season standings.

The D-I title game is set for 7 p.m. tomorrow.

Favorable weather conditions benefit golfers at Kapalua

2011-01-07T08:34:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

By customary standards, the at-times treacherous Plantation Course at Kapalua was a soft touch during yesterday's opening round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

An early-morning downpour coupled with lower-than-usual tradewinds proved a bonanza for the all-winners field in the first event of the PGA Tour season.

Unable to capitalize on the player-friendly conditions was two-time defending champion Geoff Ogilvy.

The Australian had to pull out of the event after suffering a nasty gash to his right index finger following a close encounter with coral while taking a dip in the ocean in the day before. The wound required 12 stitches and prevented Ogilvy from adequately gripping his clubs.

That opened the door for Jonathan Byrd and Carl Petterson to take the early lead with 7-under par 66s. Ben Crane trailed the co-leaders by one stroke, with Jim Furyk, Bill Haas and Charley Hoffman two strokes back.

In fact, only two players -- Justin Rose with a 75 and Rocco Mediate with a 79 – failed to break par in the field of 33 golfers. The average scored on the PGA Tour's only par-73 layout was 70.5.

That, of course, could all change with drier greens and higher winds in an event that runs through Sunday and is being televised on the Golf Channel.

MIL ROUNDUP: Defending champion Seabury Hall opened its MIL Division-II campaign with a decisive 70-51 victory over visiting St. Anthony. Phelan Pagano's 21 points led Seabury, who also benefited from Dylan King's 14. Jarrett Stinger's 21 led the Trojans.

Baldwin posted a pair of victories as the expense of visiting Kamehameha-Maui.

The Lady Bears open the double-header at the Baldwin gym by holding off the Warriors for 33-28 win. Kristina Edgamin scored 13 for the Bears, while Tori Cambra's 12 led Kamehameha.

In the nightcap, Baldwin capitalized on double-digit production for a pair of players not particularly noted for their scoring.

Senior starting forward Kona Sarmiento had 14 and reserve forward Adrian Garces 12 for the Bears, who improved to 5-1 and kept pace with Lahainaluna in the D-I standings. Kawika Kong's seven points led the Warriors.

In MIL basketball action today, the Lahainaluna boys and girls play host to Maui High.

UH ROUNDUP: Losing its first two WAC games on the road was almost predictable considering that UH teams are not particularly noted for being road Warriors. But after a promising start to the season, the return of their top player and playing at home, much more was expected of the Hawaii men's basketball team last night.

Instead of flourishing, the Rainbows floundered, shooting a dismal 29 percent from the field in a 59-44 loss to Idaho at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH made just 3 of 22 shots from behind the arc, including 0-for-12 in the second half. As a result, Hawaii was held to its lowest point total in a dozen years while falling to 0-3 in the WAC and to 9-6 overall.

The return of senior forward Bill Amis didn't help UH nearly as much as expected. Showing some rust after a 10-game layoff because of a lingering foot injury, Amis made 2 of 7 shots and had two rebounds in 29 minutes. Even with Amis back, UH again struggled on the boards and were out-rebounded, 40-28.

Now, UH must try to rebound against Boise State, which escaped from San Jose State with a 102-101 quadruple-overtime victory. The Broncos will bring records of 10-5 overall and 3-0 in the WAC to The Stanley.

WAHINE LOSE: In the first game of a double-header, the Rainbow Wahine played about as poorly as their male counterparts in the suffering a 74-58 conference-opening home loss to New Mexico State. The Lady Aggies had four players score in double figures while UH struggled with foul problems and turnovers in dropping to 6-8 overall and 0-1 in the WAC.

UH trailed by only three points, 36-33, at halftime but fell apart in the second half. Keisha Kanekoa led the Wahine with 17 points and Kamilah Jackson added 12. Kanekoa now has 1,040 career points, passing Tondi Redden for 14^th place on the UH all-tme list. Jade Abele is No. 13 with 1,057.

Next for Hawaii is a Saturday game againt LaTech,, which is coming off a 69-34 blowout at San Jose State.

Error-prone Hawaii gift-wraps win for Tulsa

2010-12-27T08:03:00.000-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

It's one thing to lose a game. It's quite another to loss at home in such inept fashion as did Hawaii on Christmas Eve.

Playing the role of Santa, UH gave away six turnovers to gift-wrap a 62-35 victory for Tulsa before more than 41,000 stunned fans at Aloha Stadium and a national TV audience in a game lasting an excruciating 3 hours, 54 minutes.

The ugly performance – filled with turnovers, penalties and defensive breakdowns – left a negative last impression to an otherwise excellent season for a Hawaii team that earned 10 wins, a WAC co-championship and a No. 24 national ranking coming into the game.

After keeping Hawaii in the game for most of the first half, UH's defensive unit ran out of gas against a high-tempo Tulsa attack.

Hawaii actually out-gained Tulsa 479-343 with quarterback Bryant Moniz thowing for 411 yards and three touchdowns. Greg Salas had 13 catches for 213 yards and two scores.

But those stats don't reflect the five picks, a fumble recovery following a muff by Salas on a punt return and the six sacks that enabled the Golden Hurricane to storm past Hawaii.

Damaris Johnson led the way for Tulsa by amassing 326 yards in combined yardage – 98 on five carries, 101 on four catches and another 127 on returns with two scores.

DIAMOND HEAD: The Hawaii basketball team can take a lot of consolation – literally and figuratively -- from its performance during the Diamond Head Classic.

By defeating Mississippi State 68-57 in Saturday's fifth-place game for the consolation title, Hawaii improved its season record to 9-3 going into a pair of tough WAC-opening road games this week at defending champion Utah State and Nevada.

Butler, last year's national runnerup, took the tourneytitle by topping Washington State 84-68.

Hawaii opened with a 12-0 run and led by as many as 22 in the second half against Mississippi State, which was missing two key players who were suspended after engaging in a fist-fight in full view of fans and cameras at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Zane Johnson continued his hot shooting, leading the Bows with 19 points. Hiram Thompson went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and finished with 14.

After opening the tourney with a loss to Florida State, the Bows rebounded with decisive wins over Utah and the battling Bulldogs.

UH sophomore Miah Ostrowski made his college hoops debut less than 24 hours after playing in the Hawaii Bowl. The former Punahou two-sport star caught two passes for 72 yards against Tulsa. He didn't score in two minutes of action against Mississippi State.

Hawaii hangs tough vs. superior Seminoles

2010-12-23T07:57:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Given its problems contending with Florida's State's superiority in the paint and on boards, as well as its own inability to protect the basketball, Hawaii easily could have been blown out in last night's opening round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Instead, a 70-62 loss to the Seminoles almost represented a moral victory for an under-manned squad that used only seven players because of lingering injuries to senior starters Hiram Thompson and Bill Amis.

That UH stuck around as long as it did before Florida State began pulling away early in the second half was a tribute to the team's grittiness and the marksmanship of Zane Johnson and Bo Barnes.

Johnson matched a season high with 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and Barnes scored all of his 17 in the second half.

But Hawaii couldn't overcome Florida State's 23 offensive rebounds and committing 24 turnovers. As a result, the Seminoles will face Butler in tonight's 5 o'clock semifinal while the Bows will meet Utah in a 7:30 consolation game.

Butler, last season's NCAA runner-up, rode a 24-point effort by Mike Howard to beat Utah 74-62.

The tournament opened with a pair of blowout as Washington State routed Mississippi State 83-57 and No. 15 Baylor spanked San Diego 83-50 to set up their 1 p.m. semifinal. Mississippi State and San Diego will meet at 11:30 a.m.

PREP ROUNDUP: It was a highly productive night for Lahainaluna athletes.

It's talented boy's wrestling team easily captured top honors in the Maui Invitational Tournament at War Memorial Gym, out-pointing Iolani 203-160. Kahuku won the girls' team title with 102 points, beating out Mililani's 92 and Lahainaluna's 86.

In basketball, the Lunas swept a pair of road games against Maui High.

TJ Rickard had 18 points and Luke Williams added 15 in a 57-58 win over the Sabers boys. The fourth-ranked Lunas' girls again overwhelmed an MIL opponent with a 62-23 romp behind Maiki Viela's 18 points.

In soccer, Maui High moved past idle Baldwin into first place in the Division-I boy's standings by beating Kamehameha-Maui 3-1 behind a pair of goals by Terrance Sayers.

The Seabury Hall boys bounced back from a pair of recent losses with a 4-2 victory over Saint Anthony. Willie Harris scored twice for the Spartans. The Seabury girls blanked St. Anthony 5-0.

JUNIOR GOLF: Five Maui athletes claimed titles in the US Kids Golf regional event held at the Kaanapali Royal Hawaiian course. The champions were Cassy Isagawa, Justin Ngua, Kyeton Littel-Kamimoto, Kimberlie Miyamoto and Kirsten Ishikawa.

Seabury loses to Corona in tournament final

2010-12-20T09:54:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

Although Seabury Hall appears to be the class of its own league, the previously undefeated Spartans were in over their heads in Saturday's title game of the St. Anthony Invitational basketball tournament.

The Spartans, an Maui Interscholastic League Divistion-II team, beat traditional D-I power Baldwin for the second time in two weeks in Friday's semifinals. But they were decisively beaten, 64-40, by Corona of California at War Memorial Gym.

Seabury dropped to 7-1 this season despite a 21-point performance by Phelan Pagano.

Baldwin beat Kealakehe 53-40 for third place, Hilo defeated king Kekaulike 61-48 for fifth, and Campbell topped St. Anthony 54-34 for seventh.

Meantime, the host Lunas beat Pitt Meadows of Canada 59-45 in the Lahainaluna Invitational. In other games: Socastee of South Carolina defeated Molokai 53-41, Mission Viejo of California routed Heritage Woods of Canada 73-27, and Maranatha of Washington beat Lakeside of California 68-53.

In MIL soccer, Keelan Ewaliko scored on a breakaway goal midway through the second half, lifting the Baldwin boys to a 1-0 victory over Seabury Hall and into first place in the league overall and D-I standings.

Amber-Lei Madriaga scored twice as the unbeaten Baldwin girls defeated Seabury 4-1.

In other games: Kekaulike's boys beat St. Anthony 2-0 on goals by Michael Ribao and Logan Bantilan. Shelly Liburd registered a hat trick as the Lunas' girls defeated Molookai 8-0. Tiana Lucas scored twice as Maui High's girls topped Hana 6-0. Kekaulike's girls blanked St. Anthony 7-0.

UH coach McMackin deserves contract extension

2010-12-13T08:31:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Following a 1-2 start after failing to reach a bowl game last year, there was growing discontent with Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin.

Fast forward to December, and the question now becomes: How does the cash-strapped athletic department reward a coach who guided a team to a 10-3 record, a share of the Western Athletic Conference title, a No. 24 national ranking and a berth in the Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl against Tulsa?

Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist Dave Reardon, an admitted former critic, is now leading a campaign to extend McMackin's contract based on his 14-4 record since UH ended a six-game skid last season.

Granted, Hawaii acted in desperation and overpaid an untested Division-I head coach when it signed McMackin to a $1.1 million annual deal following June Jones's abrupt departure following UH's Sugar Bowl season. McMackin's original five-year deal extends through next season.

In addition to the football teams recent on-field success, it should also be noted that all 28 of Hawaii's seniors or on track to graduate.

As Reardon notes, the question now becomes: "How do you reward McMackin when simple economics dictate you can't even afford to pay him what he's already getting? That's a tough one. Maybe a couple more years of job security."

I second that emotion.

UH lands three on all-WAC first team

2010-12-07T10:24:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

The University of Hawaii was rewarded for a 10-3 record, finishing in a three-way tie for the conference championship and a No. 24 national ranking in the all-WAC balloting.

Three UH players – slotback Greg Salas, safety Mana Silva and linebacker Corey Paredes – received first-team honors, and another seven – including defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu of Lahaina – were named to the second team.

Although he ranks first nationally in passing yardage, Hawaii's Bryant Moniz was a second-team pick behind another pair of exceptional quarterbacks. Boise State's Kellen Moore and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick shared offensive player of the year honors.

Other UH players named to the second team were: slotback Kealoha Pilares, running back Alex Green, offensive linemen Kupepa Letuli and Adrian Thomas, and kicker Scott Enors.

But the biggest slight came in the Coach of the Year voting. Although guiding his team to unexpected success after being picked to finish seventh in pre-season polls, Greg McMackin was snubbed.

The honor instead was accorded to Nevada's Chris Ault, although his team was projected to finish second, behind Boise State, in the pre-season polls.

HAWAII BOWL: When Hawaii and Tulsa square off on Christmas Eve at Aloha Stadium, fans should be treated to plenty of fireworks. That's because this year's Hawaii Bowl matchup will feature two of the most productive offenses in the NCAA, combining for nearly 78 points per game.

Hawaii has the nation's top passing offense with an average of nearly 385 yards per game while ranking 10^th in total offense at 487.8 and 12^th in scoring at 38.3. That explosive unit and a dramatically improved defensive group enabled UH to win nine of its last 10 outings.

The Golden Hurricane, meantime, ranks fifth in total offense with 503.5 yards and ninth in scoring with 39.6 points. Tulsa compiled a 9-3 record, finishing second in Conference-USA's Western Division.

Hawaii's prowess was on display in Saturday's 59-23 rout of over-matched Nevada-Las Vegas as Moniz threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more. Moniz is tied for the national lead in touchdown passes with 36.

His top two targets – Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares – are among the leading receivers in the country. Salas is first in reception yardage and second in total catches. Pilares is third in TD catches. Green is the national leader in yard per carry with 8.78.

Wahine crash out early in NCAA volleyball

2010-12-05T03:36:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

This was not the way things were supposed to end for the University of Hawaii women's volleyball team.

Not after being ranked third nationally as recently as two weeks ago and seemingly poised to make another run for a berth in the NCAA's Final Four. Not after running off 23 straight victories that included sweeps of 17 straight matches against admittedly mediocre WAC opponents.

But Hawaii's season crumbled to a stunning and abrupt end on Friday night in a decisive 25-17, 25-11, 25-23 defeat to 11^th-ranked host Washington.

The stunningly lopsided loss resulted in Hawaii finishing its season at 29-3, losing two of its last three. The Rainbow Wahine will not qualify for the regionals for only the second time since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.

The first crack in Hawaii's armor was exposed when the Wahine were the victims of a sweep of their own at the hands of Utah State in the WAC tournament final.

That loss resulted in the Rainbow Wahine falling to No. 7 in this week's national rankings and, more significantly, to being seeded No. 15 in the NCAA national tournament.

UH got off to balky start in Thursday's NCAA opener in Seattle, struggling in the first set before sweeping unheralded Big Sky champion Portland State 25-23, 25-19, 25-8.

Washington, which finished fifth in the far more competitive Pacific-10, schooled Hawaii on Friday and now will next host Nebraska in the regional. The Rainbow Wahine, meantime, are headed home to stay. So, for that matter, is Utah State. The Lady Aggies were swept by another Pacific-10 team, California.

All of which again goes to show that dominating the WAC, as UH has done for going on 15 years, does little to prepare team for a successful run at the national level.

Numbers don’t lie: LeBron James didn’t quit

2010-12-03T06:41:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Take that, Cleveland. You, too, LeBron-haters.

Scoring 38 points, including 24 in the third quarter before sitting out the entire final period, King James transformed The Return into The Rout.

His outburst, in the face of continuous jeers from his former adoring witnesses, led his new team, the Miami Heat, to a 118-90 romp past his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Say what you will about James, the young brother can play.

He demonstrated that in his first game back in Cleveland, where he spent seven spectacular seasons, carrying a team formerly known as the Cadavers to the NBA Finals in 2007 and league-best regular-season marks the next two years before defecting to Miami via free agency.

He also won back-to-back MVP awards along the way.

He left a crowd of 20,562 with nothing left to cheer except an occasional missed shot. He didn't miss many, finishing 15 of 25 from the field, to go with eight assists and five rebounds.

The loudest cheers reserved for Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who ripped James after his decision, saying he quit on the Cavaliers during their season-ending playoff series with the Celtics last spring.

I did a little research, and LeBron averaged nearly 27 points and more than nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals during that six-game series. You be the judge whether those numbers constitute "quitting." To me, they reflect excellence.

Unbeaten Basket Bows embark on first trip

2010-12-01T09:21:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

As happy as fans are – and should be – about Hawaii's 5-0 start to the basketball season under new head coach Gib Arnold, the truth is that the Rainbows have compiled all of those wins at home against mediocre opponents.

That said, we'll get a better idea of just how good this overhauled team is in the next several of days as UH embarks on its first trip of the season, starting with tonight's game at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo followed by visit to BYU on Saturday.

Although Cal Poly fits the profile of the middle-of-the-pack teams from mid-major conferences, Hawaii has been beating up, BYU is coming off a 30-6 season and features pre-season All-American guard Jimmer Fredette, who averaged 22.2 points per game last season.

Based on its 2-3 start, Cal Poly would seem to be just what the doctor ordered for a UH team seeking to end an 11-game road skid. The Mustangs have lost to Division-II Cal State Monterey Bay and 73-57 to Montana State, whom the Bows recently beat 73-59. Cal Poly also is coming off a road loss to Sacramento State.

Although almost all of the players on Arnold's revamped roster were not around at the time, the Mustangs beat the Bows 102-89 at the Stan Sheriff Center last season. But guard Lorenzo Keller, who scored 31 against UH in that game, is gone as are many other key players for the Mustangs.

By comparison, UH has four healthy players – Hiram Thompson, Joston Thomas, Bo Barnes and Zane Johnson – averaging in double figures. However, power forward Bill Amis – the team's top rebounder and shot-blocker – remains out with a foot injury.

CONFERENCE UPDATE: The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is reporting that UH administrators are actively engaged this week in putting the finishing touches on anticipated moves to the Mountain West Conference for football and the Big West for all other sports.

UH vice president Rockne Freitas and athletic director Jim Donovan headed a delegation that met with the Mountain West officials in Colorado.

The newspaper reported that Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson has had conversations with member presidents the past two days and held a conference call with conference athletic directors yesterday.

Much of those talks apparently revolved around Texas Christian's announced move Monday to the Big East and the Mountain West's possible responses.

UH would be the 10th member of the MWC for the 2012-13 school year.

Meantime, UH confirmed that it has present requested information to the Big West in support of its proposed membership. The Big West Council is scheduled to meet Dec. 8 to review submissions and is expected to make a recommendation to the Board of Directors, which is composed of member chancellors and presidents.

Green’s 327-yard outburst lifts Hawaii to No. 25

2010-11-29T10:24:00.000-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

When Hawaii registers a lopsided victory, you can safely assume some impressive passing numbers. And, indeed, Bryant Moniz threw for four scores and 315 yards in Saturday's 59-24 road romp past New Mexico State.

But Moniz and his top target, Greg Salas, who had 10 catches for 191 yards and one TD, were overshadowed on Saturday in Las Cruces. That's because Alex Green ran for a school-record 327 yards – that's right, 327 yards -- and three touchdowns on 19 carries as UH clinched a share of the WAC football title and crept into the 25^th spot in the latest AP rankings.

Green broke Pete Wilson's school mark of 270 set against BYU in 1950. Green has 1,032 yards this season, becoming the first UH player to reach that milestone since Travis Sims had 1,498 in 1992.

Hawaii improved to 7-1 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Aggies, with Leilehua grad Andrew Manley at QB, finished 2-10 overall and 1-7 in the WAC.

UH holds a half-game lead over Boise State and Nevada. Boise State hosts Utah State this week after having the nation's longest winning streak snapped at 24 games by suffering a 34-31 overtime loss at Nevada on Friday. Nevada plays at LaTech.

Hawaii closes its regular season at home this week against UNLV and will play a Conference USA team – most likely Tulsa or Central Florida – in the Dec. 24th Hawaii Bowl. Both are 9-3, as is UH.

Central Florida, the East champion, meets Southern Methodist, the West champ, on Saturday for the C-USA title.

A Central Florida victory would send the Knights to the Liberty Bowl and likely put Tulsa, the West runner-up, in the Hawaii Bowl.

The ideal matchup, as far as Hawaii fans are concerned, would be against SMU, led by former UH coach June Jones.

SMU appeared in and won last year's Hawaii Bowl, but is more likely to play in the Armed Forces Bowl if the Mustangs lose to Central Florida. That's because this year's game will be played at SMU's Ford Stadium while TCU's home field, the usual site of the bowl, is undergoing renovation.

U-Conn stuns Michigan State, face Kentucky in final

2010-11-24T06:54:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

LAHAINA – A relatively close call against Chaminade on Monday provided a hint of things to come for Michigan State.

On Tuesday, playing against a full-fledged Division-I team, the nationally second-ranked Spartans were knocked out of title contention in the EA Sports Maui Invitational Tournament.

With Kemba Walker's 30 points leading the way, unranked Connecticut posted a 70-67 semifinal victory at the expense of Michigan State and earned a berth in tonight's 5 p.m. title game at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Walker's fadeaway jumper over a double-team with 53 seconds left in the game put U-Conn ahead to stay. The 6-foot junior has been on a tear on Maui, scoring 29 of his 31 points in the second half in an opening 83-79 come back win over Wichita State.

Also playing a major role for the Huskies in yesterday's win was 6-foot-9 sophomore center Alex Oriakhi, who had 15 points and 17 rebounds.

The Huskies will face eighth-ranked Kentucky, which advanced with a 74-67 win over No. 13 Washington thanks, in large part, to freshman forward Terrence Jones' 16 points and 17 rebounds.

That means Michigan State and Washington are relegated to the third-place game, which is set for a noon tip off.

In yesterday's other games: Wichita State beat Chaminade 79-58 and Virginia spanked Oklahoma 74-56.

Chaminade and Oklahoma will meet in the seventh-place game at 9:30 a.m. and Wichita State will tangle with Virginia for fifth at 2:30 p.m.

All four games will be aired on Maui's ESPN 550 and espn550.com.

UH UPDATE: You can't blame Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson from trying to keep hope alive, even if the University of Hawaii is clearly committed to leaving the WAC to join the rival Mountain West in football and the Big West in all other sports.

Benson met with UH athletic director Jim Donovan yesterday in Las Vegas, where the Rainbow Wahine are competing in the WAC volleyball tournament.

UH advanced to the finals against Utah State by defeating Idaho 25-11, 25-21, 25-16,

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Donovan said Benson "reiterated his position that they have an offer on the table to us to be a football-only member of the WAC and reminded me there would be no travel subsidies (sought). I told him I would share that with the members of our leadership team."

Donovan said he "made some calls" but declined additional comment.

UH is expected to pay travel subsidies to both the MWC and Big West as a condition of admission.

Hawaii football bound for Mountain West

2010-11-18T20:59:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Goodbye, WAC. Hello, Mountain West.

That's the bottom line from a Thursday night press conference during which it was announced that the UH football team has received and accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West.

Although some formalities have to be ironed out, it is a virtually foregone conclusion that Hawaii will be departing the WAC effective the 2012 football season.

There's also widespread speculation that all other UH sports teams will likely end up in the Big West Conference, although university officials declined to address that issue during the press gathering at Bachman Hall on the Manoa campus.

The WAC, of which Hawaii has been a member since 1979, has been steadily eroding. Boise State is leaving the conference this summer. Fresno State and Nevada previously announced they were also leaving for the Mountain West the following year, with UH now set to join the mass exodus.

Ironically, the Mountain West was created a dozen years ago by eight schools that bolted from the then 16-team WAC, with Hawaii among those left behind.

Hawaii's agreement in principle to leave the WAC for the Mountain West follows a recent trend that has altered the landscape of college sports. In fact, two current Mountain West members – Brigham Young and Utah – will be leaving this summer. BYU is becoming independent in football while Utah is bound for the re-named Pac-12.

The latest defectors from the WAC will join Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV and Wyoming in the Mountain West.

That would produce an 11-team conference, prompting speculation of an invitation to Utah State that would result in a 12-team league. The NCAA requires a dozen teams to create a pair of six-team divisions and allow for the playing of a conference championship game.

The invitation was extended by the Mountain West in a phone call earlier in the day by commissioner Craig Thompson. The announcement followed university President MRC Greenwood's return from Maui, where the UH Board of Regents met and was informed of the situation.

As for Hawaii's other teams, athletic director Jim Donovan noted that the Big West – currently comprised of nine California state universities and colleges – recently dropped its moratorium on expansion and set a deadline of Dec. 1 for other schools to apply for membership.

Hawaii intends to apply, which would provide a new home for such significant programs as women's volleyball, baseball, softball and women's soccer.

The WAC announced last week it would add Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, and Denver, all currently Division-I-AA programs. Denver doesn't field a football team.

Donovan noted these schools send the WAC farther into the middle of the country geographically, which would increase the school's travel expenses.

Other WAC members are San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and Utah State.

Surf champion Andy Irons dies at 32

2010-11-03T09:28:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

The world of surfing is mourning the death of three-time world champion Andy Irons at the age of 32.

Irons emerged from Kauai to attain legendary status in his sport and was generally regarded as the best surfer of his generation.

Irons was returning home after withdrawing from the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico due to illness.

He was found at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, where he had checked in during a layover on his way to Kauai.

Reports on the cause of death are mixed. His family is citing dengue fever, a viral disease carried by mosquitoes.

The medical examiner's office in Dallas said it is investigating his death as a possible overdose of methadone, a powerful controlled substance used for pain. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

In addition to his three world titles, Irons was a four-time Vans Triple Crown of Surfing winner. During his brief but illustrious career, Irons was credited with 19 major surfing titles.

Irons is survived by his wife, Lydie, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child.

Irons progressed through the amateur ranks and qualified for theWorld Tour in 1997, a year after graduating from Kapaa High School. In 2002, Irons won his first world crown and defended his title the next two years, ending the reign of nine-time world champion Kelly Slater.

Kekaulike claims state volleyball berth

2010-10-21T06:37:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

King Kekaulike's girls' volleyball team ended a more than decade-long state tournament drought last night with a Division-I playoff victory over Baldwin.

Na Alii, which had last qualified for states in 1999, bounced back from an opening-set loss to defeat Baldwin 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 25-16 at the neutral Maui High gym.

The victory avenged a heart-breaking five-set loss to the Bears just last week in the semifinals of the MIL D-I tournament.

That means Kekaulike will join overall champion Kamehameha-Maui in the state D-I event that begins next Wednesday on the Valley Isle, with matches to be staged at the Kekaulike and Kamehameha gyms.

The state D-II tourney will be held on Oahu, with Molokai and Seabury Hall representing the MIL in that event.

Molokai is ranked third and Kamehameha-Maui seventh in the most recent Star-Advertiser state poll.

There will be no Friday Night Lights in football this week. Instead, both of the scheduled MIL games will be held on Saturday.

In a 2:30 game, Division-II champion Lahainaluna will play host to Kekualike on the new rug at The Imu. At 7 p.m., Maui High will celebrate homecoming against D-I champion and arch-rival Baldwin.

Free football? We'll know by Monday

2010-10-20T08:49:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Fans of Hawaii football could be getting an extra televised game that doesn't require a pay-per-view subscription. Although good news for those of us who don't have the package, it would be bad news for the university's cash-strapped athletic department.

ESPN is seriously considering whether to pick Hawaii's Nov. 6 game at nationally third-ranked Boise State. That decision hinges on UH – which is off to a 5-2 start that includes a 3-0 mark in the WAC – being able to post a road victory over Utah State on Saturday.

If that happens -- and a decision is due Monday -- UH fans will able to view the game on cable. But it would also deprive Hawaii of a lucrative element of its pay-per-view package. The Star-Advertiser projects a payday of $200,000 or more for that game.

The package has had upward of 12,000 for its most popular games, including more than 5,000 individual purchases, since its inception.

The package cost Oahu subscribers $500 and Neighbor Island fans $250. On a per-game basis, the cost of watching an individual game costs between $25 and $65.

Last year's package did about $3.4 million in sales. UH's share was $2.5 million. Whether UH's payout would be reduced this year in the event ESPN adds the Boise State game could will depend on financial thresholds contained in the PPV contract.

Upset alert: Hawaii stuns No. 19 Nevada

2010-10-18T07:50:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Kaniela Tuipuloto, the defensive tackle from Lahaina, dedicated the victory to doubters of the UH football program, a pre-season pick to finish sixth or worse in the nine-team WAC.

Instead, Hawaii finds itself atop the WAC standings after stunning No. 19 Nevada 27-21 before more than 40,000 fans on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium. The win was the fourth straight for UH, which improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

Byrant Moniz completed 26 of 36 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns – including a pair of first-quarter hookups with Kealona Pilares for a 14-0 lead.

But the real heroes of this upset played on the other side of the ball, holding off a Nevada's bid to rally from a 17-0 deficit.

Hawaii jammed Nevada's vaunted pistol offense, forcing four turnovers and limiting the Wolf Pack to 293 yards – dramatically below the 545.3 yards that ranked second nationally. Vaunted QB Colin Kaepernick was held to 159 yards passing and 37 rushing.

Nevada closed to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter, but Moniz engineered a six-play, 57-yard drive capped by an 11-yard scoring toss to Royce Pollard with 5:27 left.

Nevada still had a shot at overtaking UH after recovering an onside kick with 3:06 left. But a few plays later, Kaepernick was intercepted by safety Mana Silva, preserving Greg McMackin's run at Manoa.

Hawaii's back-to-back victories over Fresno State and Nevada has lifted UH into the role of top challenger to end Boise State's dominance of the WAC. The third-ranked Broncos are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the league.

The successful run t also has caught the attention of the pollsters. Previously ranked 19^th, the loss to UH dropped Nevada out of the AP poll.

Nevada was among the other teams receiving votes, garnering 19, for the equivalent of 28^th in the AP poll. Hawaii received eight votes and is tied for 29^th in the AP rankings along with North Carolina and Northwestern.

Hawaii will try to extend its winning streak to five games when it visits Utah State on Saturday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m., Hawaii time, and will be aired on AM900.

Individually, three UH players are ranked among the nation's most productive performers.

Moniz retained his national lead in passing yardage with 2,532 and moved into first in touchdown passes with 21.

Greg Salas, who had 11 catches for 153 yards against Nevada, ranks second in reception yardage with 910 and second in total catches with 61. Pilares ranks second in TD catches with 11 and third in reception yards with 793.

High-powered duel: UH hosts No. 19 Nevada

2010-10-15T10:16:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Out of sight, out of mind. The lack of Hawaii football games on live television is the prime reason that, as of yesterday, only 32,000 tickets had been distributed for Saturday's WAC showdown between Hawaii and 19^th-ranked Nevada at 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium.

Ever since the season-opener against Southern California, Hawaii's games have only been available to most local fans via pay-per-view. So this improving UH team continues to fly under the radar despite posting an impressive 49-27 road victory last week at Fresno State.

Hawaii's formula for success in compiling records of 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the WAC a 4-2 remains unchanged. It's based on a highly productive passing game.

Leading the way is much-improved quarterback Bryant Moniz, the 2007 Leilehua High graduate who leads the NCAA in total offense, with 388 yards per game.

By comparison, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, heralded by many as the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy front-runner, is averaging 369 yards.

Moniz is No. 1 in passing yards per game with 374.17 and total passing yards with 2,245, well ahead of Oklahoma State's Russell Wilson's 1,802 yards. Moniz also is tied for first with 18 touchdown throws.

Whether Moniz can generate those types of numbers against Nevada will likely determine whether UH can post back-to-back upsets at the expense of a team that has crashed the Top 25 for the only the second time in school history.

Moniz top targets, slotbacks Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares, ranked first and third, respectively

Nevada's Colin Kaepernick is no slouch, himself. The 6-foot-6 QB is averaging nearly 107 rushing yards per game out of the Wolf Pack's "pistol" offense . Kaepernick also has worked hard to improve his passing accuracy and it's paid off. He's completing 70.7 percent of his throws.

UH renews rivalry with Fresno State

2010-10-07T07:15:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

When eight teams bolted from the Western Athletic Conference to create the Mountain West a dozen years ago, the University of Hawaii was deprived of some intense football rivalries. Gone were BYU and Utah, replaced by the likes of New Mexico State and Idaho.

But one bitter rival remained, and a renewal of their not always fond acquaintances is on tap Saturday when Hawaii pays a visit to Fresno State on Saturday.

Hawaii put on a dazzling aerial display in a 41-21 home victory over LaTech in last week's WAC opener, improving its overall record to 3-2. QB Bryant Moniz completed 42 of 58 passes for 532 yards and four touchdowns.

The slotback tandem of Kealoha Pilares and Greg Salas put on a show. Pilares caught a school record 18 passes for 217 yards. Greg Salas, who held the previous single-game reception mark, had 10 grabs for 197 yards and two scores.

But Fresno State poses a much tougher challenge for Hawaii. The Bulldogs are 3-1, beating Cincinnati, Utah State and Cal Poly, while losing to Ole Miss. Unlike UH, the Bulldogs rely heavily on a ground game, running the ball 66 percent of the time.

That's enabled Ryan Colburn to capitalize on play-action to complete 72.5 percent of his passes for 997 yards and 11 touchdowns with just three picks. His quarter rating of 179.83 ranks fourth nationally.

Big game: Baldwin faces Lahainaluna

2010-09-17T09:40:00.001-10:00

Big game: Baldwin faces Lahainaluna

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

It has become Maui's best football rivalry. The drawing power of their showdowns is why No Koa Ikaika wisely opted to postpone Game 3 of the Golden Baseball League playoffs until tomorrow night.

So tonight, the entire focus for fans of local sports will be on War Memorial Stadium, where the MIL's two defending champions – Division-I Balwin and D-II Lahainaluna – will do battle.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be aired on ESPN 550 and espn550.com.

On Saturday morning, the University of Hawaii caps a 13-day road trip with a 9:30 game against the Colorado Buffaloes. The game will be aired AM 900. UH opened the trip with a dramatic 31-28 road win over Army last week. Colorado, meantime, was dismantled by Cal, 52-7.

Later, Na Koa will try to bounce back from an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five championship series against the Chico Outlaws. First pitch is set for 6:35. In necessary, Game 4 is set for Sunday night and again, if necessary, Game 5 at 1 p.m. Monday.

Our focus turns to the pros on Sunday. The best match-ups: Pittsburgh at Tennessee, Miami at Minnesota, Baltimore at Cincinnati, New England at the Jets and capped by the Manning Bowl showdown between Peyton's Colts and Eli's Giants.

On Monday night, the defending champion Saints visit San Francisco.

Hawaii travels a long way for game

2010-09-10T07:22:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

You couldn't travel much farther for a Division-I-A college football game than the 5,000-plus miles the University of Hawaii has for Saturday's showdown against Army. Or force a team to get up much earlier based on its collective internal clock.

When the game kicks off at historic and picturesque Mitchie Stadium at West Point, N.Y., along the banks of the Hudson River, it will be 6 a.m., Hawaii time. Thankfully for UH players, they customarily practice at 7 a.m. when back home in Manoa.

This game will feature a sharp contrast in styles. Hawaii runs a high-powered offense, as evidenced by the 588 yards generated in last week's opening 49-36 loss to nationally-ranked USC.

Army operates a run-oriented, triple-option attack out of a spread formation that is reminiscent of the offensive system employed by UH before the arrival of its now trademark run-and-shoot.

That's because Army's head coach, Rich Ellerson is a former player and assistant at UH during the days of Dick Tomey, when the Bows used a system favored by then-offensive coordinator Paul Johnson. That's the same Paul Johnson who has gone on to enjoy success as a head coach at Navy and, more recently, Georgia Tech.

The best news of the week for UH is that starting QB Bryant Moniz was cleared to play. Moniz was knocked out of the USC game when he was on the receiving end of a hit to the helmet in the third quarter.

Army opened its season last week with a 31-27 road victory over Eastern Michigan, scoring the winning touchdown on a seven-yard run by Jared Hassin with just 38 seconds remaining in the game.

Army gained 309 of its 374 yards on the ground, with four different players registering double-digit carries and three of them gaining 60 or more yards.

UH will continue to collect frequent-flyer miles during its current 13-day trip. The team will remain on the mainland following tomorrow's game to prepare for a road showdown at Colorado the following week.

Withering list of WAC candidates

2010-09-09T20:09:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Even after an opening week of the college football season during which its members went a respectable 6-3, the news was not good for the crumbling Western Athletic Conference.

The highlight was third-ranked Boise State's dramatic 33-30 win over No. 10 Virginia Tech on prime time national television.

Fresno State rallied for a 28-14 win over Cincinnati, which played in a BCS bowl game last season, while both Hawaii and Utah State gave respectable accounts of themselves in defeats to nationally ranked foes.

UH played No. 14 USC tough in a 49-36 loss at Aloha Stadium, while Utah State scared No. 7 Oklahoma a in a 21-14 loss.

But that didn't stop two more schools from striking their names off a list of potential expansion candidates for the crumbling WAC.

UC Davis and Cal Poly will remain at their current competitive level, each announcing plays to join the D-I-AA Big Sky Conference for football and keep their other sports in the Big West.

The WAC, faced with the impending losses of Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada, has been studying expansion options. The addition of the two California schools bolsters the Big Sky in case Montana opts to move to the WAC.

Montana, Portland State, Sacramento State, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State are the most likely candidates for WAC expansion. All would have to be invited by the WAC to begin what would be at least a two-year process for D-I-A membership. The NCAA currently has a moratorium on movement to D-I-A.

The harsh reality is that the WAC has withered to a point that UH would be better off seeking independence in football rather than wasting its time asking for the assistance of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye in their bid to secure a conference home for the athletic program.

Hawaii officials should instead ask the influential Inouye to intercede on their behalf to secure long-term, home-and-home series with the three service academies. That's because Sen. Inouye is the senior member of the Senate committee that oversees the armed forces.

Many Maui-bred players on major-college rosters

2010-09-08T07:19:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

The days are long gone since King Sugar reigned supreme as Hawaii's principal export. The plantations, with the exception of the HC&S operation here on the Valley Isle, have all shut down.

Based on a report appearing in today's Star-Advertiser, you can make a strong case that the state's new major export is college football players. The survey lists 102 athletes who graduated from local high schools on the current rosters of Division-I-A teams on the mainland.

That doesn't include in-state athletes playing at the University of Hawaii, nor the many others competing at other levels. Two players with Maui ties are at UH: Andrew Faaumu of Lahainaluna is an offensive lineman and starting defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu began is prep career with the Lunas before transferring to Kahuku.

Unofficially, 13 other players from Maui are on D-I-A rosters:

From Baldwin: Jojo Dickson is a senior starting linebacker at Idaho, Troy Aoki is a long-snapper at UNLV, Kai Maiava was the junior starting center at UCLA before suffering an injury, Jordan Pu'u Robinson, also injured, is a freshman defensive end at Washington State, Mana Rosa is a freshman defensive end at Oregon State, and Sean Tesoro is a sophomore offensive lineman at UNLV.

From Kamehameha: Walter Kahailii is junior offensive lineman at BYU, Chase Bell is a freshman safety at Idaho, Keloni Kamalani is a freshman linebacker at Oregon, and Keahi Raikes is a junior defensive back at UNLV,

From King Kekaulike: Elvis Kamana-Matagi is a freshman defensive lineman at Utah State,

From Maui High: Kamaloni Vainikolo is a senior defensive tackle at Utah State. And from Kapolei, although originally from Maui High, Simione Vehikite is a freshman linebacker at USC.

With Victorino’s help, Phils return to first

2010-09-08T07:07:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

For the first time since May 30, the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies are back on top in the East.

And, wouldn't you know it, center fielder Shane Victorino again played a key role for the Phillies in last night's 8-7 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Victorino had two hits in the game, including his 17^th homer of the season – a solo shot in the fifth inning. In the eighth, he got on base with a two-out single, stole second for his 30^th theft of the season and then scored the go-ahead run on Placido Polanco's clutch single.

The victory enabled the Phillie to take a half-game lead over the Atlanta Braves, who suffered a 5-0 loss to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

In also capped a sensational redent run by the injury-riddled Phillies, who have had each of its starters on the field spend some time on the 15-day disable list. Since trailing the Braves by seven games on July 22, the Phillies have won 32 of 46 games.

Closer to home, Na Koa Ikaika Maui opened the best-of-five South Division playoff series last night with a 4-1 win over Orange County at Iron Maehara Stadium.

Right-hander Wes Ethridge went the distance for the first time this season. Ethridge, who entered the game with a 10-0 record and a 1.76 ERA, lived up to his gaudy statistics by allowing five hits and one unearned run while striking out six and walking three.

He received a huge early boost from Jermy Acey, who slugged a towering two-run shot over a billboard sign in left-center in the first inning.

Game 2 of the Golden Baseball League series is set for a 6:35 start tonight. After a travel day, the series resumes on Friday in Orange County.

BYU declares football independence

2010-09-01T21:03:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

It was the worst possible scenario for the Western Athletic Conference generally and the University of Hawaii specifically. And although the news was hardly surprising, that didn't make it any less painful.

BYU is leaving the Mountain West Conference, going independent in football and joining the West Coast Conference in all other sports.

BYU originally agreed to join the WAC in all sports and go independent in football. But that was before the Mountain West countered the move by inviting WAC members Fresno State and Nevada two weeks ago, joining Boise State in making the switch.

So how does this move impact the WAC and the UH going forward?

The WAC, as we know it, is virtually dead. The final nail in the conference's coffin will be nailed if the Mountain West extends and Utah State accepts an invitation to join the league. That would reduce the WAC to five schools, dropping the league below minimum standard for automatic qualification for NCAA tournaments..

UH would be best served by following BYU's lead, going independent in football and seeking to join the Big West in all other sports.

Going independent is risky, for sure, particularly when it comes to scheduling mid-season games. But risky is better than the alternative. Namely, remaining in a decimated conference that will have to recruit current Division-I-AA schools in order to increase its membership.

Michelle Wie wins; Waipio All-Stars lose

2010-08-30T08:16:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

It was a bittersweet day for Hawaii's sports fans.

The bitter was the result of the Waipio All-Stars falling short in their bid to win the Little League World Series, suffering a 4-1 loss to a slick-fielding team from Japan in Sunday's championship game at Williamsport, Pa.

Waipio became the darlings of Hawaii, as well as the rest of the nation, by repeatedly surviving elimination with a series of dramatic comeback victories.

But the boys from Waipahu ran out of miracles against Japan, managing just four singles in the title game, bringing to an end a five-year title reign by American teams – including two of them from the Aloha State.

The sweet came in the form of a second career LPGA tour victory for 20-year-old Michelle Wie, who captured the Canadian Open in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Wie capped a wire-to-wire win by firing a 2-under 70 in the closing round for a three-shot victory to earn a paycheck of $337,500. Wie opened the tournament with a 65 and followed that up with rounds of 69, 72 and 70 to finish with a 12-under 276.

Wie's first career win came in November at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico during her rookie season. Wie will next play in the Arkansas Championship, which begins Sept. 10, before heading back to school at Stanford.

BASEBALL: Shane Victorino went 0-for-4 on Sunday, but his Phillies posted a 5-0 win over NL West-leading San Diego as Cole Hamels allowed four hits and no walks over eight innings. On Saturday, Victorino accounted for two of Philly's three hits, including a go-ahead triple, and threw a runner out at the plate in a 3-1 win over the Padres. By sweeping the series, Philly is two games back of Atlanta in the NL East and holds a 1.5-game edge over San Francisco in the wild-card race.

Fans will have to wait until 2012 before they can again watch rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg. The hard-throwing right-hander will have to undergo tendon replacement surgery on his throwing elbow. … The Chicago White Sox will add Manny Ramirez to their roster today after claiming veteran slugger on waivers from the LA Dodgers.

UH FOOTBALL: The University of Hawaii kicks off its football campaign on Thursday, hosting 14^th-ranked Southern California in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN. UH suffered a setback on its unsettled offensive line when projected starting center Brett Leonard was ruled out of the opener because of a knee injury.

Waipio stays alive with unlikely comeback

2010-08-26T06:58:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Talk about making the most out of a little. The Waipio All-Stars were limited to just one hit yesterday, but still managed to rally for a 6-4 victory over Hamilton, Ohio, in an elimination game in the Little League World Series.

Waipio appeared done, trailing 4-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning as a kid by the name of Brooks Robinson delivered a two-run double at the plate and held Hawaii hitless on the mound while striking out five.

But that's when Waipio staged the unlikeliest of comebacks.

Waipio capitalized on seven walks, three hit batsmen and its only hit – a three-run homer by Matthew Campos – for the win. Five of those runs came with two outs in the fourth.

In a word: Unbelievable.

But there's more. Ezra Heleski, who hasn't taken the mound since Hawaii's state tournament, was the winning pitcher, entering in the fourth and shutting down Hamilton. He gave up one hit and struck out five batters.

That sets the stage for yet another elimination at Williamsport, Pa., involving the kids from Waipio, who will face Columbus, Ga., today at 1 p.m., Hawaii time. Waipio needs two straight wins in order to advance to Saturday's U.S. final. And yet another win to reach the championship gme on Sunday.

But, hey, as Waipio proved yesterday, miracles can and do happen.

MIL FOOTBALL: A busy week of prep football on the Valley Isle: Tonight, Baldwin plays host to Southern California powerhouse San Clemente at War Memorial Stadium. On Friday, Maui High and Kamehameha tangle at War Memorial. On Saturday, Lahainaluna visits King Kekaulike. All three games are set for 7 p.m. kick offs and will be aired on ESPN 550.

UH FOOTBALL: Brett Leonard appeared to have won the only remaining starting job on the University of Hawaii's offensive line. That's before he suffered a sprained left knee during practice yesterday.An MRI indicated no significant damage, although Leonard will likely have to miss several practices and his status for next Thursday's season-opening against Southern California has to be in doubt. If Leonard can't play in the opener, the spot will be filled by senior Bronson Tiwakak. London Sapolu, who transferred from a junior college in January, and Chauncy Winchester-Makainai, a freshman, also will take some practice snaps at center.

What's next for UH athletics?

2010-08-25T06:52:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

The Western Athletic Conference is on the verge of collapse following the recent defections of Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West Conference. And there's a strong likelihood that Utah State will end up there, as well.

That has forced University of Hawaii administrators to seriously consider and pursue the option of becoming an independent in football and joining another conference for its 18 other athletic programs. Under this scenario, UH could join forces with either the Big West or the West Coast Conference.

The Big West is comprised of nine schools, all based in California, and all but one of them, Pacific, are public institutions. Its other members are Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.

Rainbow Wahine teams played in the Big West and its predecessor, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, until joining the WAC in 1996. The UH men's volleyball team currently competes with several of those schools under the banner of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

The WCC is made up of eight smaller church-affiliated schools. It's members included Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara.

Based on demographics and history, the most likely destination for UH would seem to be the Big West.

Meantime, WAC commissioner Karl Benson continues to act as if he actually has some leverage instead of being the skipper of a sinking ship.

Benson is publicly insisting that departing members Fresno State and Nevada are each accountable for a $5 million early exit fee. And he's also demanding that the two schools must play in the WAC for another two seasons. These are, of course, empty threats. Fresno State and Nevada have both made it clear that they intend to leave the WAC, along with Boise State, following this academic year.

If Utah State also leaves for the Mountain West, as is widely rumored, and Hawaii opts for independence in football and joins another league for other sports, Karl Benson's kingdom will have been reduced to nearly nothing. Only four schools would remain under the WAC banner – Idaho, San Jose State, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech.

Benson is merely angling for some sort of negotiated settlement while insisting that, at this point, "there have been no discussions" about an early departure by the defecting schools. Hello, Karl Benson. No discussions are needed. Actions, in this case, clearly speak louder than words.

Hawaii weighs options as WAC withers

2010-08-20T10:08:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

What now? That's the question facing the WAC in the wake of defections that have left the league on the verge of collapse.

And for all of the strong comments and financial threats directed by commissioner Kent Benson at Fresno State and Nevada, those two schools are history. Boise State, had earlier announced its intention of bolting to the Mountain West.

As Benson, himself, put it: "In a 12-hour period, the WAC went from having a secure and prosperous future to once again not knowing what the future will bring."

A week ago, the remaining WACschools pledged solidarity after receiving assurances that BYU would join the league in all sports except football. Although BYU would become independent in football, the Cougars planned on playing Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah State on a regular basis.

The agreement included a $5 million exit fee for any school leaving within five years. That deal unraveled and the WAC was reduced to just six teams. Also in question is the scheduling agreement with BYU, which could seek to strike a similar deal with the West Coast Conference or opt to remain in the Mountain West.

So the WAC must now land at least a couple of teams. Among the candidates are the likes of Montana, UC Davis, Sacramento State, Cal Poly, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State. The problem is that none of those schools can truly replace the three departing programs.

Here in Hawaii, there is a lot of hand-wringing and words of recrimination aimed at the defecting schools.

But let's be real: If the Mountain West had made UH the some offer it extended to Fresno State and Nevada, wouldn't you have considered it in Hawaii's best interest to accept?

Isn't the WAC being disingenuous in whining about losing two members when it worked for six weeks on a plan that would facilitate BYU's exit from the Mountain West?.

Didn't the WAC also consider poaching UNLV and San Diego State?

And isn't Hawaii currently weighing its own options, including staying in the WAC, trying to get into a different conference and going independent, at least in football?

The remaining six schools are no longer bound to the agreement since Fresno State and Nevada left. They are free to leave, as well, without penalty -- although you suspect the main reason they are trying to stick together is so they can receive the $10 million combined buyout.

Which only goes to show that there is no honor among thieves … or college presidents when it comes to big-time sports. The only school to show any honor in this mess is Utah State, which was the first school approached by the Mountain West but decided to honor its solidarity pact with the WAC.

Latest defections leave WAC in disarray

2010-08-19T06:56:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

Within just a few hours yesterday, the Western Athletic Conference -- and, by extension, the University of Hawaii -- went from a potential winner to a likely loser in the game of musical chairs that has become the norm in college sports.

With in-state neighbor Utah bolting for the soon-to-be-renamed Pac-12, Brigham Young decided to take its football program to independent status while placing the rest of its athletic teams back in the WAC.

A formal announcement by BYU regarding its intention to leave the Mountain West Conference is scheduled for today. BYU would join Army, Navy and Notre Dame as the only independents in Division I-A.

For a brief moment, it appeared as if the WAC had regained a bit of ground following the departure of its marquee football program, Boise State, to the Mountain West. But the satisfaction was short-lived as the Mountain West extended formal invitations that were quickly accepted by current WAC members Fresno State and Nevada.

With the WAC facing the prospect of being reduced to just six teams – two under the NCAA's requirement for a conference -- reports then surfaced that BYU might instead forge a partnership with the West Coast Conference or, possibly, remain in the Mountain West.

If that happens, UH will be stuck in conference that will have to raid the Division-I-AA Big Sky Conference for teams such as Montana, Weber State, Sacramento State and/or Eastern Michigan just to stay alive.

MORE BYU: BYU had been a part of the WAC for more than 40 years before it bolted to the Mountain West as a charter member in 1999, along with Utah and six other schools, leaving behind Hawaii.

BYU is leaving the Mountain West because of relatively paltry television revenues – about $1.5 million annually per school -- which are bound to shrink even more when Utah leaves next year.

While BYU isn't expecting to generate the $15 million annually that Notre Dame receives as a restult of its unique deal with NBC, the Cougars feel they can do much better than they've done as a member of the Mountain West, which has taken its own recent steps to sweeten the financial pot by meeting with CBS and Comcast officials.

The MWC also helped its bargaining position with BYU. The Cougars have not confirmed anything and may need another look before making anything official. At this rate, there might not be much of a WAC left to join.

And again left on the outside looking in is Hawaii. UH was kept in the dark when eight teams from the WAC bolted to form the Mountain West. And now it was again caught by surprise when first Boise State and then Fresno State and Nevada defected. As a result, Hawaii's cash-strapped athletic program has again been left behind.

Baldwin, Maui High open with wins

2010-08-17T06:41:00.001-10:00

By Fred Guzman

Despite being hit hard by academic eligibility issues, Baldwin and Maui High both kicked off their respective football seasons with impressive victories on Saturday night.

Playing on Oahu, Baldwin capitalized on big plays by a pair of highly-touted seniors to post a 19-10 win over Kailua. Closer to home, Maui High, which has struggled in recent years, eased to a 33-0 win over visiting Waiakea of the Big Island at War Memorial Stadium.

Baldwin place-kicker Ceejay Santos converted field goals of 50 and 44 yards while Ro Wilson was on the receiving end of touchdown passes of 28 and 25 yards from sophomore Keenan Ewaliko to beat Kailua.

Ewaliko put the ball up just four times, a sharp contrast from the pass-happy game plans of recent vintage for the Bears. Baldwin also benefitted from 140 yards in penalties assessed against Kailua

Maui High's defense forced six turnovers – picking off four passes, two of wich were returned for touchdowns -- in its romp past Waiakea.

Senior quarterback Vevesi Uta threw two TD passes and ran for another, while Siueli Vaha returned an interception 55 yards for a TD and was on the receiving end of a scoring pass. Tau Lotuele also returned a pick 55 yards for a touchdown.

Non-league action continues this week, with the Lunas visiting Ke'eau of the Big Island and King Kekaulike playing host to Kwansai Gakun of Japan. Both games will be on Saturday, with the Kekaulike game to be carried on ESPN 550.