2014 A Banner Year For Central Oahu High School Athletes
No one doubted that the Division I state championship game Nov. 21 between Punahou and Mililani would live up to the hype.
Even so, none of the 19,254 onlookers at Aloha Stadium could have anticipated the offensive explosion that neatly summarized the Trojans and head coach Rod York’s riveting 53-45 win.
All told, the two teams combined for a staggering 1,214 yards of total offense in producing the highest-scoring state title game in D1 history. Punahou amassed 630 yards in total offense to Mililani’s 584. Mililani quarterback McKenzie Milton completed 29 of 47 passes for 421 yards and seven touchdowns, one shy of the tournament record. Trojan receiver Kalakaua Timoteo had seven receptions for 117 yards four touchdowns, also tying the record.
With their first state title, the Trojans also completed a perfect 13-0 season, which included a second consecutive OIA title.
Other stars for Mililani, which had built a 26-7 lead in the first quarter, were Ty Purcell-Apana, who stripped Punahou running back Wayne Taulapapa of the ball inside the 5-yard line with 56 seconds left in the game to stave off Punahou’s last gasp. Purcell-Apana also had an 83-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first half. Running backs Vavae Malepeai (89 yards on 13 carries) and Cheyne Constantino (41 yards on nine carries) also figured big.
Any recap of the memorable sports moments of 2014 has to begin with the Mililani football team’s state title run. A look at other memorable 2014 high school sports moments from Central Oahu follows.
Mililani volleyball
The Mililani girls volleyball team followed up its 2013 OIA championship with another solid season in 2014, as the Trojans finished 12-3 overall, including a 9-1 mark in the OIA West. An eight- game win streak highlighted their season. Mililani went on to finish third in the OIA Red tournament and won the consolation championship at the DI state volleyball tournament. Senior outside hitter Kristen Miguel was named the OIA West’s Player of the Year.
Mililani, Leilehua basketball among OIA’s best
Making the final four of the girls DI state tournament for the first time, the Lady Trojans finished the 2013-14 season with a 23-4 overall mark under head coach Patrick Basilio.
Mililani went 12-1 versus OIA competition, including finishing unbeaten 10-0 during the regular season. The team went on to finish second in the OIA Red tournament and third at states
Leilehua also completed a fine season, going 14-6 overall and 11-2 versus OIA competition. The Mules finished fifth at the OIA tournament and made the field of the DI state tournament before a first-round loss to Hilo.
Mules post winning football season
Leilehua set the tone for another stellar season Aug. 16 by routing Kailua 50-7. That was the start of a five-game win streak for the Mules, who went on to beat McKinley 32-7, Waianae 46-27, Castle 41-28 and Waipahu 45-0 in successive weeks before losing on the road to Kahuku 21-14. Leilehua finished 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the OIA, after closing out the campaign with a win over Kaiser and a first-round playoff loss to Campbell 20-14.
Trojan softball claims state crown
For late-game drama, it’s hard to top Mililani’s thrilling 2-1 win over Campbell in the title game of the DI softball state championships May 10 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
For the Trojans, the margin of victory came in unexpected fashion, as Keri Togami scored the game-winning run on an error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Trojans’ pitcher Aubree Kim stood tall in the tournament, going 3-0 and allowing just one earned run and six hits in 21 innings pitched.
Mililani has now won three state championships, including two under Rose Antonio. Mililani (15-3), which had also won the OIA title April 26, finished the season by winning its final eight games.
Trojan tennis wins titles
The Mililani girls tennis team continued its dominance in the OIA, winning its sixth consecutive team title April 5 at Central Oahu Regional Park by beating Pearl City 3-0. The Trojan boys were not to be outdone, bringing home a second straight OIA title of their own.
In the OIA individual championships, Alyssa Tobita won her fourth straight singles title, while the team of Haley Fujimori and Alysse Nakasato captured the doubles championship. Mililani teammates Kristen Mock and Kaycee Oyama finished runner-up in doubles.
In the boys OIA individual championships, Sage Leaman finished first in singles, while the team of Jace Akagi-Okuma and Davin Lee won the doubles title. Ryan Hirokane and Elisha Lin took third in doubles. Both teams went on to finish second at the tennis state championships.
Mililani plays for water polo title
The Mililani girls water polo team made its first-ever appearance in the OIA championship game April 26 at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center. The Trojans battled valiantly against Kahuku, closing to within a goal early in the second half before losing 11-6.
The Trojans continued their momentum the following weekend on Hawaii island, scene of the girls water polo championships, where they made the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Punahou 18-4. Mililani finished 13-4 for the season.
Breakthrough season for Waialua football
The Waialua football team had its best season in recent memory, going 4-4 in the OIA White this fall. The Bulldogs beat Kalaheo 10-7 on the road, Roosevelt 21-20 at home, Kaimuki 20-14 at home and Anuenue 27-14 on the road to finish fifth in the White, narrowly missing a playoff berth.
Mililani boys soccer
The Mililani boys soccer team posted an undefeated regular season in the OIA West, winning 10 straight games. After beating Kahuku in the quarterfinals of the OIA tournament, the Trojans took an 11-0 mark into an epic battle with East power Kaiser. Mililani led 2-0 at halftime before eventually losing 3-2 on penalty kicks after a pair of scoreless overtime periods. The Trojans defeated Kapolei in the third-place game. From there, the Trojans turned their attention to the DI state tournament. A first-round loss to Kamehameha-Maui ended Mililani’s bid for a state title, but the Trojans rebounded with wins over Moanalua and Hilo to win the consolation title and finish 13-2 overall.
Waialua baseball makes OIA White playoffs
The month of April was one to remember for the Waialua baseball team, which won four straight games to secure an OIA White playoff berth. A first-round win over Farrington in the tourna ment had the Bulldogs a win away from playing for the White title, but Radford defeated Waialua 12-1 in the semifinals. The Bulldogs battled Nanakuli into extra innings the following day in the third-place game before succumbing 10-8. Waialua finished its season 9-5 overall.
Mililani girls make state soccer semifinals
Cassandra Stetser, Gab-rielle Fukumoto and Tia Furuta each scored goals to propel Mililani to a 3-0 win over Pearl City in the quarterfinals of the DI girls soccer state championships Feb. 6 at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
At the time, the win was the fourth in a row for the Trojans, who had lost to Kaiser 1-0 in the quarterfinal round of the OIA tournament days earlier, before rebounding with consolation-bracket victories on consecutive days.
Mililani, which had beaten Pearl City 5-0 during the regular season, shut out Hilo in its first-round state tournament game. The Trojans’ dreams of a state title were ended by eventual champion Kamehameha, 4-1 in the semifinals, but Mililani bounced back to defeat Kapolei in the third place game and finish its season 14-4.
