Another Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) tennis season wrapped up Saturday at Central Oahu Regional Park, and quite a few Big Isle players made noise.
The Waiakea boys and girls teams highlighted the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) teams, placing in the top three in both competitions.
“Our results at states this year gives our players confidence going forward that they can compete with anyone,” head coach Bill Brilhante told West Hawaii Today. “It was great to be the only non-Oahu private school on the podium. I am really happy for the players.”
Leading the Warriors’ second-place girls team was No. 3 seed Kiora Kunimoto, who beat fifth-seeded Karli Vo of Iolani in the third-place singles match (6-3, 6-4). Kunimoto — who had a similar run at states in 2023 — beat Seabury Hall’s Kelsey Loree (4-0, 4-0), Iolani’s Cydni Kodani (4-0, 4-0) and No. 6 Sophia Howell of Punahou (6-4, 6-2) before falling to No. 1 seed Elise Wong of Punahou (7-5, 6-3) in the semifinal match on Friday. Ashley Kurizaki of Moanalua ended up beating Wong in the championship match (6-3, 6-4) for the state singles title.
In the girls doubles field, Waiakea’s second-seeded pair of Jada Igawa and Chloe Takahashi placed fourth overall, falling to Mid-Pacific Institute’s fourth-seeded duo of Margaret Hoe and Denise Takenaka (6-4, 7-5). Earlier in the week, Igawa and Takahashi beat Kauai’s Savannah and Madison Hubbard (4-0, 4-0), Kalani’s Lexi Duldalao and Katie Wong (4-0, 4-0) and Iolani’s No. 6 Jolie Nguyen and Rylie Yamamoto (6-3, 6-3) before falling short in the semifinal match against Punahou’s No. 3 seed of Jariahlyn Rhoades and Logan Tom (6-4, 6-2). In the championship match, Rhoades and Tom beat fellow teammates Maya Eastburg and Mia Tom (6-4, 6-3).
Despite falling short, Igawa and Takahashi finished better than last year at states, where they fell in the quarterfinals to another Punahou pair.
Teammates Annika Nishida and Kaiya Ideta also finished with a doubles quarterfinals berth.
Collectively, Waiakea girls tallied 11 points. Punahou won the entire competition with 24 points.
The Warriors’ third-place finish in the boys competition was highlighted by standout Iori Furuhata, who as a No. 3 seed beat fourth seed Gervase Ngo of Iolani in the third-place singles match (6-1, 6-0). Furuhata outplayed his 2023 performance on Oahu, where he fell to Mid-Pacific Institute’s Andre Ajed in the quarterfinals.
En route to Furuhata’s podium finish, he beat Moanalua’s Ethan Chun (4-0, 4-1), Campbell’s Gavin Soriano (4-0, 4-1) and No. 5 seed Joshua Dela Cruz from Moanalua (7-5, 6-4) before falling in the semis to Punahou’s Payton Jim On (6-3, 6-0) — a No. 2 seed from Punahou. Jim On went on to win the singles tournament over teammate Brandon Ramos.
The Waiakea boys tallied five points in the tournament, placing third. Punahou also won the boys competition with a staggering 31 points.
“Iori, Kiora, Chloe, Jada, Annika and Kaiya’s performances really pushed us through at states,” Brilhante continued. “We needed every point we could get.”
Looking back on 2024, Brilhante credits the competition throughout the season as a pillar to his team’s impressive state finish in both the boys and girls tournaments.
“We had a really competitive league this year,” Brilhante explained. “Kealakehe, HPA and Hilo boys and girls teams pushed us all season.”
Kealakehe also represented the BIIF on Oahu, placing sixth overall in the girls team competition. Eighth-seeded Maile-Lei Ji was the Waveriders’ top singles performer, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to No. 1 seed Elise Wong of Punahou (6-2, 6-1) — who finished second overall in the field and was last year’s singles state champion. On the way to the quarterfinals, Ji beat Iolani’s Samantha Ballard (4-2, 4-2) and Aiea’s Liez Pascual (4-0, 5-3).
Over in girls doubles, the Waveriders’ duo of Kristen Felte and Mia Okazaki reached the quarterfinals round, but fell to Punahou’s Eastburg and Tom (6-0, 6-0). However, Felte and Okazaki had an impressive run that included upsetting the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s (OIA) doubles champions in the Round of 32 — No. 5 seed Zoe Hirata and Dallas Lee of Mililani (4-2, 4-2). It was the largest upset of the tournament by seed.
In the Round of 16, Felte and Okazaki outclassed Mid-Pacific Institute’s Leilah Etcheit and Mari Cesar (4-1, 4-2).
Kealakehe coach Sean Newton was proud of his team’s effort on Oahu.
“Our goals as a program at Kealakehe have been to show that we can compete for BIIF titles and state podium finishes,” he said. “I think this finish was validation of those goals and all the intentional work our girls have put into their practice. They want to prove themselves against the best players and teams in the state.”
Newton also expressed that strength and resiliency were critical factors in Kealakehe’s success in 2024.
“This season, we challenged them to not only develop as tennis players, but as leaders, teammates and competitors. That resilience was on display as they battled through rain delays, distractions and accomplished opponents at the tournament.”
Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kohala and Hilo additionally made brief appearances in the tournament.
The full team results can be found below.
Girls
1. Punahou – 24
2. Waiakea – 11
3. Iolani – 9
4. Moanalua – 8
5. Mid-Pacific – 6
6. Kealakehe – 4
7. Kaiser – 3
T8. Maui – 2
T8. University – 2
T10. Roosevelt – 1
T10. Aiea – 1
T10. Kohala – 1
T10. Kauai – 1
T10. Baldwin – 1
T10. KS-Maui – 1
T10. Kalani – 1
Boys
1. Punahou – 31
2. Iolani – 18
3. Waiakea – 5
T4. Mililani – 3
T4. Kaiser – 3
T4. Kalani – 3
T7. Campbell – 2
T7. Moanalua – 2
T9. Maui -1
T9. Waipahu – 1
T9. University – 1
T9. HPA -1
T9. Kalaheo – 1
T9. Kauai – 1
T9. Kailua -1
T9. Hilo – 1
T9. Seabury Hall – 1
T9. Roosevelt – 1