Never having competed in air riflery, Tracy Aruga didn’t think much about the sport until his son, Logan, took it up a few years ago.
Now, he’s not only the Kamehameha coach, but he has big goals in mind for where he wants the Warriors’ program to go.
The shooters at state perennial favorite Waiakea long have been waiting for a challenge, and Kamehameha has been up to the task the past two years. Kealapua Bernabe, now an assistant under Tracy Aruga, won the girls title in 2013, and Logan Aruga followed suit last year.
Next, Kamehameha is gunning to match Waiakea’s team dominance.
“I’d like to move the program from good, to better, to great,” Tracy Aruga said. “There are many great air riflery programs out there. I envision moving the Kamehameha program into that direction in the next couple of years. We’re working to incorporate air riflery into the eighth-grade physical education curriculum, in hopes it generates interest at that grade level.”
Beating Waiakea requires four quality shooters, and Kamehameha lost a good one when Taylor Au transferred to Waiakea, where he’ll have to sit out the season.
Logan Aruga and Au came on in 2014 and went head-to-head in what amounted to a shoot-off at the BIIF championships, which Aruga won by a single point.
Aruga kept sharp by practicing with the Hilo Air Rifle Club in the offseason, and though the preseason results didn’t show it, his father/coach expects him to be a stronger shooter mentally and physically as a senior.
“He focused on core strength training to help with the three positions,” Tracy Aruga said. “I think as student-athletes move from grade to grade, they’re more selective with their shots, taking more time.”
Waiakea has a slew of candidates to try and unseat Aruga, starting with seniors Guy Yokoe and Tre Soultz and junior Bradon Miyake, who swept the top three spots at the preseason meet Saturday at Waiakea.
Only east side schools participated, but Kealakehe and Konawaena will join the fray when the season opens at 10 a.m. Saturday with a shoot in Kealakekua.
Soultz battled with Aruga for the best BIIF score last season at HHSAA championships, finishing one point behind in 12th.
“We welcome the challenge (from Kamehameha). That will only make us better,” Waiakea coach Mel Kawahara said. “We’re top-heavy with boys upperclassmen. Competitively, all our shooters’ scores are very close.”
Also in the mix to crack the top four are seniors Dillon-Jon Gabriel and Logan Sato, who helped Waiakea take five of the top nine spots Saturday.
Aruga will shoot alongside two other seniors this season. Kahekili Donner was Kamehameha’s highest finisher in the preseason, four points better than Aruga, and Preston Lee-Ching also returns.
St. Joseph made its mark Saturday. The only non-Warriors in the top 10 were Cardinals Daniel Honda and Mark Nemeth.
Girls
No surprise, this is another story about rival Warriors.
Maileen Nakashima reclaimed the individual title for Waiakea as a senior last year, and junior Tiara Pacheco was 11 points better than anyone else at the preseason meet and leads a long list of Waiakea contenders to keep the crown in the family.
“Tiara can shoot better,” Kawahara said of Pacheco’s opening 266. “She is our most consistent.”
Senior Taylor Nishimura and junior Mekayla King gave Waiakea the top three slots — King tied with Kamehameha’s Cobi Broad — and sophomore Shaye Nishimura and senior Amber Nagata weren’t far behind.
“Taylor surprised us,” Kawahara said. “She thought we could do something like that.”
Tracy Aruga is comfortable with his depth as well, led by sophomores Broad and Iceley Andaya.
“They are shooting exceptionally well,” Aruga said.
Teammates Iliana Godoy, Pisila Sipinga and Meghan Wong aren’t far behind.
Christian Liberty’s Janae Pacheco was the top non-Warriors shooter Saturday, placing 13th.