WAIMEA — A two letter word went a long way for Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s mantra last season in the pool.
During its first BIIF water polo championship campaign in a decade, “we” became bigger than “I” for Ka Makani, and no player might have exemplified that mentality more than Janelle Laros.
Laros, a recent graduate of Hawaii Prep, was named the Player of the Year in the BIIF, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
“I’m extremely honored, as well as very surprised,” Laros said when hearing of the honor. “I honestly didn’t expect it at all.”
Within Hawaii Prep’s well-oiled machine, Laros was the motor in the middle. Playing the hole set, she set up more than a handful of plays for her teammates. However, she was truly at her best when she was firing the ball on net.
Laros was nearly unguardable in the BIIF, and when she had her mind set on the back of the net, the ball usually ended up there. Laros had five goals in Ka Makani’s overwhelming 15-5 victory over Kealakehe in the title game, an encore to her double hat-trick in the semis against Konawaena. That was just a small sample of the dominance she had displayed all season.
But the consummate team-first player, Laros was quick to include her teammates when explaining how the team turned the corner from contenders to champions.
It goes back to that “we” word.
“It was when we — as a team — all began to anticipate each other’s next moves and play as one unit instead as individuals,” Laros said. “It became easy to see the play before it happened and we could set each other up in ways that highlighted our strengths.”
Fellow Ka Makani standout Taylor Doherty joined Laros on the first team, while Ava Jean Johnston and Ala Taylor earned honorable mention nods.
Hawaii Prep unseated seven-time league champion Kamehameha-Hawaii as the top team in the BIIF, but the Warriors still had three first team selections in Lahela Rosario, Emma Kanoa and keeper Berlinda Sapinga.
Surprise BIIF runner-up Kealakehe — which upset Kamehameha in the league semis — placed Skyler Hudson and Hannah Tomlinson on the first team.
Success usually happens when players are passionate and love what they do — whether it’s a late game situation or some extra time in the pool after practice. As Laros noted, it was easy to see her Hawaii Prep squad didn’t lack either of those things as they chased down their title aspirations.
“Practice was never a chore. Our team always had a good balance of joking around and having a good time together as well as working hard and encouraging a no-quit kind of attitude,” Laros said. “We all looked forward to practice at the end of the day because even in moments where we were tired from working the same shots over and over or counterattacks, we were still able to get to the wall and find something to laugh about.”
The path to a title wasn’t all smiles for Ka Makani, especially for a core of seniors who went through the heartbreak. After an undefeated regular season campaign in 2016, Hawaii Prep watched Kamehameha-Hawaii reel off a seventh consecutive title in overtime of the championship game.
It was just one of many learning moments as Ka Makani built up its momentum for a run at a championship.
“We always saw every game as a learning experience. Those learning experiences then fueled our fires to become stronger, smarter, and more aware water polo players,” Laros said. “The mentality is one not only our coaches had overwhelmingly promoted but also all the past players during my time on the team.”
So what will be the lasting memory for Laros as she looks back on her four years in the pool with Ka Makani? Her final championship plunge into the pool.
“I remember immediately swimming over to my senior teammates crying, screaming and slightly drowning in all of the commotion,” Laros said. “After four years of ups and downs, we finally reached our goal and we couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t just us though — it was truly a team victory. Every girl on the team, all of the parents, our managers and our coaches contributed to the championship. It was definitely one of the happiest moments of my life and I got to share it with the team I love.”
Laros is off to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She plans to major in a combination of mechanical engineering and business, and her time in the pool might not be done. She said the school has a club water polo team and she plans on playing for the Mountain Hawks.
