The Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) held its canoe paddling state championship on Saturday in Hilo Bay.
Crews from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) dominated the finals — as ‘Iolani School’s boys crew placed first and its mixed crew was runner-up, KS-Kapalama’s mixed crew placed first, Punahou School’s boys crew was runner-up and Mid-Pacific Institute’s girls crew was runner-up.
Kauai’s Waimea High was the only non-ILH school to notch a top-two finals finish, as its girls crew won first place — Waimea’s first-ever HHSAA paddling girls title. Waimea was also the only Kauai girls crew to qualify for the tournament, as the Kauai Interscholastic Federation (KIF) was only allowed to enter one representative per category.
Hilo High, Kealakehe High, Waiakea High, Ka Umeke Ka‘eo PCS, Hawaii Prep, KS-Hawai‘i, Kohala High, Konawaena High and Kea‘au High entered crews in the tournament.
Hilo’s mixed crew achieved the highest placement of any BIIF team — No. 4 in the finals. Waiakea’s mixed crew also made it to the finals, placing No. 7
The Vikings and Warriors were the only BIIF boys crews to reach the finals, where Hilo placed No. 7 and Waiakea placed No. 6.
Hilo and Kohala went the furthest of the BIIF girls crews — as the Cowgirls placed No. 6 in the finals, just ahead of the No. 7 Vikings.
This was the first time since 2018 that Hilo Bay has hosted the HHSAA paddling championship.
Since the HHSAA’s first paddling championship in 2002, it has mostly been dominated by schools from Honolulu and Maui.
Konawaena’s 2008 mixed crew remains the only BIIF crew to win a HHSAA paddling crown, placing first at Ke‘ehi Lagoon in Honolulu.
The Wildcats have also notched several No. 3 finishes over the years (‘05 mixed ‘05 girls, ‘05 boys, ‘06 mixed, ‘07 mixed and ‘15 mixed). HPA has recorded two third-place finishes (‘11 and ‘20 mixed) and a runner-up boys finish in 2019. Kea‘au’s mixed crew placed third in 2018.
