Another week of spring sports action in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) kicked off Monday across the isle with an array of events. See the paper all week long for continued coverage.
Golf
Waiakea junior Jake Otani won his fourth individual match Monday at Kona Country Club, shooting 2-under par (70) to secure the two-stroke win over Kealakehe’s Noah Okazaki (72).
Coming in third in the boys individual competition behind Otani and Okazaki was Waverider Kailiwai Ulukoa, who shot 2-over par. Hawaii Preparatory Academy Parker Smithson shot a 75 to come in fourth. Kealakehe’s Malakai Akeo rounded out the rest of the boys top 5, shooting a 77.
With three Waveriders placing in the top 5, Kealakehe was able to win its third match of 2025 with a team score of +16, beating the second-place Warriors by 19 strokes. Kealakehe and Waiakea boys have had a back-and-forth affair all season, with the ‘Riders leading three wins to the Warriors’ two.
Over in the girls field, HPA’s Khloe Nakagawa won her second match of the season after posting a 79, beating second-place finishers Kaylee Palikiko of Kealakehe and Nalei Ramos of Hilo by a single stroke. Waiakea teammates Madelyn Awaya and Jordyn Kawachi rounded out the rest of the top five by tying for fourth with a +9 (81).
Waiakea ended up winning the girls competition by three strokes over HPA, posting a cumulative +37.
See Page 3B to view the full results. The final team match of the 2025 season will be held April 16 at Mauna Lani Resort.
Softball and baseball
Hilo softball stayed unbeaten after a 4-0 blanking of Kealakehe on Monday afternoon at home. The Lady Vikings moved to 1-0, while the Lady Waveriders lost their third straight — falling to 2-4.
Hilo posted five hits to Kealakehe’s two. Lady Viking Molly Davi finished with two hits, while teammates Raelee Pacheco, Vaiqueen Porter and Kylie Kaniaupio logged one apiece.
Davi was also the game’s winning pitcher in the circle, allowing two hits and no runs while striking out an impressive 16 batters across all 7.0 innings. Davi leads her team in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts and RBI.
Rhianna Joaquin was the only Lady Waverider who finished with base hits, logging two. Emalia Emmsley was the sole pitcher for Kealakehe, allowing five hits, four runs and six walks while striking out four.
Hilo will be back on the diamond at 3 p.m. this afternoon against local rival Waiakea in Hilo. The Lady ‘Riders return against Konawaena at 2 p.m. Saturday at Greenwell Park.
Hilo and Kealakehe baseball also matched up, with the Vikings winning 11-0 after five innings. Hilo scored at least one run in every inning played.
Vikings Talus Sato and Jaydon Geraci led their team with two hits each, followed by Kamren Agpalza, Dayton Ferreira, Axel Akau, Tyson Santiago and Brennan Woods rounded out the remainder of the team’s nine hits with one each.
Kainui Keopuhiwa was the winning pitcher for Hilo — allowing three hits and no runs while striking out four across 5.0 innings. Keopuhiwa leads the Vikings in innings pitched and strikeouts.
Nainoa Hummel led the ‘Riders in hits with two, while Marheo Kele had one. Noah Bircher, Kaden Telles, Juah Warfield and K. Hummel all had stints on the mound for Kealakehe.
Hilo (4-2) plays Waiakea at 5 p.m. tonight at home. The ‘Riders (1-5) will host Konawaena at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kealakehe High School.
Up in Kapa‘au, Kohala softball stayed unbeaten after a 4-2 win over Pahoa. The Cowgirls moved to 4-0, while the Lady Daggers dropped to 3-2.
Kohala’s Kailani Valenzuela-Conte, Kalia Marquez, Mahea Pang and Faith Alejandro-Cazimero made up og Kohala’s four hits with one apiece. Marquez was named the game’s winning pitcher.
Pahoa had just two hits.
Kohala will be back on the diamond against Ka‘u at 3 p.m. this afternoon in Pahala. The Lady Daggers will next rematch the Cowgirls on Monday afternoon in Pahoa town.
The Cowboys and Daggers baseball teams also faced off Monday, with the Daggers winning 7-2. The paper was unable to locate a stat sheet by deadline.
Pahoa moved to 4-2, while Kohala remained winless at 0-6. The Daggers’ next test will be against the Dragons at 1 p.m. Saturday in Honoka‘a town. The Cowboys play Ka‘u at 3 p.m. this afternoon on the road.
Volleyball
Konawaena boys volleyball won its second and final match against HPA this season after a straight-sets win in Kapa‘au. The Wildcats improved to 6-1 on the season, while Ka Makani fell to 3-3.
Kona won by set scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-20. The green and white have now won two straight matches. HPA has lost two consecutive.
The two teams’ junior varsity squads also played beforehand, with HPA winning 25-23 and 25-20.
The Wildcats will be back in action against Honoka‘a at 5 p.m. tonight on the Hamakua Coast, with junior varsity set to play first. The two teams last played each other on March 3, with Kona winning in an exciting five sets.
Ka Makani hosts Kealakehe at 5 p.m. tonight inside Castle Gymnasium, with junior varsity playing first. When the two schools last battled inside the Waveriders’ gymnasium on March 6, HPA won in five sets after initially trailing 2-0.
Over on the east side of the island, Waiakea won its fourth consecutive match after beating Ka‘u in four sets — 25-20, 25-21, 26-28 and 26-24. It was the first and only meeting between the two teams.
The Warriors elevated to 6-1, while the Trojans fell to 6-4.
Waiakea next hosts Kea‘au at 5 p.m. Thursday in Hilo town, with junior varsity set to have first serve. The Warriors beat the Cougars in four sets when they last played on March 5.
Ka‘u next hosts Christian Liberty Academy at 10 a.m. Saturday in Pahala. The two teams recently played on March 27, with the Trojans winning in a decisive four sets.
CLA and Connections also played Monday in Kea‘au, with the Canefire winning in straight sets of 25-18, 25-23 and 25-21. It was the second time CLA has beaten the ‘Io this season after winning in consecutive frames on Feb. 27.
It was a much-needed win for the Canefire, who had dropped their previous five matches and had not won in over a month. The team improved to 2-6.
Connections is still trying to find its footing at 0-9.
The winning Canefire also played Kea‘au late Tuesday night at home. Connections additionally played late Tuesday, facing the Daggers in Pahoa town. See the paper Thursday to read the results.
Flag football
After dropping the previous four matchups, Kea‘au girls flag football got back on track with a 50-6 thrashing of Laupahoehoe at home. It was the first time this season that the Lady Cougars have scored over 20 points.
In the junior varsity matchup between KSH and Kea‘au, the Lady Warriors won 31-6.
The Lady Cougars next face Waiakea at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Kea‘au High School, while the Lady Seasiders’ next matchup is to be announced. Island quarterfinal playoffs begin this Saturday, with seedings and matchups still yet to be determined.
