By Vivian Fang
[email protected]
Participating in the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) tournament from April 24 to 26 and the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) state tournament the following week, MHS’ water polo team was able to pull off a second place finish at OIAs and fourth place at HHSAA. This is the farthest the team has come so far.
“We had a lot of seniors this year and they were led by two of the most dedicated senior captains I have ever had. (Kaylie Anne) Miyashita and Shelby Parker. Their leadership and experience was a big part of our team’s success,” expressed Coach Gregg Wong. “(They) gave our team added depth, allowing our second string to play quality minutes during tournament play.”
The team was able to trump Leleihua and Kapolei before facing off against Kahuku during the finals. “We all had the same goal, which was to win OIAs and we wanted to make a statement out there to other schools to prove that we’re ready for the championship game,” said Miyashita. Wong added, “We were able to challenge perennial power Kahuku in the OIA finals. The girls played one of their best games but we ran out of gas and fell just short. It was a tough loss.”
Although they lost the OIA title to Kahuku, the girls are still immensely proud of their accomplishment, and see this as a catalyst to future triumphs. “The last time we made it to the championship game was my freshman year,” said Miyashita.
During the HHSAA state tournament, the team was able to beat out Leilehua during the quarterfinals and Kamehameha Schools Hawaii in the semifinals. “The energy of the home crowd was fantastic and I knew it would be a great game because (Kamehameha has) a quality coach,” said Wong, “We were able to use our experience of scrimmaging quality teams like Punahou, Iolani and Kamehameha Kapalama to help pull away in the second (and) third quarter. And with three starters fouling out by the fourth quarter, we were able to hold on for the win, vaulting us into the semifinals.”
The team also attributes their success to the strong bond formed throughout the season. “We had better chemistry, especially within the school where we played, and it just kind of clicked more than last year did,” said Hole Set Senior Chanel Long, “We worked more as a team, so individually I was more aware of my team and I got used to them. As a team, we grew a lot closer than we were last year. That helped a lot.” Miyashita added, “It was not only a team sport but a family. And we were like all sisters because we saw each other every day at practice.”
The seniors hope that their legacy will carry on to the younger players so that the team will be able to win the OIA championship title in the near future.
