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Maui High girls, boys claim MIL team titles

Maui High School’s Lino Yoshikawa (right) and Kiyo Christopher high five after a first-set point in their No. 1 doubles win over Lanai’s Leslie Nabor and Millena Calilao during the MIL team championship finals Saturday at Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

KAANAPALI — History has been the theme for the Maui High School boys and girls tennis teams all season.

The Sabers finished their team missions with crowns for boys and girls on Saturday morning at the Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch, winning their first-ever girls title 4-1 over Lanai, and the boys claimed their first championship since 2014, beating Lahainaluna 4-1.

It is the first sweep of the team crowns since 2009 when Baldwin did it. Both girls teams playing Saturday were in the final for the first time.

“It’s a special moment, it’s historic, it’s historic for the girls,” Maui High coach Ian Cohen said. “That was our goal all season.”

Freshman Hana Yoshikawa clinched the girls crown with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Lanai’s Jasmine Conroy-Humphrey at No. 2 singles.

Maui High’s Quinn Shapiro hits a crosscourt winner during his win at No. 2 singles Saturday. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

“Really exciting, it’s like making history for Maui High School,” Yoshikawa said.

Yoshikawa talked prior to the match with her senior sister, Lino Yoshikawa, who combined with Kiyo Christopher to win the No. 1 doubles match 6-1, 6-1 over Millena Calilao and Leslie Nabor.

“We just talked about wanting to do our best — we really wanted to win this,” Hana Yoshikawa said of her sister. “She just hugged me. She’s really happy. I think our whole team is happy. It’s really cool.”

Christopher and No. 1 singles player Jessalyn Lopez, the MIL singles champion last year as a freshman, attend Kihei Charter School but play for the Maui High girls.

“It’s really cool, first time ever,” Lopez said after putting up the fourth point for the Sabers with her 6-2, 6-0 victory over Keona Conroy-Humphrey. “It’s a pretty big deal. I hope that we keep it going for years.”

The Sabers’ Devon Baldwin follows through on a second-set shot at No. 1 singles. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

No. 1 singles player Devon Baldwin leads five Kihei Charter students on the Maui High boys roster. Baldwin’s 6-1, 6-1 win over the Lunas’ Kyle Killett clinched the boys team crown.

Baldwin, a junior, is the younger brother of four-time MIL singles champion Joey Baldwin, who is now at Harvard.

“It feels great. I’m really proud of myself. I had a lot of confidence going out there, which I think really helped me pull it out,” Devon Baldwin said. “It was a pretty tough match — Kyle Killett is a really good player. I had a lot of fun out there and so did he. He hit a lot of winners and so did I — it was a good match.”

It was a shift in the lineup when Cohen moved Hobbes Wilstead, last year’s MIL singles runner-up, to team with Jaymes Christopher at No. 1 doubles when the Sabers took off in the second round of the regular season. Maui High was in its sixth straight boys team final — the Sabers dispatched three-time defending champion Seabury Hall 3-2 in the semifinals on Thursday.

“It was before the second (regular-season) match with Lahainaluna,” Cohen said. “Hobbes is really good at net and Jaymes is really good at net. We felt like Hobbes and Jaymes could work really well together, so that was a really key move. We were pretty sure that Devon could hold his spot at 1 singles and Quinn (Shapiro) is really strong at 2 singles.”

Maui High’s Hobbes Wilstead hits while teamming with Jaymes Christopher at No. 1 doubles. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

The MIL individual tournament, where state berths will be on the line, starts Thursday at the Lahaina Civic Center courts. Finals are scheduled for Saturday.

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

MAUI HIGH GIRLS 4, LANAI 1

No. 1 singles–Jessalyn Lopez, Maui High, def. Keona Conroy-Humphrey 6-2, 6-0. No. 2 singles–Hana Yoshikawa, Maui High, def. Jasmine Conroy-Humphrey 6-1, 6-1. No. 3 singles–Bechelle Elaydo, Lanai, def. Chloe Jones 6-1, 6-1. No. 1 doubles–Lino Yoshikawa and Kiyo Christopher, Maui High, def. Millena Calilao and Leslie Nabor 6-1, 6-1. No. 2 doubles–Tori Yamane and Marisa Luna, Maui High, def. Jenel Gani and Mikaellah Badillo 6-0, 6-2.

MAUI HIGH BOYS 4, LAHAINALUNA 1

The Sabers’ Jessalyn Lopez watches a shot during her No. 1 singles win. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

No. 1 singles–Devon Baldwin, Maui High, def. Kyle Killett 6-0, 6-1. No. 2 singles–Quinn Shapiro, Maui High, def. Shane Ramos 6-1, 6-1. No. 3 singles–Kade MacDonald, Maui High, def. James Fujii 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. 1 doubles–Hobbes Wilstead and Jaymes Christopher, Maui High, def. Shawn Abut and Everett Prieto 6-0, 6-4. No. 2 doubles–Kekailoa Cajudoy and Alex Rodriguez-Gomez, Lahainaluna, def. Mason MacDonald and Trevor Coronesi 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

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