King Kekaulike victorious at 2nd MIL surf contest
Teiva Keomaniboth, of King Kekaulike, won Boys No. 2 after taking Boys No. 3 in the first MIL contest at D.T. Fleming Beach Park. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Ayla Daian, of King Kekualike, leans into a cutback and claimed the Girls No. 2 for her second straight win. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Kanoa Kuailani, of King Kekaulike, cracks the lip in taking the Boys No. 3. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Talia Sloan, of Maui Christian, cruised to a win at Girls No. 3 while her twin sister, Lila, took Girls No. 4. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Kai Nelson of King Kekaulike drags his hand as he carves his board. Nelson won Boys No. 4. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Lila Sloan of Maui Christian won her second straight No. 4 division crown. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Max Schwartz of Kihei Charter gets "chaired" up the beach after his win at No. 5 as their tiger shark mascot looks on. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Kaja Przeciechowska of King Kekaulike makes an inside turn and claimed the Girls No. 5 title. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Zolten Poulsen of Maui Prep rips the lip on his backside in winning Boys No. 1. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Sloane Jucker of Maui Prep won her second straight Girls No. 1 title. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Max Schwartz captured the Boys No.5, helping Kihei Charter to the runner-up spot. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Teiva Keomaniboth, of King Kekaulike, won Boys No. 2 after taking Boys No. 3 in the first MIL contest at D.T. Fleming Beach Park. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Ayla Daian, of King Kekualike, leans into a cutback and claimed the Girls No. 2 for her second straight win. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Kanoa Kuailani, of King Kekaulike, cracks the lip in taking the Boys No. 3. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Talia Sloan, of Maui Christian, cruised to a win at Girls No. 3 while her twin sister, Lila, took Girls No. 4. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Kai Nelson of King Kekaulike drags his hand as he carves his board. Nelson won Boys No. 4. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Lila Sloan of Maui Christian won her second straight No. 4 division crown. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Max Schwartz of Kihei Charter gets "chaired" up the beach after his win at No. 5 as their tiger shark mascot looks on. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Kaja Przeciechowska of King Kekaulike makes an inside turn and claimed the Girls No. 5 title. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Zolten Poulsen of Maui Prep rips the lip on his backside in winning Boys No. 1. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Sloane Jucker of Maui Prep won her second straight Girls No. 1 title. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
Max Schwartz captured the Boys No.5, helping Kihei Charter to the runner-up spot. Photo courtesy Matt Cibulka
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King Kekaulike won both the boys and girls divisions at the second MauiInterscholastic League surf contest at Hookipa Beach Park on Saturday.
It was the second straight win for Na Alii boys while the girls won their first event of the season in near perfect over-head conditions. The 12 MIL schools were joined by a team of boys from Iolani and a mixed team of girls from Iolani and Punahou. No team scores were kept for the Oahu surfers.
Iolani coach Chris Butler is hoping the Interscholastic League of Honolulu adopts surfing as an interscholastic sport next school year.
"I'm extremely hopeful, extremely hopeful, fingers crossed," Butler said. "We've gotten further than we've ever gotten before."
Butler, who has coached the Iolani surf club for 10 years, was nothing but smiles after the contest as all seven Iolani surfers made the finals.
"Oh my God, today was the most magical day. We flew over from Oahu, first time in school history surfing in the MIL contest, and the kids were so excited. It was perfect conditions, best format, such a lovely day."
King Kekaulike coach Scott Schellhammer was happy about Iolani being able to compete.
"So stoked that Iolani could come over," Schellhammer said. "I really hope we can make this a state sport."
Schellhammer was even happier about his team's double team wins.
"I'm really proud of our freshmen. Kaya (Przeciechowska), Kai (Nelson), and Ayla (Daian), they all pulled through. Our seniors have just been really good role models for the rest of the team."
One of those seniors was Teiva Keomaniboth who won Boys No. 2 after winning No. 3 at the first contest at D.T. Flemings Beach.
He surfed in the first final and started a streak of three Na Alii boys who won their division, making it almost an insurmountable deficit for Kihei Charter to overcome. In the first MIL meet, KingKekaulike edged the Tiger Sharks by one-point. Keomaniboth didn't feel the pressure of being the first Na Alli in a final.
"I just go out and have fun," he said. "I don't take it too serious. You know if you feel good,you surf good. I feel if I worry about it too much, I never surf good.
"It felt really good, nice to win because that was my first time in the second seed. The conditions were almost as good as it gets here. Not too windy, pretty north, alittle close-out on some west ones, but for the most part it was great."
Another Alii senior, Chrislyn Simpson-Kane, had to finish ahead of Maui Christian freshmen Mikaia Barnes to win the girls team title as Na Alii and the Eagles were tied going into the last final of the day, Girls No.1.
Maui Christian won the first meet at D.T. Fleming while King Kekaulike was third. Simpson-Kane placed second behind Sloane Jucker of Maui Prep while Barnes placed fifth.
"This year we have some feisty girls," Simpson-Kane said. "As a team, I'm so happy. This is the first time in a good while that we've had a full team of girls."
The other boy winners were Zolten Poulsen (No.1) of Maui Prep, Kanoa Kuailani (No.3) of King Kekaulike, Max Schwartz (No. 5) of Kihei Charter, and Nelson. The other girl winners were twins Lila and Talia Sloan (No.3 and No.4) of Maui Christianand King Kekaulike's Daian (No. 2) and Przeciechowska (No. 5).
The next MIL surf contest will be April 12 at Koki Beach in Hana.
Results
Boys Team -- 1. King Kekaulike 58; 2. Kihei Charter 50; 3. Maui Prep 48; 4. Maui Christian 42; 5. Baldwin 41; 6. Seabury Hall 32; 7. Hana 27; 8. Kamehameha Maui 25; 9. Kulanihakoi 10; 10. Maui High 8; 11. Haleakala Waldorf 6; 12. Lahainluna 4.
Boys No. 1 -- 1. Zolten Poulsen, Maui Prep, 15.33; 2. Chase Burnes, King Kekaulike, 11.24; 3. Nigel Palalay, Iolani, 10.33; 4. Angel Jardine, Maui Christian, 10.20; 5. Rex Ang, Baldwin, 9.67; 6. Kanoa Gaffney, Hana, 9.30.
Boys No. 2 -- 1. Teiva Keomaniboth, King Kekaulike, 12.50; 2. Aiden Haas, Kihei Charter, 12.16; 3. Keano Jardine, Maui Christian, 12.14; 4. Ezra Offergeld, Maui Prep, 9.10; 5. Duke Stanton, Baldwin, 6.33; 6. Spencer Churchill, Iolani, 4.97.
Boys No. 3 -- 1. Kanoa Kuailani, King Kekaulike, 13.00; 2. Noah Haas, Kihei Charter, 11.07; 3. Kalai Gerell, Iolani, 9.53; 4. T. J. Hehemann, Maui Prep, 9.23; 5. Jotal Holstein, Seabury Hall, 8.80; 6. Manaku Kaauamo, Kamehameha, 6.66.
Boys No. 4 -- 1. Kai Nelson, King Kekaulike, 14.84; 2. Jayden Craig, Kihei Charter, 12.60; 3. Huy Vu, Baldwin, 9.87; 4. Cole Antonellis, Iolani, 8.74; 5. Lane Solano, Seabury Hall, 7.87; 6. Makaiah Clark, Maui Prep, 5.26.
Boys No. 5 -- 1. Max Schwartz, Kihei Charter, 12.33; 2. Jack Hill, Maui Christian, 11.00; 3. Noah Richard, Maui Prep, 9.20; 4. Dylan Molina, Baldwin, 8.10; 5. Beck Riemenschneider, 7.83; 6. Laau Peloso, Iolani, 7.40.
Girls Team -- 1. King Kekaulike 59; 2. Maui Christian 56; 3. Maui Prep 47; 4. Kihei Charter 36; 5. Baldwin 28; 6 Kulanihakoi 27; 7. (tie) Lahainaluna 21 and Seabury Hall 21; 9. Haleakala Waldorf 16; 10. Maui High 9; 11. Kamehameha Maui 4.
Girls No. 1 -- 1. Sloane Jucker, Maui Prep, 10.80; 2. Chrislyn Simpson-Kane, King Kekaulike, 10.67; 3. Graye Smith, Baldwin, 8.63; 4. Hope McCarren, Punahou 8.06; 5. Mikaia Barnes, Maui Christian, 6.83; 6. Gianna Pogni, Lahainaluna, 6.16.
Girls No. 2 -- 1. Ayla Daian, King Kekaulike, 13.67; 2. Thayanne Colpas, Maui Christian, 11.14; 3. Kaya Pestana, Iolani, 9.40; 4. Kelea DeCaro, Kihei Charter, 7.97; 5. Imani Caserta, Maui Prep, 7.57; 6. Peyton Prouty, Seabury Hall, 6.83.
Girls No. 3 -- 1. Lila Sloan, Maui Christian, 14.73; 2. Bella Kuailani, King Kekaulike, 10.90; 3. Zoey Offergeld, Maui Prep, 10.50; 4. Kenzi Nakamura, Punahou, 9.87; 5. Sachi Yamaguchi, Seabury Hall, 8.64; 6. Aliyah Keeley, Kulanihakoi, 1.67.
Girls No. 4 -- 1. Talia Sloan, Maui Christian, 11.142; Sochi Henderson, King Kekaulike, 10.10; 3. Cassidy Crowley, Punahou, 7.80; 4. Layla Merrill, Maui Prep, 7.57; 5. Bella Molina, Kulanihakoi, 5.60; 6. Natalie Riggs, Kihei Charter, 4.23.
Girls No. 5 -- 1. Kaja Przeciechowska, King Kekaulike, 10.57; 2. Sophia Bunch, Maui Christian 10.50; 3. Lei Crowley, Iolani, 5.70; 4. Ginger Hill, Maui High, 4.07; 5. Sadie Hanks, Kihei Charter, 3.97; 6. Lily Buden, Maui Prep 3.00.