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2017-18 MIL Athletes of the Year: Chayce Akaka

Bears’ do-it-all star earned MIL first-team honors in football, basketball and baseball

Chayce Akaka earned his third straight MIL Offensive Player of the Year award in football, was a first-team MIL All-Star selection in basketball and was a consensus all-state pick after helping the Baldwin baseball team win the Division I state championship. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

The names that pop up when Chayce Akaka is in the discussion are legendary for Baldwin High School.

From Jason Lopez and Ray Wilhelm in the early 1990s to Keelan Ewaliko and Laakea Kahoohanohano-Davis in recent years, Akaka was Maui Interscholastic League royalty before graduating last month.

A look at eye-popping numbers show why Akaka is the clear choice as The Maui News MIL Boy Athlete of the Year for 2017-18.

“It hits me hard, I never really thought it would happen like that,” Akaka said while sitting at a picnic table at Puuohala Park on Tuesday. “I’d like to thank my dad (Jason Akaka) for pushing me the whole time. I’d like to thank my brother Taje — he’s my No. 1 supporter. And my little brother (Quintan) as well, the one who looks up to me and I try to be a role model for him.”

As a senior, Akaka earned his third straight nod from the coaches as MIL Offensive Player of the Year as the Bears quarterback and was a first-team MIL All-Star in basketball. Then he reached the baseball diamond.

As a third baseman and lead-off hitter, he hit .478 (22-for-46) with four doubles, a triple, 13 RBIs and 14 runs against MIL competition. He showed his speed by going 6-for-6 in stolen-base attempts.

At the state tournament, he was 4-for-9 with six runs and an RBI at the plate. He capped the Bears’ state championship by inducing a double-play grounder on the only batter he faced on the mound to finish a 14-4 win over Waiakea.

“He gets to be put in the category with the Jason Lopezes, the Shane Victorinos, the Ray Wilhelms — guys that were multi-talented in multiple sports,” Baldwin baseball coach Shane Dudoit said. “Guys that could throw a team on their shoulders and say, ‘Let’s go brah,’ and make a difference.

“As far as a multi-sport athlete, he’s a special kind of guy.”

Akaka recently changed his course for college, dropping the idea of football at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif., for baseball at national junior college power Yavapai College in Arizona.

Chayce Akaka played basketball this season after sitting out his junior year.

Can he become a draft-worthy player with success at Yavapai?

“I say most definitely, because he was never able to commit to baseball because he was doing the other sports,” Dudoit said.

Akaka was one of nine Bears on the MIL All-Star first team, a consensus all-state selection and one of four Baldwin players on the all-tournament team at state.

After his interview on Tuesday, Akaka walked down the street to the Hoopii-Tuionetoa house even though his lifelong friend and teammate Bubba Hoopii-Tuionetoa was in Florida preparing for professional baseball with the Minnesota Twins, who drafted him in the 16th round two weeks ago.

Hoopii-Tuionetoa verbally committed to Yavapai before he was drafted.

“Looking up to Bubba, I never really thought he would make it that far, but I look at it as, ‘He has it all,’ “ Akaka said. “It has actually changed my decision a lot. He would say: ‘If I can do it Chayce, you can do it.’ Hopefully I can make it just like him.”

In football, Akaka finished his three-year career with 50 touchdown passes and was responsible for 73 touchdowns — both league records. He passed for 3,552 yards and ran for 1,799.

As a senior, he had 19 touchdown passes against eight interceptions. He led the league with 804 yards rushing, which included eight touchdowns. He also led the league in scoring with 65 points on 10 touchdowns, a two-point conversion and three extra points. He caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and also returned a kick for a score.

He led a Baldwin offense in 2017 that averaged 393.8 yards per game. Akaka was directly responsible for 2,035 of the Bears’ 3,150 offensive yards.

Wilhelm was the Bears’ quarterback for three seasons and the starting point guard for four. Ewaliko was the first three-time MIL Player of the Year ever as the Baldwin quarterback before a four-year career at the University of Hawaii.

“I’ve known Ray and I’ve known Keelan, and (Akaka) is right at the top of that list as well,” Baldwin football coach Pohai Lee said. “Just an all-around athlete, three-sporter, and I’m sure he could do other sports, too, if he wanted to and I’m sure he could do well. Definitely, one of the best athletic talents to come around in the past few years.”

Baldwin basketball coach Cody Tesoro was happy to see Akaka come out for basketball after sitting out his junior year.

A promise to teammate Mochi Dukelow, whose father Kealii Dukelow passed away in 2013 at the age of 42, was a major reason why Akaka decided to play basketball. Kealii Dukelow, another Baldwin legend whose picture is in the trophy case in the front of the Jon Garcia Gymnasium, coached both boys in their younger days.

“He’s a special athlete, he’s a special kid,” Tesoro said of Akaka. “Some of the things he does on the field of football and baseball and the things I’ve seen him do on the basketball court, it’s spectacular. It’s like once-in-a-generational kind of player.

“The thing about Chayce, he’s a gamer, he’s a winner. He’s the best player on the team, yet he’s the one getting dirty, diving on the floor, selling out, putting his body on the line. For someone who’s the best player to do that, it’s unbelievable. It was a great pleasure to coach him — I got to see first-hand how good and how special of a kid he is.”

Akaka’s football and basketball seasons both fell short of state tournaments, but the baseball season was special, ending with an unprecedented No. 8 finish in the USA Today Super 25 national rankings.

One more eye-opening number: Akaka doesn’t turn 18 until December.

“It was pretty great for the ending of my senior year,” Akaka said. “The beginning of the year wasn’t so good, but towards the end it was just real heartwarming to see. What happened there was great to see for me.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

MIL Boys Athletes of the Year

1990-91–Jason Lopez, Baldwin

1991-92–Kalei Awai, St. Anthony

1992-93–Ray Wilhelm, Baldwin

1993-94–Carlton Okamoto, Baldwin

1994-95–Buddy Perry, Lahainaluna

1995-96–Robert Kemfort, Maui High

1996-97–Bubba McLean, St. Anthony

1997-98–Jansen Medeiros, Lahainaluna

1998-99–Shane Victorino, St. Anthony

2000-01–Kawika Kahui, Baldwin

2001-02–Ikaika Neizman, Lahainaluna, and Kainoa Casco, Lahainaluna

2002-03–Akamu Aki, Baldwin

2003-04–J.J. Eno, Baldwin

2004-05–Bulla Tuzon, Baldwin

2005-06–Tye Perdido, Seabury Hall

2006-07–Manu Adolpho, Molokai

2007-08–Lake Casco, Lahainaluna

2008-09–Reid Hunter, King Kekaulike, and Mana Rosa, Baldwin

2009-10–Brock Shishido, Baldwin

2010-11–Pasoni Tasini, Baldwin

2011-12–Pasoni Tasini, Baldwin

2012-13–Keelan Ewaliko, Baldwin

2013-14–David Rapanot, Molokai

2014-15–Thomas Rosen-St. John, Lahainaluna

2015-16–Laakea Kahoohanohano-Davis, Baldwin

2016-17–Micah Jio, Maui High

2017-18–Chayce Akaka, Baldwin

Note: No winner selected in 1999-2000

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