The versatility of Punahou’s outrigger canoe paddling program can be traced back to coach Rocky Higgins’ notion that paddlers should carry a “full quiver of arrows” to handle any race length and conditions.
The Buffanblu hit the bullseye as the boys and mixed squads won their programs’ ninth and sixth state championships, while the Kamehameha girls notched their 10th state crown at the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA State Paddling Championships on Saturday at Keehi Lagoon.
Punahou’s boys navigated the ½-mile course in a blistering 3 minutes, 28.77 seconds to set the state championship record. The crew of Matias Durkin, Sebastian Ako, John “Jack” Kilpatrick, Stryker Scales, Spencer Niemann and Merrick Hemmings made the successful transition from the long-distance Interscholastic League of Honolulu season to the state championship sprint format and led wire to wire to best Kalaheo (3:41.24), Seabury Hall (3:42.81), ‘Iolani (3:44.49) and Kamehameha (3:47.24).
“We’re stoked to be here, and a huge thanks goes out to Coach Rocky because we definitely couldn’t have done this without him,” said Hemmings, a senior who was the winning steersman for Punahou’s boys and mixed teams. “Now it’s up to this brotherhood (of underclassmen) to keep the culture going and train hard together.”
Higgins said that the boys squad gave him a lei before the race in part to apologize for being so kolohe (rascal) during the season, and the coach was proud of his team for focusing in with its record-setting performance.
“I really have to thank all the club coaches because we are blessed that so many of our kids come from strong club programs, and we do the best we can to get them to dial in, blend and believe in each other,” Higgins said. “A good paddler is going to jump into any boat and adapt to what’s going on, and we’ve had a great group of seniors — some rascals who have been challenging; They know they’re good, but they’re learning to be humble, get stronger and faster, and it all paid off.”
Punahou’s mixed crew of Mehana Paul, Indigo Clark, Hazel Campbell, Sebastian Ako, Stryker Scates and Hemmings managed the closest championship final race of the day to finish in 3:56.13 and fend off Seabury Hall (4:00.40), Waimea (4:01.10), Kamehameha (4:13.17) and Kalaheo (4:15.61).
“It’s been really fun and I’m proud of our team. I love the friendships we’ve made because that keeps us together,” said Campbell, a sophomore.
The Warriors were guided by first-year head coach Kalani Irvine, who benefitted from a veteran staff of assistants that included Kamehameha Paddling Program Coordinator Kehau Meyer (four state titles as a head coach) and volunteer coach Rose “Aunty Rosie” Lum (five state championships as the program’s first head coach). Meyer explained that the new coaching hierarchy with Mike Lum (Rose Lum’s son) serving as overall head coach for the program let the coaches work together to create the “unhinged monsters” that won gold.
Kamehameha’s crew of Kana‘iaulani Aweau-Savusa, Tessia Mauai, Halia Sniffen, Mailelauli‘iokalani Brown, Sarah Sataraka and Bethani Kaleleiki crossed the line in 4:14.55 and held off the second wave of competitors led by Punahou (4:21.24), Seabury Hall (4:21.48), ‘Iolani (4:24.78) and Island School (4:28.13).
“We set our technique early in the year and these girls are dynamite; they did everything we asked them to do, followed the race plan and executed,” Irvine said. “It’s never easy, but with the coaching staff we have, we’ve been developing a lot of young talent to take the place of our senior-laden crew this year and got them to buy into what we’re building.”
The races were delayed by an hour as competitors, officials and supporters braved a heavy downpour coupled with lightning and thunder. Officials waited for the storm to pass to ensure any signs of lightning were far enough away and to clear large debris in the lagoon that entered the course.
To make up for lost time, the rest periods between each race were shortened to get the event back on schedule as some squads needed to catch flights in the early evening to their home islands.
The competition featured two preliminary and two semifinal heats in each class, with the top two finishers from each race advancing to the finals. It was advantageous to finish in the top two in the prelims, as those teams moved straight to the championship finals and were able to rest as others raced in the semis; all three championship teams followed this shorter path.
Six-person teams competed on a ½-mile course with two ¼-mile segments and a turn.
The sprint format made for intriguing finishes down the stretch.
Higgins told the Star-Advertiser that he is considering stepping down from his post and letting the next wave of coaches continue the Buffanblu dynasty.
“Our paddlers challenge themselves because they know who came before them, and they want to do better and go faster,” Higgins said. “I have some great young coaches, and they don’t want me to go, so I may consider stepping back and supervising them to start passing that torch.”
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Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA State Paddling Championships
At Keehi Lagoon
Varsity Girls
1. Kamehameha 04:14.55
2. Punahou 04:21.24
3. Seabury Hall 04:21.48
4. ’Iolani 04:24.78
5. Island School 04:28.13
6. Lahainaluna 04:38.16
7. Kamehameha-Maui 04:46.45
8. Hilo 04:49.76
Winning Team: Kana’iaulani Aweau-Savusa, Tessia Mauai, Halia Sniffen, Mailelauliiokalani Brown, Sarah Sataraka, Bethani Kaleleiki (Kahikiniui Delo, Mehana Silva, Wailea Daniels, Faith Brandt)
Varsity Boys
1. Punahou 03:28.77
2. Kalaheo 03:41.24
3. Seabury Hall 03:42.81
4. Iolani 03:44.49
5. Kmehameha 03:47.24
6. Kapaa 03:49.70
7. Kamehameha-Hawaii 03:52.91
8. Anuenue 03:54.59
Winning Team: Brody Badham, Merrick Hemmings, Charlie Kettley, John Kilpatrick, Aka Pietsch, Nicholas Johnston (Sebastian Ako, Matias Durkin, Spencer Niemann, Stryker Scales)
Mixed Varsity
1. Punahou 03:56.13
2. Seabury Hall 04:00.40
3. Waimea 04:01.10
4. Kamehameha 04:13.17
5. Kalaheo 04:15.61
6. Keaau 04:22.07
7. Kamehameha-Maui 04:24.13
8. Kapolei 04:33.81
Winning Team: Mehana Paul, Indigo Clark, Hazel Campbell, Sebastian Ako, Stryker Scates, Merrick Hemmings (Kanoelani Sills, Tiare Terry, Liloa Stowell, John Kilpatrick)
An earlier version of this story misidentified the Punahou paddlers that won the boys state title on Saturday.
