Voters gave Kamehameha some grace with six out of 10 first-place votes this week. The Warriors sandwiched a loss to suddenly hot Saint Louis between wins over Damien and Mid-Pacific.
Kamehameha is in sole possession of first place in the ILH at 7-1 (21-5 overall).
The Warriors are one point ahead of Mililani, which has three first-place votes after wins over Campbell, 7-0, and Leilehua, 5-2. Mililani is 6-0 in the OIA West (17-6 overall).
Aforementioned Saint Louis has won three in a row since losing to Damien on March 22. The Crusaders stifled Mid-Pacific 6-1, then outscored Kamehameha 16-10 and stymied ‘Iolani 18-8 in six innings on Saturday.
With ILH title contenders knee-capping each other in a rugged schedule, neighbor island teams have surged. The middle of the rankings are occupied by Kamehameha-Hawaii and Kamehameha-Maui in a tie at No. 4, Baldwin at No. 6 and Maui at No. 7.
Kaiser (12-4, 5-1 OIA East) returned to the Top 10 at No. 8 after wins over Roosevelt and Castle. The Cougars were No. 6 in early March, but dropped out of the rankings after a loss at Kailua. They host Kalani on Wednesday and No. 9 Kailua on Saturday.
Former Saint Louis coach George Gusman has enjoyed the view as a spectator in the wild ILH, where three teams will qualify for the Division I state championships.
“There seems to be some separation occurring in the ILH. Kamehameha, Saint Louis and Punahou are those teams. Pitching is what will determine who advances,” Gusman said. “It’s not about how hard the pitchers throw, but more of them throwing strikes. Walks are killing teams trying to win games. Hang on to your hat for the next several weeks.”
From the gridiron to the mat
Moanalua junior Zaira Sugui heads to the USMC Women’s National Wrestling Championships in Spokane, Wash., this week. The two-time HHSAA champion hasn’t stopped training even in the midst of flag football season.
Sugui will miss Moanalua’s games against Anuenue (Wednesday) and McKinley (Friday). She has passed for 666 yards and 14 touchdowns in two OIA games. For the season, Sugui has passed for 1,592 yards and 32 TDs with four interceptions. These statistics cover seven of Moanalua’s eight games. The numbers for the game with Nanakuli are not available.
Star-Advertiser Baseball Top 10
Monday, Mar. 31, 2025
Rank School (1st) (record) Pts LW
1. Kamehameha (21-5, 7-1 ILH) (6) 94 1
> def. Mid-Pacific, 18-3, 5 inn.
> next: vs. ‘Iolani, Monday, Mar. 31, 3:30 p.m. (Hans)
> next: vs. Maryknoll, Thursday, Apr. 3, 3:30 p.m. (CORP)
2. Mililani (17-6, 6-0 OIA) (3) 93 2
> won at Leilehua, 5-2
> next: vs. Aiea, Thursday, Apr. 3, 3 p.m.
3. Saint Louis (10-5-1, 5-3 ILH) 67 9
> def. No. 10 ‘Iolani, 18-8, 6 inn.
> next: vs. Punahou, Tuesday, Apr. 1, 3:30 p.m., CORP
4. (tie) KS-Hawaii (11-0-2, 5-0-1 BIIF) 62 5
> def. Konawaena, 7-3
> next: at Waiakea, Tuesday, Apr. 1, 3 p.m.
4. (tie) Kamehameha-Maui (10-3-1, 5-1) (1) 62 8
> def. Lahainaluna, 12-2, 6 inn.
> next: vs. Maui, Thursday, Apr. 3, MIL, Iron Maehara
6. Baldwin (7-7-1, 4-2 MIL) 38 6
> bye
> next: vs. Lahainaluna, Thursday, Apr. 3, MIL, Iron Maehara
7. Maui (10-5-1, 4-2 MIL) 33 3
> lost to King Kekaulike, 6-4
> next: vs. KS-Maui, Thursday, Apr. 3, 5:45 p.m., Iron Maehara
8. Kaiser (12-4, 5-1 OIA) 24 NR
> won at Castle, 12-2, 5 inn.
> next: vs. Kalani, Wednesday, Apr. 2, 3 p.m., OIA
9. Kailua (6-8-1, 4-2 OIA) 17 7
> lost at Moanalua, 2-0
> next: at Castle, Wednesday, Apr. 2, 3 p.m., OIA
10. Damien (10-8-1, 5-2 ILH) 16 4
> lost to Pac-Five, 3-2
> next: at Mid-Pacific, Tuesday, Apr. 1, 3:30 p.m., ILH
No longer in Top 10: ‘Iolani (No. 10).
Also receiving votes: Pac-Five 14, Waiakea 13, Punahou 11, ‘Iolani 3, Moanalua 2, Waianae 1.
