The Kalaheo boys canoe paddling team completed a sweep of the OIA season at Keehi Lagoon on Saturday, beating Kailua to the line in the 1-mile race by 3.99 seconds for their sixth win of the season in six races.

Because regular-season points were erased before the championship, Kalaheo’s dominant regular season meant little in the title race. One upside-down canoe and the Mustangs would have found themselves at home for the half-mile state championships in Hilo on Feb. 3.

But the pressure meant nothing to the Mustangs, who won the title the same way they won most of those races in the regular season. They did just enough, just as they had in the previous two regattas, when they beat rival Kailua by 1.72 seconds and 0.77 seconds. Even their long-distance races go to the end.

"They like it, all of the big races tend to be close," Kalaheo coach Julian Wicker said. "That’s just their style, they like to make it interesting. There is definitely a lot of competition here in the OIA. It’s good for the kids to get that push."

Zac Vollert, Mike Mitchell, Rayson Doo, Kekoa Borges, Nick Herrera and steersman Ula Holt did the paddling for Kalaheo.

Kalaheo and Kailua will be joined at states by Roosevelt, Kaiser, Waianae, Nanakuli and Leilehua. McKinley missed the state championships by 61⁄2 seconds, finishing eighth.

Kailua’s girls broke through with their first OIA championship since the sport was instituted in 2001, beating Kalaheo by nearly 18 seconds. But the Surfriders took a much different path to the championship than the Kalaheo boys.

While the Mustangs boast 12 varsity paddlers to choose from each week, and 25 in the program, the Kailua girls started the season with seven paddlers, including Makayla Berlier, who came over from the swim team and had never paddled. Now she is an OIA champion after the Surfriders’ sixth straight win.

"These girls have been incredible," Kailua coach Duane Samson said. "They all worked out all week, all season, and now they are OIA champions."

Kapolei came in third to earn a trip to Hawaii island, joined by Leilehua, Kalani and Waianae. McKinley was on the outside looking in, finishing seventh by a little more than a second. The OIA sends six girls crews to states and seven in the boys and mixed categories.

Alexis Wong, Kawehi Pedrina, Kalai Wilkinson, Kiani Cabral and Chassidy Nee joined Berlier on the boat.

With Kalaheo and Kailua splitting the boys and girls races, bragging rights came down to the varsity mixed competition. Kailua had finished the regular season with three straight wins and looked primed to make it four in a row.

But the Mustangs broke the tie with a mild upset, beating Kailua by 6 seconds, thanks to a flawless second turn to take the title for the fourth year in a row.

Doo and Herrera doubled up on OIA championships by paddling for the mixed after helping win the boys race. Ilima Sumida, Alex Gasparenas, Tiana Grant and Taylor Soldat rounded out the crew. Roosevelt, McKinley, Nanakuli, Moanalua and Castle all punched their tickets to states, with Waianae just missing out with an eighth-place finish.