Over the years, the Punahou and Kamehameha paddling programs have developed a respectful, friendly relationship on land while engaging in fierce competition in the water.

That familiar rivalry continued Saturday at Ala Moana Beach Park, as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu outrigger canoe paddling championships in the girls, boys and mixed (three girls and three boys) divisions all came down to finishes between the Buffanblu and Warriors.

Crews braved calm, glassy ocean conditions and light, variable winds under a cloudless sky throughout the 51/2-mile course, which started at the channel marker just off Magic Island; ran toward Diamond Head to a buoy near the Waikiki "wall;" shifted Ewa bound, where crews rounded a buoy near Kewalo Basin; headed back to Ala Moana and finished in the channel adjacent to the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. Saturday’s event, the sixth and final of the regular season, featured races ranging in length from 3 to nearly 6 miles.

While the competition ruled the day, racing gave way to camaraderie as paddlers from all participating schools looked on in guarded optimism as one of Punahou’s student-athletes in the mixed division suffered what appeared to be a heat-related ailment. Punahou ended up winning the race in 45 minutes, 20 seconds despite crossing the line with five active paddlers.

Victoria Rooks could tell something was wrong with teammate Alyssa Basdavanos, who was situated right in front of her in the fifth seat, and the senior steerswoman told Basdavanos to lie down in the canoe to avoid injury.

The crew finished the race with all six members in the canoe, as required by rule, and after briefly relishing the victory, sprinted in to shore, where Basdavanos was treated by lifeguards, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.

"When we came around the turn (a few minutes away from the finish line), her timing was off. I told her to lie down in the boat," said Rooks, who was lauded by a firefighter and Punahou athletic director Jeaney Garcia for her quick decision. Rooks and Basdavanos were joined in the winning boat by Amy Bolan, Geoffrey Lewis, Griffin Saunders and Ethan Lewis.

Kamehameha, which finished 55 seconds behind Punahou in the mixed race, ended up in a tie with the Buffanblu atop the season standings (both squads won three races and finished second thrice). While the crews will both head to the state race, a two-team "race-off" is slated for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. along the same course to determine the overall champion.

The Warriors claimed the boys race in 44:32, and held off Punahou (45:06), Le Jardin (46:38) and Pac-Five (46:58). The victory marked the fifth win in six ILH competitions for Kamehameha.

"We got out quickly, we banged it out for the first four changes — power strokes. Our goal was to get a boat-length lead in front of everybody at the start, and we did," said Kamehameha steersman Solomon Souki, a senior who is guiding the Varsity I crew after leading the school’s Varsity II crew to victory last year. "We got ahead, then we got into our regular stroke rate and kept that pace. Nobody was able to catch us."

Souki was joined by Carter Lai, Kainalu Asam, Josiah Kala Burkett, Kendal Robins-Beers and Justen Kamalu-Grupen.

The Warriors girls also finished the season strong, and despite placing second (49:41) to Punahou (48:51), Kamehameha earned the ILH title with a 32-28 cumulative point standing over the Buffanblu. Punahou’s winning crew featured Kelsi Cottrell, Ellen Ashford, Helena Schaefer, Ally Mullen, Kanani D’Angelo and steerswoman Nicole Fong.

"Paddling is a very mental sport, and mentally, the girls really pushed it today," Fong said. "Kamehameha is so good with their mental and physical strength, too. We’re all best friends, and it’s nice to be friendly on land and competitive in the water."

In addition to notching the league titles and runner-up spots, all three Buffanblu and Warriors squads earned berths in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Paddling Championships, slated for Feb. 1 at Keehi Lagoon. The third-place finishers in the boys (Le Jardin Academy) and mixed (Mid-Pacific) divisions based on the season’s cumulative point standings also secured berths in the state races, while the third-place girls finisher (Pac-Five) might receive a state slot at a later date depending on the status of potential neighbor island league tiebreakers.

Now, advancing ILH crews must re-tool their training as they transition from long-distance races to the half-mile sprint format at states.

ILH PADDLING

Saturday
5.5 miles at Ala Moana Beach Park

Boys Varsity I: 1. Kamehameha (Solomon Souki, Carter Lai, Kainalu Asam, Josiah Kala Burkett, Kendal Robins-Beers and Justen Kamalu-Grupen), 44:32. 2. Punahou 45:06. 3. Le Jardin 45:45.

Boys Varsity II: 1. Kamehameha 46:20. 2. Punahou 47:45. 3. Mid-Pacific 49:47.

Boys JV I: 1. Punahou 44:11. 2. Kamehameha 46:37. 3. Le Jardin 48:31.

Boys JV II: 1. Punahou 48:12. 2. Le Jardin 49:19. 3. Saint Francis 50:56.

Varsity Mixed: 1. Punahou (Victoria Rooks, Alyssa Basdavanos, Amy Bolan, Geoffrey Lewis, Griffin Saunders and Ethan Lewis), 45:20. 2. Kamehameha 46:15. 3. Mid-Pacific 48:15.

Girls Varsity I: 1. Punahou (Kelsi Cottrell, Ellen Ashford, Helena Schaefer, Ally Mullen, Kanani D’Angelo and Nicole Fong), 48:51. 2. Kamehameha 49:41. 3. Pac-Five 50:12.

Girls Varsity II: 1. Punahou 51:00. 2. Kamehameha 53:52. 3. Saint Andrew’s Priory 56:59.

Girls JV I: 1. Punahou 51:11. 2. Kamehameha 51:36. 3. Pac-Five 54:11.

Girls JV II: 1. Punahou 54:00. 2. Kamehameha 54:40. 3. Pac-Five 54:54.