Kahuku’s water polo legacy is built around players in the pool and those who came before them.
The Red Raiders continued their dominance Saturday afternoon, winning their seventh straight OIA championship with an 8-6 win over Roosevelt at the Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center. The Red Raiders have won all but one title since the OIA sanctioned the sport in 2003.
“We definitely felt the pressure to win this game and to uphold the legacy that not only the girls I’ve played with have given me, but the alumni,” said Kahuku’s Indie Pyzel. “It’s a Kahuku thing.”
The lone senior on the team, Pyzel scored three goals to help Kahuku (14-1) hold off numerous rallies by Roosevelt (14-1). Alumni return and assist the program, and players feel the love from them and the community.
“Kahuku is all about football, but our program is so full of people who care and people who want to help,” Pyzel said. “So many alumni come back and help us and make us better and push us to be better. It’s really amazing to have so many people care about what you do and want to help you be the best you can be.
“That’s why we have such a successful program, because so many people in the community care, so many alumni care. There’s so much love going into the program.”
Roosevelt closed to 7-6 with 2:08 left in the match on Tristyn Oki’s goal, but Izzy Walker responded with a goal for Kahuku. She just beat the shot clock, rolling into the goal with 1:31 remaining. It was Walker’s second goal of the game and the lead was enough to hold off the Rough Riders.
“That was definitely necessary,” Pyzel said.
Roosevelt rallied throughout the match, cutting the deficit to one whenever Kahuku opened up a lead. Roosevelt trailed 3-0 after the first quarter, but closed to 3-2 midway through the second.
Pyzel scored two goals in the third quarter to extend Kahuku’s lead to 6-3. Her second goal came after she stole the ball and brought it down the pool for a goal with 2:41 remaining.
Taylor Brooks’ backhanded shot and Rayna Miranda’s goal on a power play helped Roosevelt cut the deficit to 6-4 with 1:56 left.
“We never felt that at any point — even to the last second, we never felt down or anything,” said Brooks, who led Roosevelt with three goals. “Even if we were down by five goals. We played against Kaiser during the season, got down by five and ended up beating them by two in the last quarter. Being down by three, there wasn’t a point in time where we felt down or a lack of confidence. We still felt it could be ours.”
Roosevelt edged Kahuku 6-5 in their regular-season meeting, a loss that gave the Red Raiders a perspective on the program’s tradition.
“It makes you want it more,” Pyzel said. “Especially for the young girls coming in, they understand the Kahuku legacy is not something that’s like we’re from Kahuku, this is how it is. You have to work for it.”
Punahou gets top seed
Punahou is the top seed for the state water polo championship at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. Kahuku is seeded second, Kamehameha-Hawaii is seeded third and Lahainaluna is fourth. All seeded teams receive a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals.
The first round begins Wednesday with Roosevelt taking on Waialua, followed by Kapolei-Baldwin, Hawaii Prep-Kaiser and Kamehameha-Kalani.
