Last June, 800 people attended a banquet in Waikiki to honor Hawai'i high school sports heroes. Four legends from the past, men ranging in age from their late 50s to their early 70s, shared center stage with 12 boys and girls who had just completed stellar high school athletic careers.
It was fitting that the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) chose to honor both the present and the past. High school sports in the 50th state have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, harkening to the days when Charley Wedemeyer whizzed by defenders in front of huge crowds at old Honolulu Stadium while playing for Punahou in the 1960s. In those days, high school athletes were local heroes, and the University of Hawai'i was an afterthought on the Hawai'i sports scene.
High school athletics in Hawai'i are regaining much of their appeal today. There are several reasons, says HHSAA Executive Director Keith Amemiya. "It's definitely on the upswing. You see a lot of talented athletes going to high school in Hawai'i and then achieving on the national scene in college and pro leagues."
As of last summer, Hawai'i high school products Tim Chang (Saint Louis), Aaron Francisco (Kahuku), Chris Kemoe'atu (Kahuku), Lui Fuga (Waipahu), and Chad Owens (Roosevelt) all had a chance to join 11 other NFL players who attended Hawai'i high schools.
Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz (Saint Louis) is the most acclaimed, with several Pro Bowl appearances. Owens was attempting to join three other local boys -- offensive linemen Vince Manuwai (Farrington) and Chris Naeole (Kahuku), and running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (Saint Louis) -- as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hawai'i has always been represented in the NFL, but never as much as in recent years. "The number one reason is better coaching from youth levels on up," says Amemiya. "There have always been good athletes from here, but the coaching keeps getting better and better. Also, our athletes are getting better exposure by traveling to tournaments on the Mainland and from Mainland teams coming here to play. That leads to college scholarships."
Hawai'i high school sports have recently enjoyed positive national media coverage. In 2004, USA Today did a feature story on football here, highlighting the intense prep competition. Last spring, Sports Illustrated ranked Punahou School's athletic program fourth among all 38,000 programs in the nation -- based on state championships, the number of athletes who went on to college, and international and professional competition.
"When you look at high school athletes, especially football, Hawai'i has really made strides," says Chris Lawlor, who covers high school sports for USA Today and has placed several local teams in the paper's national rankings. "The NFL has so many Hawai'i players, especially linemen. It's a trend these days, and it's becoming a tradition. You can see that it's becoming a hotbed of talent. There are areas where lots of kids who end up in the NFL come from, and Hawai'i is now one of them."
Hawai'i's dearth of professional sports teams makes the state's high school sports more important to casual fans, Lawlor says. "High school sports are emphasized more because there are no pro teams," he says. "And the high school programs are a tremendous feeder to the university. They are a major reason for UH's success."
Folks from Hawai'i have always been true to their high schools. When you ask someone from the Islands where they went to school, they will usually answer with the name of their high school, even if they went to college.
And it's not just football. Local boys Jerome Williams (Waipahu), Tyler Yates (Kaua'i), Mike Fetters (Iolani), Brandon League (Saint Louis), and Dane Sardinha (Kamehameha) appeared in major league baseball games within the past two seasons. And you don't have to go back much further, to pitcher Onan Masaoka (Honoka'a) and infielder Keith Luuloa (Moloka'i), for every Hawai'i high school league to have been represented in the majors.
Also, the 2004 Olympic Games provided a shining moment for a Castle High School alumnus. Bryan Clay became the first Hawai'i high school graduate to win a track and field medal at the games, when he took the silver in the decathlon -- the 10-event test of speed, stamina, strength and agility considered the ultimate test of athleticism. In August, Clay also won the decathlon title in the World Championships of Track and Field.
Hawai'i-produced athletes like Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (McKinley) and Stein Metzger (Punahou) have represented the state in Olympic volleyball. Kahuku graduate Natasha Kai could become the first in soccer; she is a veteran of the U.S. junior national team. Brian Ching (Kamehameha) is a star at pro soccer's highest level.
Hawai'i-grown athletes have benefited from the state's moderate climate; they can train all year in their sports. Amemiya says improved facilities are another factor. "They are getting better and better, like the soccer park in Waipio. National tournaments here are getting kids exposed to better levels of competition."
There's something else, though -- something that comes from inside, and that without, the rest wouldn't matter. "Hawai'i student athletes are prized by colleges because they're known for their toughness, hard work, and team-oriented outlook. Hawai'i athletes are known for a warrior-type mentality of never giving up," Amemiya says. "People from Hawai'i are known for having big hearts in that they are very generous, but also in the way of being very proud. I think because we are an island state in the middle of the ocean, we always feel we have to prove ourselves. Nobody wants to embarrass everyone back home."