LAHAINALUNA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL V. BALDWIN L 1-3 - September 9, 2014

Lahainaluna traveled to Wailuku to challenge the Baldwin Bears in girls volleyball. I had to work so I missed the first two sets of the JV match. I was able to shoot the 3^rd match which Lahainaluna won 15-12. They were down but rallied for the win.
 

  

 

The varsity team lost, but they took a set from Baldwin: 15-25, 14-25, 25-20, 20-25. They were down 15-12 in the 3^rd set then rallied with a significant run, sparked by August Guest’s spectacular serves. Galoia looked like she was having fun out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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LAHAINALUNA JV GIRLS VOLLEYBALL V. BALDWIN W 2-1 - September 9, 2014

Working up the road near the Court House, I was able to make it to Baldwin Gym in time to catch the JV girls’ 3^rd match against Baldwin. Since it was the third match, I assume they split the first two. Baldwin held an early lead but the Lady Lunas rallied to win it, 15-12. Keep up the good work, Ladies!

 

 

 

 

 

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LAHAINALUNA FOOTBALL V. BALDWIN W 42-7 – September 6, 2014

I must admit. I was nervous about this game. Baldwin was 0-2 after a stunning loss to Maui High last week. Baldwin, with their pride and pedigree, is definitely a dangerous team looking to avoid going 0-3. On our side, I wasn’t sure who was going to play. Connor Mowat and Danny Sulunga-Kahaialii were out for the Warrior game. Jared Rocha, Peni Taufa, Justin Hong, Ansen Cabanilla all left the Warrior game at halftime with injuries.

 

I was relieved to see Mowat back in uniform, moving well and very eager to play. Sulunga-Kahaialii, Hong and Cabanilla were still out, but Rocha and Taufa were back. Still, I was cautiously optimistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lahainaluna fumbled on its very first play and my worry-meter ramped back up again. But Mowat came back the next series , sacked the quarterback, forced a fumble and recovered it. The Lunas eventually scored with 4:53 left in the first quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Sione Filikitonga to Jared Rocha, with most of that yardage coming after the catch. The Lunas went on to score 3 touchdowns in the second quarter, with Filikitonga scoring two touchdowns on runs of 9 and 19 yards, and then connecting on a beautiful 29 yard pass to Tyran Ku’u Palea, who caught it while falling backwards into the endzone and hanging on to complete the catch. Lunas led 28-0 at the half.

 

 

 

 

Lahainaluna added a touchdown with 2:30 left in the third on Rocha’s 14 yard run and finished off their scoring when Josten Saribay went  around the left side on a 21 yard run, leaping over defenders and keeping his balance en route to the end zone, making it 42-0.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baldwin was able to score with 1:28 left in the game, when Ethan Oliveros made a great shoestring catching in the endzone despite being covered by Isaiah Biga-Rogers and Scott-Isaac Medeiros-Tangatailoa. Final score 42-7.

 

 

Next game is a big one against Maui High, who is undefeated and currently 9^th or 10^th ranked in the State in Division I. They likely have something to prove. I have no doubt the Lunas will rise to the challenge. Game time is Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.

 

NOTES:  The Lunas held Baldwin to 6 first downs and 95 yards total offense . . . On offense, the Lunas had 22 first downs, 352 yards of total offense (102 passing/250 rushing) . . . Filikitonga again threw for a high percentage with no interceptions. . . Lunas, however, had 6 fumbles of which they lost 3 . . . they will need to protect the ball and minimize turnovers against Maui High next week . . . I used my GoPro on a little tripod to record the Alma Mater, which was performed beautifully by the team, led by “conductors” Connor Mowat and Brandon Kaina . . . I think I found my camera gear combination for the rest of the season. The Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 is perfect on my full frame Nikon D600. At its true focal length, I did not miss out on as many shots as I would have had the lens been on my DX crop sensor Nikon D7000 (focal length would have been 180-450mm) . . . I also stuck my Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 on my Nikon D7000 which I attached to my shoulder strap. Because it was on the DX crop sensor, it was more of a 27-52mm lens and I could still get good close up shots without it being too distorted or fisheyed. . . The 1.8 aperture also helped get better shots of the crowd, which would normally be  dark and noisy even with a 2.8. . . Ariana was using my D7000 with the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8. Unfortunately, I forgot to adjust her camera settings after the sun went down and many of her shots were shot at below 1/400^th of a second shutter speed. As a result, many of the action shots were blurry. Otherwise, she continues to demonstrate a great eye for composition and capturing compelling moments . . . Love those White uniform with red stripes . . . the photos really pop out with the white, as opposed to teams with their dark colored uniforms … next week should be a very RED-WHITE-and BLUE game with the red Lunas versus the Blue Sabers.

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LAHAINALUNA JV FOOTBALL V. BALDWIN L 0-21 – September 6, 2014

Lahainaluna lost a tough one to Baldwin 21-0 in JV football.  The boys from Baldwin just appeared to be much bigger than their counterparts from Lahaina across the board. On offense, Lahainaluna was not able to really muster up any big plays. Defensively, the boys played tough, but Baldwin made some big plays to score. Baldwin’s first score came after some miscommunication in the defensive backfield that left a huge gap. Baldwin was able to snap the ball as the defender was running across the field to get into position and the pass went right to that gap for the touchdown. The second touchdown came right after a Lahainaluna interception. On the first play of the ensuing possession, the Baldwin QB went deep and the receiver made a great catch and fought through the tackle for a touchdown. Likewise, Baldwin’s final touchdown was a heartbreaker. The Bear QB released the ball just as he was getting sacked. In the end zone, the Baldwin receiver was able to win the jump ball over two Lahainaluna defenders and came down with the ball for the touchdown.

Not sure I can remember the last time a Lahainaluna football team was shut out. I am sure they will bounce back and give a better showing next time.

 

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LAHAINALUNA BOWLING – September 6, 2014

Back to the dungeon known as the Maui Bowling Center to shoot (or try to shoot) Lahainaluna’s bowling team in action. They have a different coach this year and I was not sure who came out. Last year I learned the best time to come in to shoot was during warm-ups, when the Bowling Center leaves the light on above the bowlers. So I got there at 2pm before the 2:30pm start. The Bowling Center attendant recognized me right away and let me go where I needed to go. I was only able to shoot for about 5 minutes before they started the matches, but I must’ve lost 5 pounds in sweat along the side of the alley! Was so hot! I wasn’t able to get the best shots, and they are grainy as heck because I had to boost up the ISO to 6400 but it will do for now. Looks like Ennah Cabading and Brenna Dudoit Vasquez were having fun. 

 

 

 

 

 

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