It’s that time of year again — athletic honors for the Hawaii school year.
The biggest prize for 2020-21 will be bestowed on 12 athletes with an induction into the Hawaii High School Hall of Honor. This year, the 12 honorees will be announced Monday.
Sadly, many athletes didn’t get to compete in their final spring season due to the COVID-19 outbreak and health crisis.
Each year, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association and its Hall of Honor committee members get together (on Zoom this year) to make 12 selections. There have been some illustrious winners who have gone on to college and pro sports fame. In recent years, the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and Central Florida quarterbacks McKenzie Milton and Dillon Gabriel have been picked to the Hall.
The first Hall class was 1983 and it included wrestling star Yoshi Honda, who is now a Punahou coach. Eventual major leaguer Mike Fetters was also in that class, while UH volleyball star Tita Ahuna (now an athletic director at Punahou) was in the 1984 class.
Some other big names through the years who made the Hall are a handful who became UH stars at quarterback, including Garrett Gabriel in 1986, John Hao (the current Castle head coach) in 1991, Glenn Freitas in 1992 and Timmy Chang in 2000.
Future major leaguer Benny Agbayani (now an ‘Iolani softball coach) was inducted in 1993, as was future pro golfer Parker McLachlin in 1997, future NFL safety Aaron Francisco in 2001, future NFL linebacker Jordon Dizon in 2004, future Heisman Trophy candidate and NFL linebacker Manti Te’o in 2009, and future NFL defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in 2012.
‘Iolani’s Elena Oglivie had a career strong enough to make the Hawaii High School Hall of Fame. Will she make it? You can find out Monday, and you can watch this ‘Iolani athletics video.
Unlike past years, there will be no dinner to honor the athletes. As usual, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser will be printing a four-page spread with stories and photos of all 12 Hall of Honor winners.
The HHSAA’s committee has been busy sifting through applications and will likely make its final decision this weekend before its announcement Monday.
The list of candidates is a closely guarded secret, but some of the top athletes who could be in the running (based on their athletic performances the last four years) include (and are not in any order): Waipahu running back Alfred Failauga, St. Francis/Kamehameha basketball player Kordel Ng, Kamehameha volleyball player Keonilei Akana, Punahou multi-sport athlete Legend Matautia, Lahainaluna wrestler Nanea Estrella, Kamehameha-Hawaii multi-sport athlete Chenoa Frederick, Saint Louis quarterback Jayden deLaura, Lahainaluna running back Joshua Tihada, Kamehameha track standout Tanner Moku, Kamehameha wrestlers Kysen Terukina and Paige Respicio, Punahou pole vaulter J. Kai Yamafuji, and ‘Iolani volleyball player Elena Oglivie.
