By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Her first name may be difficult to pronounce, but her accomplishments are easy to recognize.

Kahuku junior Zhane Santiago is the premier hurdler in the state, bursting on the scene as a freshman, winning the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. She repeated as 100-meter state champion last season, dropping out of the 300 because of injury.

She also won the state triple jump the past two seasons.

Even with the amount of medals she collected over the years, announcers, supporters and fans are still having a hard time correctly pronouncing her name.

“I got used to it over time; if people call me the wrong name, I just answer to it,” Santiago said. “I’ve heard Zane, Zahane, Shane, and Za-ne, and that’s close enough.”

The first part the name — Zha — is pronounced Jha. Sort of like combining the “shhh” sound and Ja. The second part — ne — is pronounced nay.

Her last name is more familiar. As are her bloodlines.

Honolulu Advertiser
By Wes Nakama

‘Iolani School sophomore Lorens Chan and Kamehameha junior Michael Fan added another chapter to one of Hawai’i’s budding golf rivalries yesterday, with Chan defeating Fan in a one-hole playoff for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship.

Chan, the defending state champ, two-putted for par on Waialae Country Club’s No. 1 hole after Fan’s 35-foot par putt from the fringe hit the pin and bounced a couple feet away.

“It’s good to get this off my list,” said Chan, who at age 15 already has played in the PGA’s Sony Open and won the Hawai’i State Amateur Stroke Play and Oahu Country Club Men’s Invitational Championships. “It’s been a roller coaster season, but I’ve been lucky to play well the last two weeks.”

Chan, Fan and Punahou senior Bradley Shigezawa were in a tight battle on the back nine yesterday, until Shigezawa had a double bogey on No. 17 and a bogey on 18 to fall into third place. Chan, meanwhile, birdied 17 to take a one-stroke lead but Fan made birdie on 18 to force the playoff.

Fan shot a 3-under 68 in last week’s first round at OCC, while Chan opened with a 70. Yesterday, Chan finished at 1-over 71 while Fan shot 73.

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Pearl City High School senior Chace Numata helped the Chargers win their fourth straight O’ahu Interscholastic Association baseball championship last weekend with his arm, glove and bat.

But especially his arm.

Numata, a shortstop/closer, wowed fans at Patsy Mink Central O’ahu Regional Park and a statewide TV audience with a stunning display of strength in his right throwing arm.

In Friday’s 3-2 semifinal victory over Mililani, Numata made four assists in the first three innings, firing laser-beam throws to first base to retire each of the top four batters in the Trojans’ order.

With Pearl City clinging to a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning, Numata came on in relief of his brother, Chevas, with one out and runners on first and second.

The children at the 432-student school roared when representatives of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation presented Souza with a gigantic check yesterday that will fund a two-story building she hopes will open as early as January or February.

At St. Francis, 99 percent of the students are involved in music, sports or both, Souza said.

Freshman Heidi Acuna, 14, currently has to stand in a crowded line in the band room to get to her trumpet, a process that delays the start of music practice a good 10 minutes.

Blayne Won, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, lifts weights for the football, basketball and track teams on a makeshift outdoor weight area that sits on a concrete slope, exposed to the sun and elements.

Because there are no showers, lockers or bathrooms for athletes, Won and his teammates have to change for practice and games in the athletic director’s office and use the undersized sink and toilets in the elementary school.

After each practice and game, Won has to wait until he gets home to ‘Aiea to take a shower.

With the grant from the Ching Foundation, Won said, “We’ll have the space to work out and compete with the bigger teams. And I won’t have to go home to take a shower.”

Since 2008, the Ching Foundation has committed about $34 million to schools, charities and other nonprofit organizations in Hawai’i, according to the foundation’s president, Steve Gilley.

At St. Francis, plans call for a two-story, 30-by-100-foot building to be built on the lower campus, right next to the school’s Ahuna Troubadome, a semi-permanent structure that houses St. Francis’ indoor basketball court.

The ground floor of the new building will include the athletic director’s office and a training room, weight room and showers, bathrooms and locker rooms for the girls’ and boys’ teams.

The upstairs will be used as meeting/study space and for Mary Ann Llamedo’s music, choir and show-choir programs.

“Of course, we’re ecstatic,” Llamedo said yesterday in her music room, which was stuffed with instruments and music stands.

Once it’s finished, the new building will be one of the biggest on the 11-acre campus.

Athletic director Sal Batoon has been making due with the spartan resources he inherited at St. Francis after moving over from Chaminade University two years ago.

Batoon put a tarp over an empty, outdoor concrete area and sanded and repainted rusted equipment to create a weight “room” that has only one bench sturdy enough to handle serious weight.

He turned an old closet in the elementary school building into the school’s training room. And, since there’s no other option, Batoon happily gives up his office so the players can use it as a locker room.

Souza is also spending $80,000 to buy the basketball floor used in this year’s college Final Four in Indianapolis, which will be used in the Troubadome, along with portable baskets from the Dallas Mavericks, Batoon said.

A golf tournament is scheduled for June 18 at the Hawai’i Kai Golf Course to raise money for weights and other equipment for the athletic building, Batoon said.

With or without new gear for the new building, Batoon tells the students of St. Francis that it’s unimportant to focus on the things they lack.

“We don’t make excuses for what we don’t have,” Batoon said, as Won nodded his head in agreement. “We may not have a lot of things. But we can still make a major impact.”

By Star-Bulletin staff
Go to Article!

Campbell pitchers Charles Kaalekahi and Eddie Gascon combined to shut out Castle in a 6-0 Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoff victory.

Kaalekahi went six innings and Gascon finished up in the seventh. They limited the Knights to four hits.

Catcher Chadwick Kaalekehi led the way at the plate for the host Sabers with a triple and an RBI. Avery Marquez went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Robert Kahana doubled and drove in a run.

Campbell advanced to play Kailua in the semifinals today at Central Oahu Regional Park. The Surfriders bombed Kaiser 18-6 yesterday.

In other OIA Red playoff games yesterday, Pearl City knocked off Moanalua 4-1 and Mililani edged Roosevelt 7-4.

In the White Conference, Waipahu drubbed McKinley 11-1 and Kahuku tripped Waialua 10-7.

The OIA Red and White tournaments continue today and conclude tomorrow.

OIA BASEBALL
Championship tourney

Saturday
Red Conference final at Central Oahu Regional Park
» Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
White Conference final at Central Oahu Regional Park
» Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

 
CAMPBELL 6, CASTLE 0
Castle     000     000     0     —     0     4     3
Campbell     001     131     X     —     6     8     0

Keola Jarrett, Robert Fram (7) and Brede Kochi. Charles Kaalekahi, Eddie Gascon (7) and Chadwick Kaalekahi. W–Kaalekahi. L–Jarrett.
Leading hitters–Cast: Jarrett 2-3. Camp: Kaalekahi 3b; Robert Kahana 2b; Avery Marquez 2-3.

 
MILILANI 7, ROOSEVELT 4
Mililani     001     020     4     —     7     5     3
Roosevelt     011     000     2     —     4     4     6

Cody Mark, Mikey Asamura (7) and Kacey Miyasato. Kamau and Fuchigami. W–Mark. L–Kamau.
Leading hitters–Mil: Chad Bolibol 2-3; Shanztyn Agbayani 3b. Roos: Hamasaki HR.

Also
Kailua 18, Kaiser 6
Pearl City 4, Moanalua 1

OIA WHITE
WAIPAHU 11, MCKINLEY 1
McKinley           000     001     —     1     4     2
Waipahu           004     043     —     11     11     2

Vincent Hong and Randell Cardano. Johnathan Igara and Aldren Padilla. W–Igara. L–Hong.
Leading hitters–McK: Tyron Okano 2-3. Waip: Jarren Abreu 2-3; Sam Chee 2-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Edward Agag 2-4, 2 RBIs, HR, 2b; Chayne Espanique 3-4, 2 2bs, 2 RBIs; Jerry Tanupo HR, 3 RBIs.

JOSHUA CHRISTENSEN–
Kahuku High School Tennis Player