Hawaii high school players have their day on signing day

The alarm on Loren Owan’s phone rang at 4 am sharp

“I told myself I’d sleep another five minutes,” said the Leilehua shortstop. “Then my dad came in and said, ‘You need to wake up,’ around 4:30.”

This is another facet of fatherly love. Owan and his parents, sister and grandparents moved from Central Oahu to the Howard Hughes Corporation building courtyard on Wednesday to join two dozen other families for the National Letter of Intent signing ceremony hosted by Education 1st.

The extensive excavations on an overcast but dry morning provided a memory for life.

“It’s pretty good to represent Leilehua and what the mules are about,” said Owan, who signed with Bethel College, Minnesota. “I want to study economics and do something with sports or just a well-paying job so I can live comfortably.”

Campus Bethel in St. Paul feels like home.

“I took the tour at Bethel and I really like how close-knit the church is. People said hello to you. You didn’t even know her. You just feel welcome,” said Owan, who has a 3.8 grade point average. “I also like how safe the campus is. There is security at every entrance. I also love that the baseball team has a winning heritage, so I really wanted to be a part of it.”

“Thank you to all my coaches who have helped me through this process and thank you to my parents who have sacrificed a lot of time and money, especially this morning,” he said.

Two Moanalua baseball players signed their letters. Outfielder Rylan Li finalized his plan to play at North Park University (Illinois). Middle infielder Shayde Koga signed with George Fox.

“There were a few other schools, but the coaches (in North Park) were a lot more proactive. I like the coaches very much,” said Li, who has a 3.95 grade point average. “I want to go into physical therapy, so I’m looking for kinesiology or exercise science. It’s motivation and discipline. It stays consistent with hard work. The passion and love for the game also motivated me a lot.”

Koga may have worn the most lei at the signing ceremony.

“The coaches are personable and their philosophy about baseball can really help me develop as a player,” said Koga, who wants to study biology.

“(George Fox) is a Christian school. They have compulsory mass lessons,” he said. “I want to be a dentist or orthodontist. I really like helping people.”

Pacific University (Ore.) scored with two baseball signers: Punahou pitcher Trent Nagamine and Mid-Pacific catcher outfielder Nathaniel Wagner.

“The coaches made me feel at home. It’s a great academic school and I love the facilities too,” said Nagamine, who has a 3.6 grade point average. “I’m not sure yet, but I could study kinesiology or economics.”

Wagner wore a classic red boxer cap. The “B” resembles the Boston Red Sox font.

“It feels like a home away from home and there’s a big connection to Hawaii. I can imagine playing there for the next four years,” he said.

Wagner majors in kinesiology.

“Over the years, minor injuries and physical therapy, it just hit me to consider this as a job,” he said.

Punahou linebacker GianCarlo Rufo signed with Georgetown.

“I wasn’t even aware of them until they approached me. I was very surprised and excited to be given the opportunity at the Division I level and still get a great education. I paid an official visit a few weeks ago,” Rufo said. “It was beautiful. Everything is close together on campus. It’s a 15-minute bus ride from the White House.”

He hopes to major in business.

Rufo was a Star Advertiser All-State selection and has gained 10 pounds of muscle since football season. He is now 6 feet, 2 inches and 218 pounds.

“They also play in Ivy League schools,” he said. “Just a huge thank you to all my coaches and teammates since the Kalani Falcons Pop Warner days.”

Punahou water polo standout Kawehi Kauahi is en route to Loyola Marymount.

“I knew the coach from before. He coached my sister here in Punahou,” Kauahi said of Lions coach Ikaika Aki. “He really inspired me to push for DI.”

She plans to specialize in business entrepreneurship.

“I’m hoping to possibly start a small business,” Kauahi said. “I want to commend my sisters for being such an inspiration. They played water polo in high school and I started playing with them in sixth grade. My sister Danielle went to UCSB and my other sister Madison went to Pomona Pitzer.”

Opportunities abound when work ethics are applied in the classroom. Rae Kamikawa is on his way to Pitzer College (California). The soccer player plays on the I-AA team and has a GPA of 3.97 on the Punahou unweighted system.

“I love that Claremont Colleges can take courses from all five colleges. You can eat from all five colleges. I like that little college feel, but you still get the whole college experience. They can branch out more,” Kamikawa said.

She suffered a concussion in junior year that led her to a potential career path.

“So I learned a lot about the brain at Brain Health Hawaii. I went to treatments and that sparked my interest in the field. I want to become a neurologist and help other athletes,” Kamikawa said. “I just want to learn more about the brain.”

Mid-Pacific’s Jaime Bhattacharyya is in the middle of a busy week. At the weekend’s ILH Swimming Championships, he placed second in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events. On Wednesday, he signed with UC San Diego to play water polo. The 6-3 senior is an all-ILH left flank attacker and all-around utility player for the Owls. He was in the national team in 2021 and traveled to Budapest.

“Everywhere you go, they have huge water polo facilities,” he said.

Bhattacharyya learned quickly.

“I also played soccer. I went to Mid-Pac to play soccer, but when I tried water polo I realized I’d rather do that,” he said.

It almost never happened. During the eighth grade, friends convinced Bhattacharyya to join the water polo team after the preseason had already started.

“My coach, Ray Nunes, gave me a try. If he hadn’t done that, I probably never would have played water polo,” Bhattacharyya said.

Punahou volleyball player Samantha Okano signed with Long Beach State to play beach volleyball.

“It feels good to know that my hard work has paid off and how far I’ve come from the start,” she said. “I like that the state of Long Beach is pretty close to home and quite diverse like Hawaii. It’s right near the beach.”