KAPAA — Harriett Watanabe said she couldn’t attend the final game of the First Hawaiian Bank Hawaii High School Association, Division II state football championships at Aloha Stadium because she had yearbook deadlines. “Mr. (Daniel) Hamada went,” Watanabe said, while
KAPAA — Harriett Watanabe said she couldn’t attend the final game of the First Hawaiian Bank Hawaii High School Association, Division II state football championships at Aloha Stadium because she had yearbook deadlines.
“Mr. (Daniel) Hamada went,” Watanabe said, while watching the Warriors cling to a 16-14 lead in the third quarter. “He set all this up before he left, though. He got us here to watch over things.”
Nearly 200 people braved the elements to watch their Kapaa Warriors battle the Radford Rams on a big screen inside the Bernice Hundley Gym which bristled with excitement and activity as the Kapaa boys soccer team moved benches around in preparation for the Eastside Pride event which was moved to inside the gym because of the rain.
“We had to cancel practice so people could watch the game,” said John Kaneholani, the boys basketball coach. “We’ll cancel practice Saturday as well so the Eastside summit can take place. If it wasn’t for this rain, this place would be rocking.”
Kahanu Smith of Smith’s Tropical Luau was one of the people.
“They canceled the luau, tonight,” Smith said. “I got to come and watch the game. I’m happy.”
Nancy Borilez, the school’s Parent Community Network coordinator, said Hamada was making phone calls as late as Friday morning.
“When I went outside, I saw all the Oceanic Time Warner Cable trucks and started taking photos,” she said. “We couldn’t do anything until we got the confirmation from Mr. Hamada.”
Borilez said there were a few teachers planning on flying to Oahu after school let out, but after encountering the traffic created by at least two auto accidents, the teachers came back to watch the game on television.
Watanabe said Hamada coordinated with several people and organizations to have the cable installed because the airline ticket prices were going up, and there weren’t flights to accomodate the people who wanted to go to the game on Oahu.
According to a flier being circulated, the project was made possible through the efforts of Hamada, Greg Gonsalves, the athletic director, the school’s technology and custodial people, and Dennis Cortez and the crew from Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Reps. Derek Kawakami and James Tokioka, along with Sen. Ron Kouchi also facilitated the effort.
“This is a permanent installation,” Watanabe said. “Now, when we have another similar situation, all we need to do is get the box from Oceanic.”
