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Photo By: Tom Patrick.
Molokai High School’s 2008 Far
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Farmers take on new players for future
For the first time in roughly four years, the Farmers' tennis team failed to send a player to the state tournament last season. However, with nine new players and a new coach at the helm, the team hopes to improve over last year's season. But primarily, the goal is to lay the groundwork for the future.
"We're still a building team this year," said the new head coach, Frank Montizor. "We have lots of young people; we've got 10th graders and I think they are going to be playing for the next three years, so we're really building the foundation. Hopefully next year we do a lot better, but this year it's all building."
Molokai's records last season were four wins, five losses (.444) in meets for the boys, placing them seventh, and three wins, six losses (.333) for the girls putting them in a tie for sixth with Maui High. To improve on that record will be a bit of an uphill battle having lost nine seniors and only having four returning girls and three returning boys. In addition, one of the two Farmers that received an honorable mention at the Maui Interscholastic League last year, Alberto Clemente, is no longer on the team.
"Since we're such a young team I thinking that toward the end of the season we're be a little more practiced," said returning senior Tierra Madani, who is the Farmers' top girls player and the other to receive an honorable mention at the MIL's last year. "We'll build the team from here … A lot of these players this is their first match ever.
"My personal goal is to make it to states - I know [my teammate] Kaylene [Bettencourt] really wants to make it to states," she added.
The team to watch for this season is overwhelmingly last year's MIL champs Lahainaluna who finished fifth at states. Junior Jackie Owens of Lahaina, who won the MIL's in girls' singles and made it to the semis at states, has twice been honored as MIL's player of the year. Furthermore, Lahaina's co-coaches, Pat Okada and Theron Tate, took the same honor for coaching. However, three-time singles champ Mark Magdaong for Lahaina graduated so is no longer with the team.
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