High school sports are often seen as being cyclical in nature. The success of programs and teams ebbs and flows as waves of talent matriculate through a school at random intervals. A program may be a state title contender one year and looking up at the rest of the league from the bottom of the standings the next.
And then there is Punahou High School.
If high school sports programs are truly cyclical in nature, then Punahou is the Lance Armstrong of high school sports. Instead of showing any let up or down turn from the success it experienced last year when it won 17 state titles and was named the MaxPreps School of the Year, the Buff ‘n Blue went to another level this year, winning 21 state championships and adding to their unofficial all-time total of 389 since 1958.
Included among that total are 45 state titles in girls swimming, 42 in boys tennis, 41 in boys swimming, 36 in girls tennis, 31 in boys track and 31 in girls track.
Once again, Punahou is MaxPreps’ School of the Year, topping our annual list of 10 of the nation’s best high school athletic programs.
1. Punahou Buff ‘n Blue, Honolulu (Hawaii)
The Buff ‘n Blue had a pretty good year in 2008, winning 17 state titles and placing one of its alumni on the Democratic ticket for the presidency. So what does Punahou do for an encore in 2009? It simply blows away the competition.
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It would be easy to dismiss Punahou’s dominance. It is a large school in a small state and thus might be expected to accumulate a high number of state championships. However there are plenty of small states and states with small populations in the United States and none of them have come close to producing the type of legacy that the Buff ‘n Blue have established.
State titles have become quite common at Punahou with the school winning close to 400 in the past 50 years. However the Buff ‘n Blue had never won a state title in football until the 2008-09 school year. Led by national recruit Manti Te’o, Punahou went 12-1 on the season and was ranked No. 45 in the nation by the MaxPreps/National Guard rankings. Punahou defeated Leilahua 38-7 in the state finals and Te’o was honored as the national defensive player of the year by several media outlets. He eventually ended months of speculation by signing with Notre Dame.{VIDEO_d744cb9a-9906-4748-a4f7-dd9ac54842bf,floatRightWithBar}
Punahou also won a national title, of sorts, with Buff ‘n Blue graduate Barack Obama winning the presidential election in November.
Punahou concluded the school year by rallying from a third-place finish in league play to capture the state title in baseball in May. Among the other state titles Punahou won this year include boys air riflery, girls air riflery, girls cross country, girls canoe paddling, mixed canoe paddling, girls soccer, girls swimming, boys wrestling, girls wrestling, boys judo, girls judo, boys tennis, girls tennis, girls track, boys volleyball, girls water polo, girls golf, boys diving, and girls diving.
Punahou also won league titles in boys water polo, sailing, and boys and girls kayaking. Hawaii does not hold state competitions in these sports.
Keilani Rickets, Archbishop Mitty
Photo by Dennis Lee
2. Archbishop Mitty Monarchs, San Jose (Calif.)
The Monarchs had possibly the top girls’ program in the country this year, finishing second in the MaxPreps/National Guard national volleyball rankings with a 42-1 record and No. 1 in the USA Today national softball rankings with a 32-0 mark. The volleyball team had two outstanding hitters in Rachel Williams (473 kills) and Kristina Graven (351) while defensive specialist Morgan O’Neill was selected to the MaxPreps Secret All-American volleyball team. Keilani Rickets has led the softball team, posting a 20-0 record with 269 strikeouts and seven no-hitters. She’s also batted .486 with eight home runs.
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The Monarchs were also solid again in girls basketball, winning a Central Section Division 3 championship with a 56-40 victory over Gunn. Mitty reached the NorCal semifinals before falling to Carondelet 76-73. Mitty was 22-9 overall. The girls tennis team also won a CCS title as did the swim team. Meanwhile the Mitty girls soccer team finished second in the CCS
The Mitty boys’ program had a solid season. The golf team won the only CCS title; however the basketball team and the baseball team, led by MLB draft pick Mitch Haniger, each advanced to the championship game of the division.
3. Bolles Bulldogs, Jacksonville (Fla.)
The Bulldogs capped an outstanding 2008-09 school year with an impressive 14-4 win over defending champion American Heritage in the Florida 3A state baseball championship. Coached by former Baltimore Oriole and Oakland A’s pitcher Storm Davis, Bolles went 31-4 on the season and is currently ranked No. 22 in the MaxPreps Baseball Xcellent 25 national rankings. The Bulldogs were led by Caleb Denmark, who batted .462 with 13 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBI.
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Bolles was equally dominant in football, finishing 14-0 and winning the 2A state championship with a 49-20 victory over Gulliver Prep. Bolles outscored opponents 709-138 on the season. The Bulldogs had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Jawan Jamison (1,088, 17 TDs) and Stephen Barnett (1,447 yards, 20 TDs).
The Bulldogs also won 1A state titles in swimming, crushing the competition on the girls’ side with 523 points to second-place Pine Crest’s 240. The boys’ team was nearly as impressive, racking up 463 points to Pine Crest’s 212. The boys soccer team won a state championship while the girls finished second to American Heritage by a score of 2-1 in the 3A finals. Coincidentally, the Bolles softball team also fell to American Heritage by a score of 2-1 in the 3A state finals.
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The girls cross country team finished second in the 2A division while the boys’ team was 10th. The girls volleyball team reached the 3A state semifinals, the girls golf team finished fifth in the 1A state finals, and the boys tennis team finished second in the 2A state playoffs.
Kyle Wiltjer, Jesuit
Photo by Juliann Tallino
4. Jesuit Crusaders, Portland (Ore.)
The Crusaders dominated Oregon 6A sports in 2008-09 winning seven state titles including an impressive performance by the boys basketball team. Behind 6-foot-9 sophomore Kyle Wiltjer and junior forward Stephen Holt, the Crusaders went 24-3 on the season and defeated Lincoln 63-41 in the 6A state finals. Both Wiltjer and Holt were second team all-state. The program looks to be healthy for awhile. Besides returning the all-state duo, the Crusaders were 21-1 at the JV level, the JV second team was also 21-1 and the freshman squad was 22-1. Jesuit ended the season ranked No. 14 in the country in the MaxPreps/National Guard national basketball computer rankings.
In football, Jesuit advanced to the 6A semifinals before falling to Lake Oswego 32-28. The Crusaders finished the season 10-2 and had one of the state’s top rushers in Anthony Blake, who gained 1,855 yards rushing with 29 touchdowns. Jesuit placed four on the 6A all-state football team, including Blake, center Nick Davies, defensive lineman Matt Dummer and defensive back Keanon Lowe.
Jesuit also won the state title in girls volleyball, topping West Linn in the finals in straight games, 25-15, 25-13, 25-21. The Crusaders tied Sprague for first place in the 6A state boys team tennis championships while the girls team won the state title outright. In swimming, Jesuit edged Douglas for the girls’ state championship while the boys’ team finished in third place. The Jesuit boys golf team finished second at the state meet while the girls came in fourth. The boys cross country team easily won the 6A meet, placing five runners in the top 10 and four in the top six. The girls cross country team also won handily with Annamarie Maag winning the individual title.
Jordan Luvisi, Notre Dame Prep
Photo by Heston Quan
5. Notre Dame Prep Saints, Scottsdale (Ariz.)
Although established just seven years ago, Notre Dame Prep has quickly established itself as one of the premier athletic powers in the western United States. The football team has moved steadily up the ladder, going 1-9 in 2004, 3-8 in 2005, 7-5 in 2006, 13-1 in 2007 and finally 14-0 this year. The team had two of the state’s premier running backs in Andrew Stutz (1,523 yards) and Patrick Foley (1,000 yards). Foley was also the key to the Saints’ state championship in boys track, finishing first in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes.
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The baseball team also had an impressive season, going 30-2 and finishing second in the state. The Saints were one of a handful of programs in the country to have three players drafted as Casey Upperman, Matt Ozanne and Jordan Luvisi were all tabbed in the Major League Baseball draft last week.
The Saints also won state titles in girls tennis, boys and girls golf and girls soccer.
Tyler Gaffney, Cathedral Catholic
Photo by Louis Lopez
6. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego (Calif.)
The Cathedral Catholic Dons dominated the 2008-09 school year from the very start, winning state championships in both football and volleyball. The football team put on an incredible performance, posting a 14-0 record while defeating St. Mary’s 37-34 in the Division 2 finals. State MVP Tyler Gaffney was spectacular in the finals, rushing for 337 yards and five touchdowns. He finished the year with 2,880 yards rushing and 56 touchdowns to earn All-American honors. He will play at Stanford next year.
In volleyball, Cathedral went 34-4 and defeated Sacred Heart Cathedral for the Division 3 state championship. Cathedral finished the year ranked No. 20 in the MaxPreps/National Guard national rankings. The baseball team (26-6) also spent time in the national rankings and eventually won the San Diego Section Division 3 championship over Montgomery. Outfielder Matt Moynihan was selected in the Major League Baseball draft while Ryan Wilkins was named the San Diego area player of the year.
Cathedral’s other San Diego Section championship teams included the boys soccer team, the girls swimming team and the girls tennis team.
The Cathedral girls track team finished second in the San Diego Section Division 2 race while the boys volleyball team finished second in the Division 3 playoffs.
7. Marist War Eagles, Atlanta (Ga.)
The War Eagles collected a whopping nine state championships in Georgia this year, dominating the AAAA level with titles in boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls swimming and boys and girls tennis. However Marist also performed extremely well in the more high-profile sports. The girls basketball team posted a 28-3 record while the boys’ team went 24-5. The girls volleyball team was the state runner-up while the football team was the 6-AAAA champion with a 13-2 overall record. The baseball team also won a regional title while the softball team captured the state championship.
Tracy Moore, Union
Photo by Jim Redman
8. Union Redskins, Tulsa (Okla.)
The Redskins battled the Jenks Trojans all season long for 6A superiority in Oklahoma. Both schools won four state champions apiece, but Union placed higher than Jenks in six other sports while Jenks placed higher than Union in four. Two of Union’s most dominating performances came on the football field and on the wrestling mat. The Redskins lost their first game of the season in football, but won 13 in a row including a 34-20 win over Jenks in the 6A final. Union scored 617 points on the season and finished the year ranked No. 33 in the MaxPreps/National Guard national football rankings. Union landed a pair on the all-state team in wide receiver Tracy Moore and offensive lineman Brian DeShane.
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In wrestling, Union racked up 115.5 points to top Ponca City for the team championship. The Redskins had two state champs in 103-pounder Josh Walker and 171-pounder Joey Sheridan. Union also won the state 6A cross country championships with Steven Baker and Taylor Monaghan finishing 1-2 in the race. Monaghan also doubled up in the 1,600 and 3,200 in the state track meet, and Boyea Lockett won the 100 and 200 meters, to help the Redskins easily capture the 6A division. Meanwhile the Union girls finished in third place at the state track meet.
Union reached the 6A state semifinals in volleyball and boys and girls basketball. In girls swimming, Union finished just 10 points behind Jenks while the boys’ team finished in fifth place. The boys soccer team also finished second to Edmond Santa Fe, falling 2-1 in the final. The boys tennis team also finished second while the girls finished fifth.
The Clovis West Golden Eagle defense.
Photo by Larry Aronat
9. Clovis West Golden Eagles, Clovis (Calif.)
Playing in one of the most competitive leagues in California, and the nation for that matter, the Clovis West Golden Eagles once again showed all-around excellence in winning the Tri-Rivers Conference Supremacy Trophy for Athletics for the 23rd time in the past 26 years. Clovis West did it by winning 10 TRAC championships and eight section titles. The Golden Eagles were also runners up at the section level in two other sports and were one of the top programs (wrestling) in the country in a third.
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The Golden Eagles began the year with section championships in football, volleyball and girls water polo. The volleyball team finished the season ranked No. 22 by the MaxPreps/National Guard national rankings while the football team was among the top 30 schools in California. In the winter, the wrestling team finished sixth at the state meet, bringing home four medals. Meanwhile the girls basketball team fell just short of a section title, falling in the championship game to Stockdale. The Bakersfield school also kept the baseball team from winning a section championship in the spring, but the Golden Eagles won section titles in boys golf, boys tennis and boys and girls swimming last month to cap a stellar year. Clovis West golfer Michael Weaver tied for first place at the state meet last week, but lost in a playoff for the medal.
10. Fayetteville Purple Dogs (Ark.)
Long established as one of the top all-around programs in Arkansas, Fayetteville was pushed by Bentonville this year, which actually won more overall state titles than the Purple Dogs. However Fayetteville’s remarkable performance during the basketball season and its fourth straight baseball state title was enough to push the Purple Dogs past their instate rivals and into the top 10.
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Fayetteville had a remarkable basketball season with both the boys’ and the girls’ teams going undefeated. The boys’ team went 30-0 and finished the year ranked No. 21 by the MaxPreps/National Guard national rankings. Meanwhile the girls’ team went 32-0 with a No. 25 national ranking. The boys’ team had four all-state performers in Taylor Cochran, Fred Gulley, Kikko Haydar and Cable Hogue while the girls also placed four on the all-state team with Callie Berna, Cassie Clark, Elizabeth Nagel and Kourtni Williams.
The baseball team topped Fort Smith Southside 2-0 to become just the second school in state history to win four straight baseball state championships. The girls golf team achieved a similar record, winning its fourth straight state championship and its 10th overall. Fayetteville has won more girls golf state titles than any school in state history.
