The season is here!

Summer vacation is officially over for the OC16 Sports Team as we kickoff the 20th season of high school sports this weekend.

Friday - we have Leilehua hosting Iolani - it's a battle of the two defending state champs as the Mules won the D1 title and the Raiders claimed the D2 crown. Game time is 7:30pm live from Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

Saturday - it's Mililani versus Saint Louis - aka the two former great Crusaders quarterbacks turned coaches now facing off on opposite sidelines game. Smile. Yup, Darnel Arceneux versus John Hao. Intriguing because Mililani is always strong in the OIA West but are still trying to really put together a complete season or should we say postseason. The Crusaders have a new coaching staff headed up by the very capable Hao. So this is another attractive game to watch. Game time is 7pm live from John Kauinana Stadium.

And... If you haven't heard, these games as well as the entire season will watchable in HD on channel 1016. Digital channel 96 and analog 16 remain as well. If you're on outside of Hawaii - www.oc16.tv - will keep you in the game. Mac users, we're still trying to install a fix so that the video player can run on Apples - sorry for the inconvenience!

All of us here thank you for your support and look foward to a fun and exciting new season of sports.

August 18, 2008 | 0 Comments

Volleyball All-Star/Classic Game Created!

As we get giddy about starting our 20th year of local sports on August 22 with football, let's remember volleyball shares the same time frame.

Volleyball was the third sport added after the initial launch of OC16 Sports with just football.

The game and the network have certainly grown up over the last two decades.

So much so, OC16 is proud to announce the creation of "OC16 Goodwill Volleyball Classic" in order to recognize and reward the fine young student athletes of this sport.

This first year teams will be a mix of OIA and ILH schools. Coaching staffs will also be mixed from the leagues. Each school will be offered a spot to select one of their players to represent that school. Schools and leagues will be doing the picking. OC16 is just happy to provide the game and TV coverage.

I personally think this will be awesome to watch as the skill level will be very high. But it should also promote sportsmanship in action as the young ladies mix from different schools and leagues.

Put down November 19 and 20 as the dates for the classic. We can't wait to see first serve in this!

August 14, 2008 | 0 Comments

Time flies! Here we come...hut, hut, hut!

If you haven't heard, OC16 Sports turns 20 this fall. That's right our 20th-season of high school sports is set to kickoff on August 22.

August 22 will feature an awesome interleague matchup between the two defending state champs - D1 Leilehua and D2 Iolani. This contest should be a wonderful competitive clash between two disciplined squads with good talent and coaches.

The fun continues the next day as the ILH/OIA fun continues with Mililani hosting St. Louis. Besides being two of the perrenial power teams, the game will pit two former Crusader quarterback greats - Darnel Arceneux and John Hao.

OC16 had very humble beginnings in 1989, just a few football games and no other sports. But slowly over time, more sports were added - basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, and our expansion into NCAA sports.

We humbly thank you for your support over the past two decades and we look forward to serving Hawaii's communities and teams for another 20-plus years. I mean at least 30 more would help me pay my morgage...smile.

If you ever have a question on our sports menu...don't hesitate to drop me an email!

So to get you set...here's a little video to set the mood. Enjoy!

OC16 Sports 20-Year Anniversary


August 11, 2008 | 0 Comments

Parker puts the P in PGA

Some times the good guy does win.

Such is the case of Punahou graduate Parkler McLachlin who claimed his first PGA tour win at the weekend's Legends Reno-Tahoe Open.

I've known Parker since he was a high school student. A gifted athlete in not only golf, but also volleyball. In fact, if he wanted to, he could have been a part of the UCLA men's volleyball team. Instead, he chose to focus his talents on golf as a Bruin. I guess that was a good call, huh?

Despite having a very good collegiate career at UCLA. Parker had to really work at making it work at the professional level. He had to grind it out on the lower pro tours - like the Nationwide Tour - before even sniffing the PGA which he would start to play after going through qualifying school.

But with the win - Parker is guaranteed two years of exempt play on the PGA and it gives him an automatic spot in this week's PGA Championship. Oh yeah...he'll get to kickoff next season on Maui at the winners-only-please Mercedes-Benz Championship. I know that means so much to him and his family to play at home in the islands.

Speaking of family, his mom and dad got to watch firsthand Parker's huge seven stroke win. That alone is another big win. Parker's dad - broadcaster/coaching legend Chris - had a stroke earlier this year. Chris, thankfully, is fully recovered but that was never a given. So it was chicken skin watching pops hug son after the final putt dropped.

"To do it in front of them was really special," McLachlin said. "They sacrificed so much for me to pursue golf as a profession. I was just trying to hold back tears; it was pretty emotional. It is so hard to get to this place, and to finish it off with a birdie was just the icing on the cake."

Much like his young pro career, Parker had to grind out the final 18-holes. He cruised through the first three rounds, even posting a course tieing 62 on Friday. But he stayed the course and showed his winning character honed in Hawaii.

He is now the fourth Hawaii born player to win a PGA Tour event.

The others are - Ted Makalena / Hawaiian Open 1966 - David Ishii / Hawaiian Open 1990 - Dean Wilson / The International 2006.

That's some good people there - golfing ability and character - Parker fits the exclusive club to a "tee" me thinks.

August 4, 2008 | 0 Comments