Monday Morning Maui Sports: Central East Maui Little Leaguers make history for island as same squad reaches second-straight World Series

The Central East Maui Little League (11-13) All-Stars made history last week when the same group of 13 players qualified for back-to-back World Series at two different levels, a feat that has never before been accomplished by an exact same group of Maui youth baseball players.

The team has won all 10 of its games this summer, at the state and West Region levels, to qualify for the 2025 Intermediate 50/70 World Series in Livermore, Calif., that began Sunday. Central East Maui received a bye and will open play today at 1 p.m. HST in the event that runs through Aug. 3.

The team clinched its World Series trip with a 3-1 win over Scripps Ranch Little League of San Diego, Calif., in the championship game of the West Regional on Thursday in Nogales, Ariz.

One year ago, this group became just the second Maui team ever to qualify for the traditional Little League (11-12) World Series in Williamsport, Pa, capturing the imagination of the island and offering a boost in morale at a time when the one-year anniversary of the deadly 2023 wildfires was approaching.

From diminutive 5-foot second baseman Kolten Magno to 5-foot-11 ace pitcher Evan Tavares, this team appears to be growing stronger.

Kanon Nakama, Kellen Takamura, Gauge Pacheco, Cam Kaneshiro, Eassie “Kaiehu” Miller, Jet Pontes, Matthew Yang, Brextyn Hong, Hayden Takahashi, Kamalei Leynes-Santos and Gabriel Laloulu make up the rest of the team that is growing up together despite being from four different schools.

Magno attends Lahaina Intermediate School; Leynes-Santos, Nakama, Pacheco, Takahashi, Takamura, Tavares and Yang all attend ‘Iao Intermediate; Hong, Kaneshiro, Miller and Pontes go to Kamehameha Schools Maui; and Laloulu goes to Maui Waena. 

Only the coaches have changed for this group.

Brendan Fujii is now the manager for the team and is assisted by Lester Nakama and Kory Takamura. Last season, Daniel Bolduc was the manager, assisted by Kevin Constantino and Ian Shimabuku.

“Having the exact same team back up here and to be able to coach these guys is great,” Fujii said via phone from California on Friday. “They play well together. Obviously they played last year, so everybody knows each other. They’ve been in this environment, they know what it’s about and I think they’re gonna do good up here.”

The team rolled through the state tournament with a 3-0 record, outscoring opponents 29-2 to advance to the West Regional in Nogales, Ariz., where they went 7-0 and dominated opponents by a combined score of 112-10.

Last season in their West Regional and at the World Series in Williamsport, this team won five elimination games in a row before bowing out in the double-eilimination Little League World Series.

“They’re a lot better,” said Fujii, who is father to Kanon Nakama. “They have learned to be a more aggressive now, to not get into that (elimination) situation. But just knowing that if they are down that they can fight back and it’s not over until it’s over.”

Kanon Nakama added, “From last year, we know how to win those big games. We just have to do it with this year’s team.”

A team from Central East Maui won the Intermediate 50/70 World Series in 2016. The Intermediate 50/70 level began in 2013.

“Hopefully we can do it again,” Kanon Nakama said.

The team has shared some bonding moments during their travels, most recently going to the U.S.-Mexican border near Nogales. 

“I don’t think any of these boys have ever done that, just to see that and see two different countries just right there,” Fujii said. “It was amazing.”

Tavares pitched in their 3-1 win over Scripps Ranch Little League of San Diego, Calif., on Thursday in the West Region championship game — their previous closest game was an 8-3 win over Santa Rosa, Calif., in their regional opener on July 16. 

Tavares struck out 11, walked one and allowed no runs and two hits in 5 2/3 innings in the West Region championship game before Nakama came on to pick up the save by getting the final four outs, allowing one hit and one unearned run. Laloulu doubled, drove in a run and scored a run, Miller was 2-for-2 and Pontes drove in a run.

Tavares is a candidate to start on the mound when CEMLL starts play in the World Series today against the winner of Sunday’s game between Irmo, S.C., and Danville, Calif. 

Tavares said the strength of this team is its familiarity with each other.

“It’s way more better than having random kids from different teams to be on this team,” Tavares said. “It’s way more fun to have people that we know already.”

Tavares said he has been playing with Laloulu since they were both in T-ball as 5-year-olds.

“I know all these guys pretty well,” Tavares said. “It feels like we‘ve been playing together for a long time.”

Magno’s house on Komo Mai Street burned in the Lahaina wildfire two years ago and he was granted an exemption to play with the Central East Maui team last year. Now, he is one of the boys.

“I’m having a lot of fun, they really make it feel comfortable playing with this team,” Magno said. “Day by day, I just got closer and closer to my friends, teammates, and coaches.”

Dalton Magno, Kolten’s father, said he hopes their house rebuild will be completed before the end of the year. Dalton and mom Kim Ann Magno are in Livermore for the World Series.

Last season, Kolten Magno and his family were featured in The New York Times from the West Regional on their journey to Williamsport.

Kahi Magno, a standout linebacker for the Lahainaluna High School football team, is now a freshman at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

“He just texted me and told me to ball out and have fun,” Kolten Magno said of the support from his older brother. 

Kolten Magno added that this team “are my brothers now.”

———

Maui Broncos come up one win short of World Series

———

In Moreno Valley, Calif., the Maui Bronco (12-under) All-Stars lost 4-0 to Plasentia, Calif., on Sunday in the PONY Bronco West Zone Tournament championship ghame in Moreno Valley, Calif. The Plasentia team advances to the Bronco World Series in Laredo, Texas, Aug. 1-4.

Maui won its first three games in the West Zone tournament, 6-2 over Moreno Valley, Calif., on Thursday; 1-0 over Loomis, Calif., on Friday; and 15-4 over Olive, Calif., on Saturday.

The team consisted of Zayven Barrozo, Kayzen Sa’u, Izeah Pastrana, Kaula Kealoha, Dutro Ching, Luke Kawaha, Cruz Urig, Kolby Aloy, Brock Dudout-Higa, Duke Aiwohi, Waiaka McIntosh and Magnus Moreau.

The manager was Chris Barrozo, who was assisted by Kurt Pastrana, Chaney Higa, Dane Kealoha and Mo Barrozo.

Maui still has teams alive in regional play at the Junior Little League (12-14) and PONY Mustang (9-10) levels.

“Monday Morning Maui Sports” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.