PADDLING SHARKS, ISLANDERS RULE THE WATERS

By Gabbie Tesoro

The last race day of the season took place on Saturday, May 9 at Matapang Beach. It featured the Make Up Round 4 races along with the preliminaries, repachage, semifinals, and finals.

During the preliminaries, heat winners advanced, with the fastest crew moving straight to the finals and the next fastest crews advancing to the semifinals. Remaining teams competed in the repachage round for another chance to qualify. Winners of the repachage heats moved on to the semifinals, while the top three crews in the semifinals secured spots in the finals. Crews advancing directly to the finals were required to keep the same lineup, although seat assignments could still be changed.

Season Championship Results

Manhoben Famalo’an (JV Girls)
1 – GW
2 – JFK
3 – OHS & GHS

Manhoben Lalahi (JV Boys)
1 – OHS
2 – GW
3 – JFK

Manhoben Dinana (JV Mixed)
1 – GHS
2 – GWHS
3 – JFK

Sottera (Varsity Girls)
1 – SSHS
2 – JFK
3 – GW

Sotteru (Varsity Boys)
1 – OHS
2 – SSHS & JFK
3 – GHS

Sottero Dinana (Varsity Mixed)
1 – SSHS
2 – JFK
3 – FDMS/AOLG

These results were based on points accumulated throughout every race day and event this season. Programs like JFK continued to stand out by placing in every category, proving themselves as one of the strongest and most competitive teams this season.

Along with the season championship standings, teams also competed in the All-Island Sprint races to close out the day. This event featured JV crews racing 500m and varsity crews racing 1000m.

All-Island Sprints Results

Manhoben Famalo’an (JV Girls)
1 – JFK
2 – OHS
3 – GW

Manhoben Lalahi (JV Boys)
1 – OHS
2 – GW
3 – SSHS

Manhoben Dinana (JV Mixed)
1 – GHS
2 – SSHS
3 – OHS

Sottera (Varsity Girls)
1 – JFK
2 – OHS
3 – SSHS

Sotteru (Varsity Boys)
1 – JFK
2 – OHS
3 – SSHS

Sottero Dinana (Varsity Mixed)
1 – JFK
2 – SSHS
3 – HCA

One of the biggest highlights of the day came from Harvest Christian Academy, whose first-ever paddling team made it to the finals in the Varsity Mixed division and secured a third-place finish.

The final race day brought an exciting end to the season, with crews battling through every heat and division until the very last race. From strong finishes by returning teams to breakthrough moments from newer programs, the event reflected the dedication paddlers have put in throughout the entire season.

At the end of the races, schools honored the 113 seniors who participated this season through the annual senior parade. Surrounded by teammates, coaches, friends, and family, the seniors closed out their final high school paddling season with one last celebration at Matapang Beach.

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