As the years go by, Mid-Pacific has steadily moved ahead in forming its own athletic teams rather than have its athletes be part of the Pac-Five conglomerate.
Pac-Five sports teams are made up of athletes from many different smaller Interscholastic League of Honolulu schools. Mid-Pacific is one of those schools and it has been well-known for being a huge part of Pac-Five for many years, but times are changing.
Boys water polo is the latest sport which Mid-Pacific is offering instead of placing its athletes with Pac-Five. Unfortunately, due to a lack of players from other smaller schools, Pac-Five has disbanded its boys water polo program. Wolfpack senior athletes from other schools aside from Mid-Pacific, however, have been invited to play their final season for the Owls, according to Mid-Pacific athletic director Scott Wagner. Other non-Mid-Pacific boys water polo players who were a part of Pac-Five last season have been invited to play for La Pietra this season.
For the previous school year, 2014-15 which ended in May, Mid-Pacific separated itself from Pac-Five in boys and girls swimming and diving, and boys and girls judo.
Next year, the Owls will be trying to go “green” (main school color) instead of “orange” (Pac-Five athletics’ main color) in boys and girls wrestling, according to Wagner.
Wagner said Mid-Pacific has tried to ensure Pac-Five has enough athletes to continue after the separation, but that water polo is a rare instance in which it wasn’t possible.
The Owls’ process of more sports self-determination started years ago, under then-athletic director Bill Villa and continued through his successor Jo Ito and now Wagner.
Under Villa, who left the post after the 2007-08 school year, Mid-Pacific succeeded in separating from Pac-Five in boys and girls track and boys and girls cross country.
In the major sports such as football, baseball, softball, volleyball and soccer, Mid-Pacific has always been a separate entity from Pac-Five.
Mid-Pacific athletes will continue to be part of Pac-Five in football and cheerleading for the foreseeable future, according to Wagner, and boys and girls wrestling for at least this school year.
And sports at Mid-Pacific is thriving. Wagner was surprised when Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist Dave Reardon told him that the Owls had the second most state championships out of any Hawaii school in 2014-15. Punahou had the most with 11. Mid-Pacific had three, in Division II boys soccer, girls swimming and girls air riflery.
“It was shocking,” Wagner said. “We compete with Punahou, Kamehameha and ‘Iolani and they’re all usually at the top.”
Sports offered by Mid-Pacific
>> Boys and girls air riflery
>> Boys and girls bowling
>> Boys and girls cross country
>> Boys and girls volleyball
>> Boys and girls basketball
>> Boys, girls and mixed paddling
>> Boys and girls soccer
>> Boys and girls swimming and diving
>> Baseball
>> Softball
>> Boys and girls golf
>> Boys and girls judo
>> Boys and girls tennis
>> Boys and girls track and field
>> Boys and girls water polo
>> Boys and girls kayaking
>> Sailing
Sports in which Mid-Pacific is part of Pac-Five
>> Football
>> Cheerleading
>> Boys and girls wrestling
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