In the midst of a roller-coaster baseball season, Punahou School senior Reece Kiriu emerged as the lead driver in the Drive for Five.

Kiriu, a pitcher/second baseman, repeatedly came up with clutch moments down the stretch to help the Buffanblu extend their record to five straight state championships. It also helped him garner the overwhelming vote as Advertiser State Player of the Year in a recent vote of coaches and media.

Kiriu had his own share of ups and downs in a drama-filled year. But he came through at the end, at the most crucial times with the season on the line.

After Punahou surprisingly went 8-5-1 and finished third in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu regular season, Kiriu pitched the Buffanblu to key victories over Mid-Pacific and Saint Louis in the ILH tournament, then had the go-ahead RBI in the top of the seventh inning of the overall championship game.

In the state tournament quarterfinals, Kiriu started against Roosevelt but lasted only two innings after allowing five runs on four hits and four walks as the Rough Riders took a shocking 5-0 lead. But he moved to second base and hit a towering 360-foot double to the wall in left-center field to score Tyler Young from first base for the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

Then, two days later in the state title game, Kiriu pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks as Punahou blanked Saint Louis, 4-0.

"It was a great performance on the biggest stage, and that just shows what type of player he is," Buffanblu coach Eric Kadooka said.

Kiriu's clutch performances on the mound and at the plate came in a season where Punahou had to fight through injuries and inconsistency. Ace Jeeter Ishida — The Advertiser's 2007 State Player of the Year — suffered a shoulder injury just a few weeks into ILH play and never pitched again. Another key pitcher, Evan Lim, also was sidelined with injury.

That forced Kiriu — an All-State second baseman in 2007 — to step up his role on the mound, and he responded by taking the ball in the biggest games and repeatedly fighting through tough situations. He went 4-1 with one save and a 3.26 earned run average, with 36 strikeouts in 43 innings.

Kiriu also continued to contribute at the plate (.409 batting average, 16 RBIs, 18 runs, .494 on-base percentage) and held down a solid second base when he wasn't pitching.

ILH and state runner-up Saint Louis led the way with four selections on The Advertiser's 2008 All-State first team: outfielder Tamatoa DeMello, pitcher Josh Saio, designated hitter Moses Samia and shortstop Danny Higa.

Mid-Pacific was next with three selections: catcher Aaron Fujiki, second baseman Russell Doi and first baseman Easton Torigoe.

Punahou and Kailua placed two players each on the first team. The Buffanblu were represented by Kiriu and outfielder Matt Suiter, and the Surfriders had junior third baseman Kale Sumner and senior designated hitter Scotty Talaesea. Wai'anae outfielder Ben McQuown, Kamehameha-Hawai'i catcher Kolten Wong, Kaua'i pitcher Jordan Buster and Pearl City utility player Bryson Nakamura — all seniors — round out the first team.

DeMello, Saio, Samia and Higa helped lead a Saint Louis resurgence that saw the Crusaders go from a 4-12 record last year to 20-5 and their highest state tournament finish since 1989.

DeMello was a vocal senior leader who batted .393 with 12 RBIs from the leadoff position, was an aggressive base runner, played outstanding defense in center field and served as the team's closer. Saio was the team's senior ace, going 7-1 in the ILH and tossing a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a state tournament first-round game against Baldwin.

Samia, a sophomore, batted .473 with 25 RBIs and was one of the league's most feared sluggers. Higa batted .406 with 24 RBIs and provided steady defense and senior leadership at shortstop.

Seniors Fujiki, Doi and Torigoe helped MPI finish 13-1 in the ILH regular season round-robin. Fujiki, the league's Player of the Year, batted .393 in ILH play with three home runs, 23 RBIs and a .475 on-base percentage. He also played outstanding defense and shut down opponents' running games with his strong and accurate arm.

Doi, the runaway choice at second base, batted .403 with 15 RBIs and 20 runs and played solid defense. Torigoe, who edged two-time All-State selection Reyn Nagamine of 'Iolani, batted .422 with two home runs and 18 RBIs.

Suiter, a senior, batted .463 with a .659 OBP from the leadoff spot.

Sumner, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division Player of the Year, and Talaesea helped the Surfriders repeat as East champ and take second in the league overall. Sumner batted .514 in OIA play, with four home runs and 16 RBIs.

Talaesea, one of the state's most feared power hitters, batted .480 with six home runs.

McQuown, the OIA West Player of the Year, batted .500 with three home runs and 12 RBIs and was a big threat on the bases. Wong, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year, hit .680 with six home runs in BIIF play.

Buster, the Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year, pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts to help the Red Raiders shut out St. Anthony, 1-0, for the inaugural Division II state championship.

Nakamura, a senior, went 4-1 with one save and a 0.88 ERA, and also batted .396 with 18 RBIs and played left field in helping Pearl City repeat as OIA champion.

Kadooka and Saint Louis' Duane Fraticelli shared Coach of the Year honors, with Kaua'i coach Hank Ibia also receiving strong consideration.