Two of Hawai'i's top high school student-athletes received recognition Thursday as the competition narrowed for the 2006 Wendy's High School Heisman Award.

Ashley Medcalf of Christian Academy in Honolulu and Derek Hondo of Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Maui, were honored as state winners based on their achievements in athletics, academics and community service.

Both students embody the spirit of the Heisman tradition through hard work and dedication on and off the field.

In addition to two state winners, nine males and females from Hawai'i were selected as state finalists from a total of nearly 15,000 nominees nationwide.

Medcalf, an All-State honorable mention in basketball, and Hondo, a cross country runner, face tough competition in the next phase of the competition. They join two winners from each state and the District of Columbia, and must make it through another round of elimination when Wendy's announces 12 national finalists later this month. National winners will be named in December in conjunction with the collegiate Heisman presentation in New York.

Created in 1994 in partnership with the Heisman Memorial Trust, the Wendy's High School Heisman has recognized outstanding and well-rounded students for 13 years. Nominees are judged by a panel, including past Wendy's High School Heisman winners as well as leaders in education, business, athletics and community service.

STATE FINALISTS

Chloe Rapozo, St. Joseph Junior-Senior High School, Hilo; Sarah Chitwood, Hilo High School, Honomu; Shannon Ching, Kahuku High School, Ka'awa; Chelsea Machida, Maui High School, Kahului; Ihilani Haru, Castle High School, Kane'ohe; Brittany Young, Seabury Hall School, Makawao, Maui; June-Ann Lusk, Baldwin High School, Wailuku, Maui; Carolyn Pearce, Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu; Leialoha Bratton, Kaiser High School, Honolulu; Louis Hoopai, Hana School, Hana, Maui; Barret Schlegelmilch, St. Joseph Junior-Senior High School, Hilo; Richard Torres, Kahuku High School, Kahuku; Roy Matsunaga, Mililani High School, Mililani; Arbie Jeke Campuspos, Waipahu High School, Waipahu; Jeffrey Kahler, St. Louis School, Honolulu; Kenneth Rossi, Damien Memorial High School, Kapolei; Charles Gumm, Radford High School, Honolulu; James Aoki, Roosevelt High School, Honolulu.