No time to lose has taken on a whole new meaning for Alex Ching and Erik Shoji the last three months.

The Punahou seniors have mastered the art of athletic multitasking. They don't just play multiple sports, they play them the same season, at a level higher than almost anyone.

Saturday, in their "second" sport, they captured third in doubles at the Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA Tennis Championship, helping Punahou to its 18th straight team title. A year earlier, they won doubles, and Ching also won in 2006 with Jon Wong.

This week, both go after another state high school championship, in the sports they will pursue in college and beyond.

Ching tees off this morning in the David S. Ishii Foundation Boys Golf Championship at Wailua on Kaua'i. Nine days ago, he won the Hickam Invitational — an adult open golf tournament. He captured the Oahu Country Club Invitational last summer, after winning the Optimist International Junior in Florida. He also earned the amateur slot in this year's Sony Open in Hawai'i and will play for University of San Diego.

In other words, Ching is one of the favorites to win medalist honors this week along with Kamehameha's TJ Kua, who has two state runner-up finishes. In the first round of the ILH championship, Kua shot a 28 on the front nine and still ended up trailing Ching.

A year ago, Kua's Warriors beat out the Ching-less Buffanblu by three shots for a state title. According to Shoji, Ching can make up three shots through sheer desire.

"He is always competitive. He fights for every point," said Shoji, who insists Ching never tires. "Even if he's not playing his best I feel like he's fighting for it. We win some tennis matches and he wins sometimes at golf just because of that.

"When he's playing his emotions are always even. If it's a good point they go up, but he never seems to get down. That's something I try to work on."

Some of Ching's toughness has clearly rubbed off, along with a little of the tennis serve Shoji calls the best in the state. But Shoji's volleyball gifts, and remarkable quickness and instincts on any court, are all his own. At last summer's FIVB Boys' Youth World Championship, he was named the tournament's best defender and best libero, despite the United States finishing 15th.

The youngest child of Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji will try to help Punahou to its fifth consecutive New City Nissan State Boys Volleyball Championship this week. The tournament starts tomorrow on Maui. The top-seeded Buffanblu open Thursday night at King Kekaulike.

Shoji, who will play with brother Kawika at Stanford next year, decided to take up the double-sport challenge when volleyball switched seasons this year. Ching joined his tennis partner in an adventure that has had them on the run since. They come by their versatility naturally: Ching's mother played tennis and his father played five sports, while Dave Shoji excelled in baseball and volleyball and his wife Mary came to Hawai'i on a basketball scholarship.

Their sons have succeeded by working out the infinite details with coaches, learning sophisticated communication skills to explain to teammates why they are leaving practice early, getting good grades and possessing immense talent and desire. It has been a little like running their own business. Fortunately, the two "owners" are as amiable as they are driven.

"You have two athletes so competitive that, for the most part, it works," Dave Shoji said. "Both of them probably got by more on their competitive desire than their skills in tennis."

His son's tennis partner echoes that with emphasis.

"Erik's will to win is amazing," Ching said. "He digs as deep as he can to try and win every single point and strives his hardest to get to every single ball. You can see it in volleyball, too. He just finds a way to win. That's something not everybody has and it is so special."

It has been a special final high school semester and neither has regrets. Ching says he has had to work out a massive hook on the golf course some days after he plays tennis, but the focus he gains from playing both sports more than compensates. Shoji believes the lateral movement in both sports has helped both his games. His unorthodox tennis serve — he takes a step before hitting — is the result of his volleyball serve.

"People think it's weird," he said, "but it works for me."

The past three months have worked for both of them.

"It's been a blast," Ching said. "We've had fun running from sport to sport. It is fun. The best thing is we can try and help both our teams. It's not like we're doing it for ourselves to become athlete of the year or something. We're trying — and I know for a fact that Erik has the same goal — to represent Punahou the best we can."

Saturday might have been the last competitive tennis match either will play. They leave that sport with fond memories, but Shoji already has an alternate in mind.

"Ping pong is my favorite sport," he says, seriously. "I don't know why, I just love it."

Watch out.