HAWAI'I KAI — Youth and novelty doubled into winning combinations.

Leilehua's Cainan Shinjo and Zakry Akagi-Bustin and Roosevelt's Gabriella Fortunato and Erin Hashimoto won the boys and girls titles at yesterday's O'ahu Interscholastic Association soft tennis championships at Kaiser High School.

Shinjo and Akagi-Bustin, both seniors and the top-seeded team out of the West, rallied past the East No. 1 team of Brantly Yakabe and Jesse Smothermon of Kaiser, 5-4. Shinjo also won last year's OIA boys title with a different partner. Akagi-Bustin, a golfer, is playing soft tennis for the first time and the pair didn't team up until the postseason.

With Shinjo's play in the back and Akagi-Bustin at the net, the duo rallied from a 4-3 deficit. A shot by Smothermon that went long tied the match at 4-4, and three shots by Kaiser that went into the net gave the Leilehua the win.

"We got settled in the middle," Akagi-Bustin said.

The tournament started with quarterfinal play in a calm afternoon. But when sunlight started to fade and the court lights came on, the wind started to blow them off, said Shinjo. Soft tennis, a Japanese variation of tennis, is played with a small, light rubber ball and slimmer racquets.

Smothermon helped Kaiser to an early lead, running along the entire backcourt for shots and even returning outstretched balls that had him sliding to the ground.

"We just had to stay consistent," Shinjo said.

Leilehua co-head coaches Vanne Akagi-Bustin, Zakry's mother, and Stacy Hakikawa didn't pair the two up until late in the season. It proved to be a winning match with Shinjo's groundstrokes and Zakry's aggressiveness.

The East No. 1 team of Fortunato, a junior, and Hashimoto, a freshman, won 5-0 over Leilehua's Jenna Yoneshige and Lindsay Michaelson, who were the West's third seed.

Fortunato displayed powerful strokes, and Hashimoto terminated several balls at the net. Both girls praised each other.

"She's a really great partner," Hashimoto said. "She's really experienced."

Roosevelt's boys and girls teams won the team titles on Sept. 20. Most of the girls team were underclassmen who gained experience during the season, while the boys team steadily improved, said coach Gary Okada. It's youthful exuberance where things are loose and relaxed.

Fortunato pointed that out after teammates doused her and Hashimoto with water after yesterday's final.

"But in the matches, we're serious," Fortunato said.

The OIA is the only league in the state that sponsors soft tennis.