LAHAINA, Maui — Punahou claimed two of three titles at yesterday's First Hawaiian Bank High School Canoe Paddling Championships held for the first time at Hanakao'o Beach Park in Lahaina.

A come-from-behind victory by Kamehameha-Maui in a thrilling half-mile boys final prevented a sweep by the Buffanblu.

Going into the boys title race, unbeaten KS-Maui had recorded the fastest time of the regatta with a 3 minutes, 39.98 seconds in a preliminary heat. But it was Punahou in front of the pack coming out of the quarter-mile turn in the final. The Warriors caught the leaders in the home stretch and edged the Buffanblu at the finish line, winning by a mere 45 hundredths of a second in 3:45.29.

KS-Maui sophomore stroker Levi Almeida said his team wasn't about to settle for second place.

"Coming out of the turn I was thinking, 'This is our island and we have to win this no matter what.' We wanted to make history for our school and for Maui," he said.

Other members of winning KS-Maui boys crew were Ethan Cabatingan, Preston Tavares, Dervyn Tavares, Isreal Gregory and Travis Motooka.

Punahou finished in 3:45.74 and Kamehameha-O'ahu was third in 3:47.55. Kalaheo, the 2008 boys winner, was disqualified in the semifinals for burying a flag at the turn.

Almeida also stroked KS-Maui's mixed crew, comprising three boys and three girls, that finished third in that final with a half-mile time of 4:02.70.

The Maui team was dead-even with Punahou at the turn but faded in the final 200 yards, allowing Kalaheo to slip in for second place behind the Buffanblu, who finished in 3:57.54. Kalaheo was clocked at 4:01.00.

It was Punahou's first state title in the mixed division.

The victory came just minutes after Punahou's heartbreaking defeat in the boys race, which provided incentive for the male members of the mixed crew.

"I felt we were a little ahead (in the boys race) but Kamehameha-Maui just powered it at the end and finished it off," said Jimmy Field, who paddled in both races. "You rarely get a second chance and we wanted to take advantage of the situation, so went out and gave it a great effort."

Joining Field on the winning Punahou mixed crew were steerswoman Lindsey Morgan, Christina "Tina" Lighter, Hannah Ishida, Andrew Anderson and Eric Wong.

Morgan said that leading up to the state championships, the team practiced especially hard on its turns.

"I knew this was one I had to nail," she said.

The Punahou girls defended their 2008 state title in convincing fashion, winning by more than six seconds.

The team had struggled through the regular season, alternating its lineup and regularly losing to Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion KS-O'ahu. The ILH girls normally race longer distances of 3 to 6 miles, and Punahou crew members said their coach Richline Fong found just the right crew mix for the half-mile sprints featured at the state championships.

"It just clicked," said Leilani Doktor.

Also on the winning Punahou girls crew were Lighter, Marlie Long, Kiley Watumull, Jasmine Daniel and Tawni Goodman. Seniors Long, Daniel and Goodman also paddled on last year's championship crew.

The Buffanblu finished in 4:23.56, followed by 'Anuenue in 4:29.89 and KS-Oahu third in 4:33.32.

Thirty-eight schools from across the state competed yesterday. It was only the second time since the event was started in 2002 that the championship regatta was held on a Neighbor Island.