KADENA AIR BASE, Japan – With braided hair colored a bright red, Sharday Baker is hard not to notice as she goes through her sprint, long-jump and shot-put practice paces.

The Kadena senior says she wants people to pay attention once her events begin, though. Baker says she’s made it her mission to beat the nine-year-old Pacific high school records for both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

“I know it’s possible. I can do it,” Baker said of chasing down a 12.26 second mark in the 100 and 25.52 in the 200, each run in 2015 by then-John F. Kennedy High School junior Regine Tugade of Guam.

First, Baker has to make it back to the track from a minor hamstring pull suffered during the first meet of the season March 2. During that meet, Baker was timed in 12.31 in the 100.

Once she returns, which could be as early as Friday’s home meet at Kadena, “then I’ll run a low 11,” Baker said. “That was my goal at the start of the season.”

Baker clocked a wind-aided 11.95 in the 100 last year, just behind Kubasaki’s Naiaja Sizemore’s 11.72. Though the wind exceeded the legal 3 meters per second (6.7 mph), those times were the fastest ever run under any conditions in the Pacific.

And Baker’s coaches feel the best may be yet to come once she rejoins the Panthers lineup. “She’s nowhere close to where she needs to be yet,” said Kadena assistant and former head coach Sergio Mendoza.

Both Kadena and Kubasaki are wealthy in experience, veteran depth and new athletes who are already showing promise, as one assistant coach said.

Junior Carlos Cadet leads the way in hurdles and jumps, freshmen Peyton Wilcox is a sprint contender and sophomore Ryan Hater, who’s new to Kubasaki, left the field behind in the 800 and 1,600 during Saturday’s home meet.

As for the Panthers, senior D’Kylan Woods sets the pace in sprints and relays, Mia Bella Gonzalez is showing her cross country prowess in distance events and Addison Schantz, another senior, brings a hurdle and relay touch to the Kadena lineup.

The third meet of the season is being held in prime time Friday and Saturday at Kadena’s new home track, Ryukyu Middle School’s Habu Field.

Baseball

So, just what is a Kadena health and physical education teacher doing coaching defending Far East Division I champion Kubasaki?

“Everything happens for a reason,” said Fisk, who took the Dragons post when no Kubasaki teacher or anybody in the Camp Foster education community stepped forward. “I’m excited to be here.”

In addition to having a ballclub of experienced veterans, led by hard-throwing left-hander Luka Koja, Fisk has watched the Dragons from across the diamond as Kadena’s longtime assistant.

He also has the Romnek brothers, senior Brodie and freshman Asher, the latter who has played for a Japanese club team the past year, one of few Americans to do so in Japan.

Kadena has some new coaching blood in Frank Macias, who used to coach Matthew C. Perry and won a Far East Division II Tournament title with the Samurai. He also has some former members of his Perry staff with him, so much that he calls the team “Perry South.”

Sophomore Hajime Reed transferred to the Panthers from Robert D. Edgren. Longtime Panthers assistant Steven Ferch’s son, freshman Ethan, is also on the roster.

“Take this group of freshmen, fast forward to seniors, who would you rather have?” Macias said. “Kids who have been around the game and are learning by leaps and bounds.”

Softball

Speaking of new coaches, Joy Sims joins Kadena after coaching several seasons at Daegu; she transferred to Okinawa via Guantanamo Bay, where she coached the Pirates for one season.

Now, she inherits a Panthers team that’s short two of its key players – the Petruff twins, Julia and Jessica, both juniors, sidelined perhaps for the season, Julia with an elbow injury and Jessica with a torn ACL.

“We press ahead,” Sims said of losing the Far East D-I tournament’s Best Pitcher and MVP. Julia has been helping coach the new players, while Jessica is keeping score for the team electronically.

Nao Grove, a junior, takes over as the No. 1 pitcher. Senior veterans Lia Connolly (third base) and Emaleigh Appleton (catcher) return and are joined by freshman Jada Wolfgang, a shortstop not new to softball.

Sims is Kadena’s fifth coach in five seasons. Meanwhile, Michael Cottrell takes over as Kubasaki head coach after assisting for several seasons.

His is a “very young” ballclub, with sophomores Samantha Diaz (center field) and Taylor Tobin (catcher) the most experienced veterans. Freshman Breslyn Weeks is handling pitching duties, while junior Cadence Vandentop transfers in and will play shortstop.

Boys soccer

Eight of 11 players from the Far East D-I runner-up team return to Kadena, which also got striker Frank Stare as a transfer from Kubasaki. The Whipp brothers, Yoshua and Elijah, are back along with senior striker Tyler Smith; those four had 73 goals from 2023.

“Overall, it’s a very talented team,” coach Abe Summers sasid. “If we can stay healthy, we have a good chance to be back in the championship game fighting for the banner.”

Stare departed from a Kubasaki team with a new coach, Saleem Malik, at the helm and several starters injured; the Panthers blanked the Dragons 6-0 in their head-to-head opener. Seniors Jaden Oshana (midfield) and Owen Ruksc (goalkeeper) are the key returners.

“It’s kind of early to tell,” Malik said. “Give them time to heal. We had a lot of injuries at the start. Unfortunate and unlucky. We’re keeping positive.”

Girls soccer

While Kadena appears loaded on the boys side, so, too, do the Dragons on the girls side. Coach Chris Eastman gets back three players who contributed a combined 60 goals last season, juniors Solares Solano (36), Sakura Lopez (13) and sophomore Amaya Schaffeld (11).

“We return a lot of players last year,” said Eastman, who also has a daughter, freshman defenseman Reina, on the squad. Senior defenseman Isabella Garza transfers in from Bahrain.

But Eastman isn’t taking anything for granted. “They have to prove it every game, every practice; nothing is given to them,” he said.

Coach Joey Wood says he hopes his Kadena team, which showed signs of life on the second day of last year’s Far East tournament, can become a contender with what he calls a “more cohesive, more energetic” squad. Core players include senior midfielder Marina Sawyer, sophomore defender Brooke Brewer and junior midfielder Sydney Pontious.

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