When West Oahu Little League reached the Hawaii state tournament for the first time in 2004, the team's hopes were quickly dashed by a pair of one-run losses. Eleven-year-old Quentin Guevara pitched well in his team's opener, allowing only four hits in a complete game effort, but Maui's Kihei Little League struck for a first inning run and then held on for a 1-0 victory. Kihei went on to win the title, and West Oahu fell to the bottom bracket, where their tournament run ended with a 4-3 loss to Kailua Little League two days later.

What a difference a year makes.

West Oahu returned to the state tournament a year older and much, much stronger in 2005. The Ewa Beach-based league won the Hawaii state tournament, then the Northwest Region championship. Through four levels of tournament play in Hawaii and on the mainland, West Oahu never lost. By the end of the summer, West Oahu became the first Hawaiian league ever to win the Little League World Series.

Fresh off of their sweep of District 8 competition, West Oahu launched its drive for the Little League World Series championship with three victories in the Hawaii state tournament at Walter Victor Stadium in Hilo. Guevara earned a victory in his only state tournament pitching appearance, and teammate Alika'i Aglipay twice defeated eight-time Hawaii champion Pearl City Little League, including a 5-2 victory in the tournament's championship game.

Aglipay threw a three-hitter and carried a shutout into the sixth inning of his title game win. The right-hander struck out seven, and retired the first eleven hitters he faced. Aglipay faced only 23 batters in the win, which came just four days after he faced only 21 while throwing a one-hit shutout against the same team in a 4-0 West Oahu victory.

"He was awesome," said Curtis Chong, an official with Hawaii District 4, which hosted the state tournament.

West Oahu used the long ball in each of its state tournament victories. Sheyne Baniaga's three-run homer in the fourth inning helped West Oahu past Pearl City in their opening win, then Michael Memea's three-run blow in the first inning set the stage for a 7-5 victory over Hilo National Little League in the winner's bracket final. In the championship game, Zachary Rosette hit a three-run home run in the second inning to give West Oahu an early lead, and Myron "Kini" Enos added a two-run shot in the fifth.

Aglipay shut down Pearl City's offense in his two complete game wins, and Guevara earned the win against Hilo National. The left-hander allowed only Colby Maeda's two-run home run in his three innings of work before departing with a 5-2 lead. West Oahu extended the lead to 7-2 with runs in the third and fourth innings before Hilo National's Kylen Uyeda (three hits in the game) pulled the Big Island team close with a three-run homer in the sixth inning.

Layson Aliviado led West Oahu offensively with three hits, including a pair of doubles. Memea and Baniaga also had two hits for the District 8 champions.

Pearl City, which made Hawaii's only other appearance in the Little League World Series championship game in 1988, rebounded from their first loss to West Oahu with three consecutive victories, and reached the state championship game for the tenth time in fifteen years.

Pearl City topped Kihei by a 6-1 score before defeating Kaneohe National Little League, 6-2, and then eliminating Hilo National.

Chris Numata and Keanu Sato combined on a seven-hitter in the win over Kihei, while Richard Villasenor threw a complete game four-hitter against Kaneohe National. Chase Adaro-McLeod and Numata each hit two-run home runs in the win over Kaneohe.

The next day, Pearl City set up an all-Oahu final with an 11-2 victory over Hilo National. Kahana Neal threw a complete game, and paced an eleven hit Pearl City attack with three hits. Adaro-McLeod also had three hits, and Sumi Pruitt added a two-run homer, as Pearl City earned a rematch with the eventual Little League World Series champions.

Like in the teams' first meeting, however, Aglipay was too strong for the District 7 champions, and West Oahu moved on to the Northwest Region tournament in San Bernardino, California.

West Oahu averaged 7.6 runs per game in district and state tournament competition -- and a 22-1 victory over Nanakuli-Maili Little League in the District 8 tournament severely inflated that average -- but the Hawaiian champion's offense revved into a higher gear on the mainland. West Oahu homered 32 times and averaged over ten runs per game in region tournament and Little League World Series competition, and scored less than six runs only one time in twelve games. By contrast, West Oahu scored six or more runs only twice against Hawaiian competition.

West Oahu reached South Williamsport with a 12-1 victory over Northwest Ada Little League (Boise, Idaho) in the Northwest Region tournament championship game, then won the United States championship with a 6-1 victory over Rancho Buena Vista Little League (Vista, Southern California). The next day, the most famous of West Oahu's many home runs -- Michael Memea's walk-off, Little League World Series-winning blast -- gave West Oahu a 7-6, extra inning win over Pabao Little League (Willemstad, Curacao), and began West Oahu's reign as Little League World Series champions.

The Kingdom of Hawaii last had a king in 1891, when Kalakaua passed the throne to his sister upon his death. The Merry Monarch, as he became known during his reign, had ascended to the throne in 1883 with a lavish music and dance-filled coronation ceremony on the grounds of Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

West Oahu's coronation as the king of the of the international tournament was lavish in its own way, and Dugout, the Little League mascot, was on hand as always in South Williamsport to lead the in-game music and dance activities. The coronation was also very mobile: it took West Oahu's players and coaches from their homes on the leeward shore of Oahu to a small park on the rainy side of the Big Island, and then to Southern California's scorchingly hot Inland Empire. And finally, to the spot where Memea's home run landed.

The top of the world.