Moanalua Ends Decades-Long Wait, Stuns Punahou for Division I Boys Volleyball State Title
The Koa Head trophy belongs to the OIA once again.
For the first time since Roosevelt won the Boys Volleyball State Championship in 1979, an OIA program has captured Hawai‘i’s top boys volleyball crown and it was Moanalua that delivered the breakthrough.
The unbeaten Na Menehune rallied past defending champion Punahou School in five sets Saturday night, 14-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-19, 15-13, to complete a perfect 16-0 season.
The victory snapped decades of ILH dominance in the sport, with Punahou, Kamehameha and ‘Iolani combining to win nearly every championship since Roosevelt’s title run in the late 1970s.
Photo Credit: Brian Bautista
Punahou controlled the opening set behind a powerful attack led by Cameron Porter, who finished with a match-high 25 kills. The Buffanblu rolled to a 25-14 win and later reclaimed momentum with a 25-18 third-set victory to move within one set of another state title.
But Moanalua responded every time.
Na Menehune evened the match in the second set behind strong play from Jarryn McCutcheon, Puka Tauane and Jerome Obrero before delivering their biggest stretch of the night in the fourth. McCutcheon repeatedly found openings in the Punahou defense while Colby Kawaa added two key service aces to help force a decisive fifth set.
The championship set ultimately belonged to Lionel Gannon.
The senior erupted early in the fifth, powering Moanalua to an 8-4 advantage with a string of kills that shifted momentum permanently toward Na Menehune. Punahou later rallied within 14-13, but Moanalua closed the match when Kawaa connected with McCutcheon for the championship-winning kill.
McCutcheon and Gannon led Moanalua with 18 kills each, while Tauane added nine kills. Kawaa finished with 30 assists and two aces in the title-clinching performance.
For Punahou, Porter’s 25 kills paced all players while Tanoaalofa Scanlan added 16 kills and Kanalu Akana totaled 49 assists.
After nearly five decades, the Division I boys volleyball Koa Head trophy belongs to the OIA.
PHOTOS BY BRIAN BAUTISTA
Kilminster’s 29 helps Hawaii Pacific push past Alaska Fairbanks
HONOLULU – Welcome back, Killa Kilminster. The Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team moved back above .500 on Friday night, using a 29-point explosion from fifth-year guard Evan Kilminster to cruise by Alaska Fairbanks on the first night...
Hawaii Pacific posts triple digits for the first time in six years in win over Alaska Fairbanks
HONOLULU – Scoring explosion Sharks. For the first time since the 2019-2020 season, the Hawaii Pacific University women’s basketball team eclipsed 100 points in a single game on Friday evening as the Sharks opened up the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge...
Mitchell gets first career win as Hawai’i hangs on against Saint Mary’s in triple overtime
HONOLULU – There’s an old saying that says you always remember your first. That adage will most certainly hold true for Hawai’i’s Khalilah Mitchell, who picked up her first win as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program on...
Hawai’i claims outright Mountain West title behind Reid’s 20-kill night
HONOLULU – What started as a season-long goal has become a reality. After exiting the Big West in 2025 after the program’s worst-ever finish in the conference standings, the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team entered the 2026...
Hawai‘i Returns Home Seeking Third Straight Win Against North Dakota State
After nearly a month away from home and back-to-back road victories, Hawai‘i returns to the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Saturday with an opportunity to keep its late-season momentum alive against one of the Mountain West's top teams....
Wyoming golden goal breaks hearts of Hawai’i in Mountain West semifinals
Everyone remembers their first heartbreak. The University of Hawai’i women’s soccer team certainly won’t forget the first heartbreak as a Mountain West member. The third-seeded Rainbow Wahine (9-7-2) saw their season end on Wednesday afternoon,...
Sterling Carvalho returns to high school sidelines as new Saint Louis head football coach
Sterling Carvalho is returning to the high school football sidelines, this time taking over one of Hawai‘i's most storied programs. The former Kahuku head coach, who guided the Red Raiders to three consecutive HHSAA Open Division state...
Frigid shooting sinks Hawai’i against Portland in OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic finale
HONOLULU – Colder than a penguin’s tuxedo. The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team sputtered in the second half of the 2026 OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic finale against Portland on Monday night, making five of their final 34 shots from...
Hawaii Pacific hangs triple digits on Northwest Indian College in home opener
HONOLULU – Buckets by the bunch. For the first time in four seasons under head coach Jesse Nakanishi, the Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team eclipsed triple digits in the scoring department as the Sharks took down Northwest...
HPU Acrobatics & Tumbling Builds on Breakthrough Season Under Daisha Paulino
Hawai‘i Pacific University acrobatics and tumbling enters its third season under head coach Daisha Paulino with growing confidence and a stronger team culture following one of the program's most successful recent campaigns. Paulino joined Sharks...