Damien Monarchs chasing elusive state football title despite challenges

KALIHI — Few football programs in Hawaiʻi have been more consistent in recent years than Damien, but the Monarchs are still searching for the one accomplishment that has eluded them.

Damien has captured three consecutive ILH Division I championships and reached the HHSAA state tournament in each of those seasons, including semifinal appearances in 2024 and 2025. Yet the Monarchs have never won a state football championship, falling one victory short in Division II in 2003 and again in Division I in 2017.

After finishing 6-3 last season and suffering a 31-26 loss to Kapaa in the Division I state semifinals, head coach Anthony “Bones” Tuitele believes another opportunity is within reach.

“It’s exciting and I’m just excited for the upcoming season,” said Tuitele, a Damien alumnus who has transformed his alma mater into one of the state’s most consistent programs. “It would mean a lot. I feel like we’re right there. We’re so right there. We just got to get the job done.”

Damien head coach Anthony “Bones” Tuitele is ready for another season at his alma mater. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

The Monarchs enter 2026 with one of the state’s most experienced supporting casts despite graduating several key contributors.

Gone is four-year starting quarterback Alani “AJ” Tuifua, along with standout defensive linemen Tyven Self-Gomes-Kelakai and Shaison Tomisa. Replacing Tuifua will be his younger brother, Tonga, an incoming sophomore who inherits one of the state’s most productive offenses.

Fortunately for the young quarterback, much of the offense returns.

Senior wide receiver Wyatt Ho-Williams is back after one of the most productive seasons in Hawaiʻi last year, totaling 53 receptions for 1,146 yards and 16 touchdowns. Damien also returns its entire offensive line, running back corps and receiving unit.

“The greatest part nobody is talking about is everybody comes back,” Tuitele said. “Obviously playing the quarterback position is the most important part. We’ll be fine as long as everybody is helping him out. My message to the returnees is make his job easier.”

Ho-Williams echoed that confidence.

“It’s a big loss losing a good quarterback,” he said. “But his younger brother, we’re not going to make anything less on him. We’re going to keep treating him like he’s AJ. He has big shoes to fill, but I believe in him.”

Defensively, Damien returns a strong nucleus led by defensive backs Uriah “Maka” Maiava and Alex Lazaro along with linebacker Jay-Sean Aquino. While the Monarchs must replace several contributors in the trenches, the returning veterans believe the defense remains capable of leading another championship run.

LB Jay-Sean Aquino is one of the key returners on the defensive side of the ball for the Monarchs. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

“This year’s defense, we lost some guys, but we still got enough to go where we want to go,” Maiava said. “Don’t take us for granted. We’re still coming for that trophy.”

The road to another title run has included challenges well before kickoff.

With Damien’s campus field undergoing renovations, the Monarchs have spent preseason practices walking to nearby Farrington High School each day to conduct workouts.

“It’s pretty tough, I won’t lie,” Lazaro said. “Not having a field is stressful because we always rely on another field to get some reps in. But I think that puts more of a chip on our shoulder because everyone has all the facilities. Damien has always been known for not having the most things, so we’re going to attack this season.”

That underdog mentality has become part of the Monarchs’ identity.

“I think the past several years we’ve been known as the underdogs,” Lazaro said. “We’re still going to come into the season acting like underdogs because that’s what’s taken us to the state playoffs, and I think that’s what’s going to make us win the championship.”

The sting of consecutive state tournament losses to Kapaa has only added motivation.

“That hurt,” Maiava said. “Losing to them again just put a chip on my shoulder. This year is the year we’re going to take it.”

The Damien Monarchs’ offensive line is a veteran group that will help lead the way in 2026. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Tuitele believes the biggest step forward this season will be mental rather than physical.

“For us, it’s understanding that all these challenges will only make us tougher and mentally stronger,” he said. “The biggest thing is believing from day one. Not waiting until the middle of the season to think we can do this. We have to start with that confidence now.”

Ho-Williams believes that mentality could ultimately determine how far Damien goes.

“Our mindset, most definitely,” he said. “Going into every game not taking anybody lightly, playing together as a team, everybody being on the same page and communicating with each other.”

With another veteran roster, a talented group of returning playmakers and the hunger of several near misses, the Monarchs once again enter the season among the favorites in Division I. Whether that finally results in the first football state championship in school history remains the program’s driving motivation.

Damien opens the season against Aiea in a non-league game on Aug. 8 at Pearl City High School.