Humble off the field, Waipahu’s Braun lets his play do the talking

There isn’t much about Jayse Braun’s demeanor that would suggest he’s one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in Hawai‘i high school football — until he leaves defenders chasing after him in the end zone.

At 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, the Waipahu sophomore is soft-spoken, keeps his head down and prefers to give credit to the people around him. Ask him about his record-breaking performances, his state-leading statistics or his growing reputation as a playmaker, and he’ll quickly redirect the conversation to his coaches, teammates and family.

But once the helmet goes on and the pads come up, something changes.

“Off the field with the helmet off, in just the locker room or just on campus, such a chill kid. He’s super cool, super chill,” Waipahu head coach Bryson Carvalho said. “Once the pads come on, there’s just a fire in his eyes, and he’s a competitor. He just wants to battle. He wants to compete. It’s like he just wants to prove something.”

Braun has done plenty of proving during his first season with the Marauders.

The Class of 2029 receiver has emerged as one of the most productive players in the state, putting together a remarkable sophomore campaign for a 9-1 Waipahu team that enters the OIA Division I playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

Through the regular season, Braun hauled in 51 receptions for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns. Both his receiving yardage and touchdown totals lead the state regardless of division, an impressive accomplishment for a player who is still only in his second year of high school.

He’s become a favorite target of fellow sophomore quarterback Jake Garcia, with the two developing a connection that has made the Marauders particularly dangerous when attacking downfield.

“Me and Jake, we’ve been playing for a while. We play a lot for Pylon,” Braun said. “I feel like we just be clicking on the field. We just have that chemistry together. Jake, he’s a dawg, and I just got to give it all to him for giving me the ball.”

The chemistry has translated into big plays, but Braun’s biggest performance of the season came in a 52-22 victory over Moanalua.

Jayse Braun (2) celebrates with Ian Tutuvanu after scoring one of his four touchdowns against Moanalua. | Photo: Baylor Asato

Braun turned in a career night with nine receptions for a season-high 251 receiving yards, breaking a Waipahu single-game school record that had stood since 1995. Neal Gosset originally established the mark with 249 yards before Andrew Simanu matched it in 2015.

Braun didn’t just break the record. He helped put the game away in a variety of ways.

He accounted for four touchdowns and 24 points, including an 80-yard interception return for a score after getting spot duty in the secondary. His 24 points alone exceeded Moanalua’s entire offensive output in points and total yardage, as Na Menehune finished with 250 yards.

For Braun, the performance wasn’t about the record or the numbers.

“I was really just being me,” he said. “Everything I do is just for my team and for my family and all for my coaches. Whatever I have to do to make them happy and proud.”

That mindset has been at the center of his approach to football since long before he became a record-setting receiver.

Braun started playing football when he was around 6 years old, with much of his early inspiration coming from his father, Jared Braun. His dad worked with him and his older brother, Jayden, putting in the time to help both boys improve their skills.

The competition between the brothers became part of their everyday routine. Jayden, who is a year older and currently plays football at Kamehameha, has been both a teammate and a measuring stick throughout Jayse’s development.

Kamehameha WR Jayden Braun (12) puts a stiff arm on a Campbell defender in the 2025 Open Division State Championship game | Photo: Ku’ulei Agbayani

“My brother, I love him a lot. We’ve been working together for like my whole life already,” Braun said. “Every day, since day one, we’ve just been competing against each other. I really love him for that. Just shoutout to him.”

That competitive relationship, along with the support of his parents, continues to fuel Braun’s motivation.

“My why for why I play football is for my parents mostly,” he said. “They did a lot for me growing up. They gave me everything that I ever wanted. It’s really just trying to give back to them and making them proud any way possible.”

It’s a simple answer, but one that helps explain the way Braun carries himself despite the attention that comes with his production.

He isn’t interested in making his accomplishments bigger than they are. He’d rather keep working, take care of his responsibilities and make sure the people who have supported him can be proud of the person he’s becoming.

“Off the field, I really just try to keep my grades up and just try to do good in school and just make my parents proud and show that I’m actually trying in school and trying to be a better person,” he said.

That sense of accountability has also been reinforced since his arrival at Waipahu.

After transferring from Saint Louis, Braun joined a Marauder program that has emphasized discipline, togetherness and responsibility under Carvalho. The transition wasn’t necessarily an easy decision, but one he made after conversations with his family.

“I really have no regrets. I thought about the decision the beginning of this year. I really had to talk about it with me and my family,” Braun said. “It really wasn’t really an easy decision, but I’m here now and I have no regrets.”

Waipahu has welcomed him with open arms, and Braun has embraced the opportunity to play alongside several familiar faces from his football journey.

He has shared the field with many players from the Ruthless program, including Topher Togiai and Colossus Letalu, as well as other teammates on both sides of the ball.

“It’s just really a blessing to play with the people you grew up with,” he said.

Carvalho said Braun quickly found his place within the program, buying into the team’s expectations both on and off the field.

“He’s just that one kid that fit right in, bought into the system. Loves it here, and we love him,” Carvalho said. “We’re just blessed to have him here.”

His talent was evident from the beginning.

Carvalho recalled Braun’s first practice with the Marauders, when the coaching staff wanted to see how he would handle opportunities downfield. Rather than simply relying on his speed to get open, Braun repeatedly came down with contested catches.

That ability to win one-on-one battles, combined with his speed, quickly separated him.

Carvalho also entrusted Braun with Waipahu’s No. 2 jersey, a number that has carried significance within the program. In recent years, it has been worn by standout players who have made an impact on both sides of the ball, including former Marauder and current University of Hawai‘i receiver Tama Uiliata.

Tama Uiliata makes a catch in the end zone against Leilehua in 2022 as a member of the Waipahu Marauders. | Michael Lasquero for ScoringLive

Carvalho said the number represents more than just being a productive offensive player. It comes with the expectation of being one of the team’s best overall athletes and contributing wherever needed.

Braun has embraced that responsibility.

“Just shoutout to coach Bryson, he just wants all best 11 on the field,” Braun said. “So I’m just grateful for him to put me in areas where best suits the team and just to make plays for the team.”

Although receiver remains his primary position, his versatility has added another dimension to Waipahu’s defense. His interception return against Moanalua was proof that his impact isn’t limited to catching passes.

Carvalho said Braun’s competitive nature translates regardless of where he lines up.

“He wants the ball in his hands. He wants to make sure that he does good things with it,” Carvalho said. “Not just at receiver. That’s his primary position, but even just getting him on a few plays on defense has been incredible for us. Coming up making tackles in the strong safety position or even when we have him in coverage. He already got a pick-six this year.”

Braun’s ability to stretch the field has become one of Waipahu’s biggest advantages. He credits much of that success to offensive coordinator Zach Mauga, who has found ways to put him in favorable situations.

“I feel like it’s really just my speed, but really just shoutout to my offensive coordinator coach Zach, for just putting me in positions to do great and make the big plays,” Braun said.

His speed has been a part of his game for years. A regularly timed 40-yard dash last summer, before his freshman season, clocked him at 4.7 seconds. Now, that speed is translating into production against some of the top competition in the state.

Braun made an immediate impression in Waipahu’s season opener against Campbell, catching four passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-17 victory. The win marked the Marauders’ first over the Sabers since 2004, and Braun’s first touchdown helped Waipahu establish a 17-0 lead by the end of the opening quarter.

His performances have also begun attracting attention beyond the islands. In early October, Braun received his first Division I scholarship offer from Sacramento State, an early milestone in what figures to be a promising recruiting journey.

Still, the recognition hasn’t changed his approach.

“I really just try to be a humble guy, head down and just move onto the next play every time,” Braun said.

It’s a philosophy that mirrors the example of one of his favorite players growing up, Tom Brady. Braun admired the longtime NFL quarterback’s leadership and ability to command the field, qualities he hopes to carry into his own game.

For now, his focus remains on the people and program that have helped him get here.

Carvalho sees a special combination in the young receiver: an easygoing personality away from football and an intense competitor once the whistle blows.

“He’s just incredible to coach,” Carvalho said. “You just know that whenever you kind of get a kid with a Warrior spirit, that’s the kind of kids that really excite you about coaching them.”

Braun is already making a name for himself as one of the state’s most productive playmakers, but he doesn’t seem particularly interested in the attention that comes with it.

He would rather credit Garcia for delivering the football, Mauga for creating opportunities, Carvalho for trusting him, his teammates for making him feel at home and his family for giving him a reason to keep pushing.

“It’s been a really good year, been really running up the stats,” Braun said. “Just shoutout to all my coaches and all my players. Just thank you to my coaches putting me in position to make plays and areas to get me the ball and just do me.”

For a sophomore already rewriting the Waipahu record book, the numbers are difficult to ignore. But behind the deep catches, touchdowns and growing recruiting attention is a young player who still measures his success by something much simpler.

Making his family proud.