Hawai’i returns to altitude with new heights on horizon for Chang era

Hawai’i returns to altitude with new heights on horizon for Chang era

Oct 17, 2025

Hawai’i head coach Timmy Chang looks on during a home game. The fourth-year head coach has the Rainbow Warriors one game away from a postseason return. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i returns to altitude with new heights on horizon for Chang era

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 17, 2025

HONOLULU – Coaching trees are funny.

They have multiple branches, and sometimes, have multiple trunks.

Hawai’i head coach Timmy Chang is an example of this: with Run-N-Shoot roots, Chang is associated with his former head coach in June Jones, who gave the former UH star his start in the coaching ranks as an offensive graduate assistant at SMU.

But Chang also credits another coach in his development as an HC: Jay Norvell.

“[He] is one of the best coaches I’ve been around,” Chang said of the Colorado State head man. “We’re going to have a big hug [before the game] and we’re going to go to battle … I know he’s going to get that team ready to go and we’ll have our team ready to go.”

Norvell took Chang’s post-playing career to another level when he offered him a job with Nevada as a position coach. After working together with the Wolfpack for nearly half a decade, Norvell accepted a job with CSU and planned to take Chang with him to Fort Collins.

That was, until the Hawai’i head coaching job opened up and Norvell made it clear that the Rainbow Warriors needed to hire Chang.

“As soon as I heard that job was open, I called that AD and told him there’s only one guy you need to hire and that’s Timmy Chang,”  Norvell recalled while speaking to media earlier in the week.

The rest is history.

Chang took over a UH program in the depths of college football hell, jumping from position coach to overseeing an entire staff at his alma mater freshly after turning 40 years old. In three years and some change since, the former record-setting college signal caller has helped return the program from those pits of irrelevance to the cusp of postseason eligibility.

“The biggest transformation you can see in their football team is their mental toughness down the stretch,” Norvell said of the 2025 Rainbow Warriors. “They’re winning games in the fourth quarter.”

Less than a month after going into elevation and displaying that mental toughness in a high-flying win over Air Force, Hawai’i (5-2, 2-1 Mountain West) returns to higher altitude this weekend with eyes on an encore performance against Norvell and Colorado State. A victory for the Rainbow Warriors would mark the quickest that UH has gotten to six wins since the 2018 season, clinch eligibility for a bowl game and guarantee a .500 or better record for the first time in Chang’s tenure.

It’s also the last chance to play against Colorado State as a conference rival.

The Rams, along with Utah State, Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State, will all depart from the Mountain West for the Pac-12 following the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year.

The first half of the Colorado State schedule presented plenty of challenges for Norvell’s group, getting off to a 1-4 start with a nail-biting victory over FCS program Northern Colorado keeping the Rams from being winless through five weeks.

Vibes shifted around in Fort Collins last weekend when redshirt sophomore QB Jackson Brousseau and the Rams defense balled out against Fresno State. Brousseau, who was making his third straight start for Colorado State after Norvell benched third-year starter Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, had an efficient 144 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 12-of-18 passes.

The CSU defense forced four turnovers (3 INT, 1 FR) and sacked EJ Warner five times on the way to a 49-21 beatdown of the Bulldogs, showing signs of life for the Rams as the Rainbow Warriors come to town.

Despite the lackluster record for Colorado State, Hawai’i has stayed consistent on preparation and the mentality entering the weekend.

“In the Mountain West, the parity and the closeness in these games, you really got to be in the moment,” Chang said on Tuesday. “You got to have the guys ready to go each and every day, go win today.”

Practices once again simulated the extra fatigue that the Rainbow Warriors can expect to face from playing 5,003 feet above sea level on Saturday. Leaning on similar preparation as the Air Force game, Chang hopes to have UH ready for the multitude of looks and different situations that the weekend will bring.

A victory for the Rainbow Warriors blooms the program into a new height of bowl eligibility. In a way, it’s only right that the first chance Chang gets to clinch a postseason spot with his program comes against his coaching mentor.

Make no mistake though – Norvell would be more than happy to delay UH’s celebration and return from national obscurity for another couple weeks.

In the third and final matchup as conference rivals between the two friends, the last question left before the weekend is super simple.

Does the branch or the trunk take the head-to-head tie breaker?

Hawaii makes statement in final Mountain West meeting with Utah State

Hawaii makes statement in final Mountain West meeting with Utah State

Oct 11, 2025

Hawai’i WR Pofele Ashlock celebrates on the sideline after another score. The junior snagged a career-high three TDs in UH’s first win over Utah State since 2010. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i makes statement in final Mountain West meeting with Utah State

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 11, 2025

HONOLULU – Give them a Pac-12 parting gift.

The University of Hawai’i football team announced intentions to compete among the Mountain West’s best on Saturday night, using Pofele Ashlock’s trio of touchdown catches, another Kansei Matsuzawa field goal hat trick and Micah Alejado’s second straight masterpiece to take down Utah State (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West) in the islands, 44-26.

Alejado diced up a Bronco Mendenhall-coached team for the second time in his young college career, completing 34-of-54 passes for 413 yards and four total touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) as the UH offense went over 500 yards for the second straight game. Just the second FBS quarterback to throw for 400+ yards in back-to-back starts this season, the redshirt freshman became the first UH player to accomplish the feat since Cole McDonald ripped off a pair of 400-yard games to begin the 2018 campaign.

Unlocked by the return of Nick Cenacle, who missed the previous four games with a knee injury, Ashlock set a new career high with three TD receptions as he hauled in a game-best eight catches for 113 yards, going over the century mark in a game for the first time this year and fifth time in his career.

“When Pofele is healthy, he shows what he can do,” Alejado said of his favorite target, who became the first player since JoJo Ward to have three touchdown catches in a single half for UH. “I think he’s probably the best receiver in the country, not just the G5. I think he can do a lot of great things when he’s given the chance.”

Cenacle turned in a respectable line with six catches for 57 yards in his return, including a 26-yard snag on the first play from scrimmage. Jackson Harris popped off for his second straight 100-yard game, racking up a game-best 117 yards across seven receptions.

“Getting Nick back is huge for us,” head coach Timmy Chang said of getting the preseason All-Mountain West selection back on the field. “When you see him out there with Pofele, with Jackson, with Brandon White … it’s a really good receiving corps and we’re proud of it.”

Hawai’i receivers Pofele Ashlock and Nick Cenacle celebrate together during the Rainbow Warriors’ 44-26 win over Utah State. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The defense turned in one of the most impressive performances of the year for UH, holding a potent Utah State offense (36.4 ppg entering Week 7) to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. Jamih Otis forced a pair of turnovers, punching out a fumble that fellow Lion’s Den member Jalen Smith recovered before sealing the game with his first career interception.

The Rainbow Warriors also held USU to a paltry 2-of-12 on third downs while racking up three sacks as Carson Stocklinski and Aiden McComber each recorded their first QB takedowns with UH and De’Jon Benton returned from a one-game absence with an immediate impact in the pass rush.

Utah State capitalized on a few first half errors from Hawai’i, snatching a 17-10 lead midway through the second quarter after punter Billy Gowers came up short on a fake punt inside UH’s own territory.

When they could have crumbled, Hawai’i clawed right back.

Alejado and company needed just six plays to respond, tying the game at 17 with less than six minutes left in the first half as Ashlock caught his second score of the night on a rocket from the redshirt freshman.

The defense held strong despite a late drive from the Aggies to close out the second quarter, limiting USU to a 40-yard field goal while getting the ball back to the offense with more than a minute to work with and two timeouts.

Again, Alejado uncorked late-clock wizardry to help march the Rainbow Warriors downfield for the go-ahead score. The southpaw found Harris twice for big gains before delivering his third and final touchdown pass of the night to Ashlock with 24 seconds left in the first half, pushing the hosts in front at the break, 24-20.

“The thing I love most that you’re seeing this season is the resilience of the guys,“ Chang said of his team’s ability to wiggle out of precarious situations throughout the night. “We come back [after a bad moment] and then it’s just business as usual.”

Hawai’i took a chance on the second half opening kickoff, trying to catch USU off-guard with an onside kick attempt but instead setting up the Aggies with fantastic field position inside Rainbow Warrior territory. Utah State found paydirt three plays later as graduate QB Bryson Barnes hit Broc Lane for a 32-yard touchdown to vault the visitors back in front less than a minute into the third quarter.

Lester Lagafuaina blocked the ensuing PAT, giving UH the chance to take the lead with a field goal instead of a touchdown in a game that had traded haymakers for the previous 20 minutes.

Matsuzawa put Hawai’i ahead for good with 3:20 left in the third frame, connecting on a 46-yard field goal to make it 27-26 in favor of the hosts.

Alejado added his first career rushing touchdown with 12:01 left to play, using a 15-yard scoring scamper to give Hawai’i a double-digit advantage for the first time all night.

The magical year for the Tokyo Toe continued with 7:47 left in regulation as Matsuzawa drilled a 36-yard field goal to improve to 19-for-19 on the year while matching Jason Elam’s program record of 20 consecutive makes when including the close to the senior’s 2024 season.

Landon Sims provided the knockout blow after Otis and Smith combined to force a turnover, powering through defenders for a 4-yard score to put the cherry on top of a 44-26 statement over Utah State. Sims finished the night with 82 yards on 10 carries and added a reception for nine yards to help Hawai’i to victory.

Bryson Barnes finished the night 14-of-26 passing for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception while missing time due to an apparent injury. Senior backup QB Jacob Conover went 4-of-10 passing for 64 yards in limited action as the Aggies fell to the Rainbow Warriors for the first time ever in eight meetings as Mountain West rivals.

Hawai’i (5-2, 2-1 Mountain West) hits the road next week to face Colorado State (2-4, 1-1 Mountain West), who pounded Fresno State on Friday with a 49-21 shellacking in Fort Collins. With a wide-open conference looking for teams to stake claim to the top, Chang’s Warriors remain aligned.

“I think the only way we’re going to reach our goals is if we stay in the moment and take it one day at a time,” Chang said when asked about the chance to establish the program as a power with a changing conference makeup. “I tell the guys, don’t fall for it … When things are good, they’re good. When things are bad, they’re bad. We just have got to stay steady in our work and how we do everything.”

HPU dives into more community service with Shark Splash Weekend

HPU dives into more community service with Shark Splash Weekend

Oct 5, 2025

Photo Credit: HPU MBB

HPU dives into more community service with Shark Splash Weekend

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 5, 2025

HONOLULU – What’s the point of a platform if you can’t give back?

Entering September’s final weekend, the Hawai’i Pacific University men’s basketball team took on one of the program’s biggest community service projects in three seasons under the watchful eye of head coach Jesse Nakanishi.

As much as the third-year head man works for a winning culture on the court, Nakanishi and staff have made equal efforts for it off-court by giving back to those looking for a few extra hands of help. Among the program’s community service projects from previous seasons were the “Shark Bite” Mentorship Program with local elementary schools, lo’i patch work, putting on free basketball skills clinics for children and adults with disabilities and much more.

“A big part of our September is spent team building and giving back to the community,” Nakanishi said. “[We] are so fortunate to live the life we have in front of us. This weekend encapsulated both objectives; our team retreat got us closer while we also were able to provide much needed boosts to kids, ‘aina and animals.”

This year, HPU looked to take another step forward in impacting the local community after putting on another free youth skills clinic in mid-September. The next service swing would be a big one, planning the first annual “Shark Splash Weekend” – a multi-day commitment to community that put the Sharks to work as they took on four different major projects.

The “Shark Bite” Mentorship Program at Mānoa Elementary School was rekindled for another year of fun on the final Friday of the month. With the entire team on hand, players introduced themselves to a new group of students and joined them for recess as they began building mentorships with another pocket of the younger generation.

Saturday split the Sharks into three different groups as they tried to make as big of an impact as possible in a multitude of places.

With associate head coach Cam Flabel, one group spent the day with Kids Hurt Too Hawaii to help add perspective while giving back. Kids Hurt Too Hawaii is a nonprofit aimed at providing support and community to groups of children and families battling a plethora of difficulties.

Photo Credit: HPU MBB

According to their official website, Kids Hurt Too Hawaii has provided grief and trauma support to thousands of children in Hawai’i over the course of more than a decade while also conducting over 50 crisis interventions and training more than 5,000 adults to help combat the impact of trauma and grief on children and teens.

“I’m really proud of our guys for taking on four major projects and crushing them, one-by-one,” Flabel said following the weekend. “I think [my group] got a great perspective reminder of how good of lives we live.”

For the day, the Sharks helped the keiki enjoy some of the childhood glee that every young person deserves to experience. Between cooking breakfast, playing games and countless conversations, HPU spent hours upon hours helping provide the kids an escape from life’s challenges.

“It felt like we helped remind them to just be kids again and smile,” Flabel continued about his group’s time with “Kids Hurt Too” on Saturday. “It just felt good to take their minds off of things and the crazy lives they are dealing with.”

New assistant coach Kyle Ruiz was tabbed with the lo’i patch group, seeing many of the newest Sharks wade knee deep into mud to pull weeds and plant kalo. A formative experience for the players, HPU’s fresh faces were able to connect with the land and learn about the culture in their new home.

Second-year graduate assistant Garrett Shifflett led his group through a day at Aloha Animal Sanctuary, O’ahu’s first nonprofit sanctuary for farmed animals. Aloha Animal Sanctuary, located in Kahalu’u, Kaneohe, has been open since 2019 and provides two acres of space to farmed animals at the base of the Ko’olau Mountain Range.

HPU’s group of players and coaches met and fed the animals that reside inside the sanctuary before providing over three hours of manual labor, digging a trench for a water drainage pipe in case of future flooding risks. Similar to Ruiz’s group, Shifflett’s conglomerate of Sharks found another level of connection with nature while working in community.

Going above and beyond while giving back is nothing new for Nakanishi’s program. After his first season at the helm, the Sharks were recognized nationally for their charitable efforts as the runner-up for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence and nominee from the PacWest.

While HPU checked off a big chunk of community service in the fall, giving back goes year-round. The Sharks plan for the third iteration of “Field Trip Day” in conjunction with the “Shark Bite” Mentorship Program and host their annual “Kam’s Helmets Day”  in memory of the tragic loss of former HPU standout Kameron Steinhoff.

Until then, the Sharks are locked into readying for another season in the PacWest. After missing out on the conference tournament last season, Nakanishi and company refreshed the roster with eight new faces and returned all nine possible players from last season’s squad with eligibility remaining.

“I feel like we’re off to a much faster start than before,” Nakanishi said of the team ahead of preseason practices kicking off. “It’s [about] making tweaks to what we’ve done in the past and trying to highlight the strengths of this new bunch, along with the returners.”

HPU tips off the 2025-26 season on November 3, traveling to the continent to face Boise State in an exhibition before returning home for a November 8 home opener against Nobel University.

Hawai’i drops four-setter to UC Davis, lose Reid to injury

Hawai’i drops four-setter to UC Davis, lose Reid to injury

Sep 27, 2025

Hawai’i libero/defensive specialist Victoria Leyva looks on during a home match for the Rainbow Wahine. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i drops four-setter to UC Davis, lose Reid to injury

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 2025

HONOLULU – If it isn’t one thing, it’s another with the Rainbow Wahine.

A depleted University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team had another nightmare Saturday, falling in four sets to UC Davis (6-4, 3-0 Big West) inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, (23-25, 25-23, 12-25, 13-25). Without two starting outside hitters already, the Rainbow Wahine watched as star freshman Cha’lei Reid crumpled to the floor in the fourth set after getting mixed up with the net stanchion, exiting and not returning to the match after recording her ninth career game with 10+ kills.

Sophomore Miliana Sylvester led the Rainbow Wahine with 11 kills, her second straight match with double-figure putdowns to lead off Big West play. The middle blocker committed just one attacking error on 16 swings, good for a .625 hitting percentage, and got hands on four blocks throughout the night.

One night after recording the program’s first triple-double since 2018, setter/outside Adrianna Arquette tallied six kills, 20 assists, seven digs, two blocks and a pair of service aces as she continued her all-around efforts. Sophomore Maddie Way added five kills on 18 swings while getting her hand on five blocks of her own in the loss by Hawai’i.

The Rainbow Wahine battled back-and-forth with the Aggies in the opening frame, trading the lead up to a 23-all tie that ultimately allowed the visitors from UC Davis to take the final two rallies and secure the 1-0 set lead.

Set 2 provided a near-carbon copy of the first stanza, seeing both sides grind out every rally as to not let go of the rope and allow too large of an advantage to the other. Hawai’i eventually pulled through as Arquette and Way combined at the net to deny an offering from UCD’s Jade Light and knot the match at one set apiece.

The Aggies came out of the brief intermission following set two with a fury, firing on all cylinders as they dominated the Rainbow Wahine in the third frame to the tune of a 25-12 smackdown. Both sides traded points to begin the fourth stanza, but Hawai’i ran out of gas on the second night of a back-to-back after Reid exited with an injury to her leg, falling 25-13 to drop the match in four sets.

UC Davis outside hitter Brooke Hibino led all players with 15 kills on 32 swings, committing five attack errors throughout the night. Jade Light added 12 kills, six digs and a pair of aces for good measure is the Aggies beat the Rainbow Wahine for just the third time in program history.

Hawai’i committed 52 total errors (32 attack, 17 service, 3 blocking) and hit an anemic .047% in a sloppy offensive showing. Sophomore defensive specialist/libero Victoria Leyva was a bright spot for UH, racking up a match-high 17 digs. UH coaches and players were not made available following the loss.

The Rainbow Wahine will hope for good news regarding the health status of Reid, already down junior outside hitters Tali Hakas and Stella Adeyemi due to injury. Hawai’i (5-8, 1-1 Big West) returns to action next Friday, October 3 for the first conference road trip of the season as they take on Cal State Bakersfield before facing Cal State Northridge on Saturday, October 4.

Offensive explosion helps Hawai’i ground Air Force, retain Kuter Trophy

Offensive explosion helps Hawai’i ground Air Force, retain Kuter Trophy

Sep 27, 2025

Hawai’i QB Micah Alejado tries to evade a defender on the run during a 44-35 victory for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo Credit: Brian Bautista, HSRN

Offensive explosion helps Hawai’i ground Air Force, retain Kuter Trophy

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 2025

Hope you didn’t take the under.

Behind more than 500 yards of total offense, few timely stops and a fourth quarter that featured more than 40 combined points, the University of Hawai’i football team outlasted Air Force (1-3, 0-3 Mountain West) in a 44-35 shootout on Saturday in Colorado Springs.

Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado bounced back from a brutal showing against Fresno State by completing 35-of-47 passes for 457 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the second time in Alejado’s first five career starts that he eclipsed 450 yards through the air, passing Colt Brennan (6 games) as the fastest player in UH history to achieve that feat.

Hawai’i (4-2, 1-1 Mountain West) turned in the cleanest performance of the season as well, recording just their second turnover-free game in the first six contests while committing a season-low four penalties for 17 yards and converting on 14-of-19 third-down opportunities.

The 44 points by the Rainbow Warriors were the most in the Chang era and the most by a UH team on the road since the 2019 unit put up 45 on New Mexico. Ten different receivers caught a pass for Hawai’i, who also found some success on the ground as they recorded the team’s first two rushing touchdowns of the 2025 campaign.

Alejado and company started hot, marching 75 yards down the field across six plays to begin the game as Cam Barfield ripped off a 59-yard catch-and-run to set up a goal-to-go chance before three minutes had even elapsed. The Rainbow Warriors wrapped up the pristine opening possession with a 6-yard TD as Alejado floated a ball to Jackson Harris just past the front-left pylon.

Air Force responded with a four-play scoring drive behind the arm and legs of sophomore QB Liam Szarka, who broke free for 64 yards on the Falcons’ first offensive play before finding TE Bruin Fleischmann two plays later on a 5-yard pass for the game-tying TD.

Hawai’i wasted little time finding the end zone again, charging down the field to take back the lead behind a beautiful stop-and-start move by Brandon White, dancing to paydirt for the first score of his college career.

After forcing an Air Force turnover-on-downs, the Rainbow Warriors put together a program-record 24-play scoring drive as they ate up more than 12 minutes of game action before seeing Kansei Matsuzawa connect on a 31-yard field goal to extend the UH lead into double figures before the halftime break.

Szarka sparked the Falcons with his arm to open the third quarter, finding Quin Smith for a 52-yard gain into Rainbow Warrior territory before fans could get settled back in from the break. Senior running back Kade Frew capitalized for AFA on the next play with an 11-yard scamper for a score, his first of the season for the Falcons, to cut UH’s lead to 17-14.

The teams traded a pair of turnovers-on-downs, eating up the middle of the third period with the Rainbow Warriors still clinging to the slim lead. Hawai’i returned to the end zone with 2:44 left in the frame as Landon Sims battered his way in for UH’s first rushing touchdown of the year, extending the advantage back to double digits.

Matagi Thompson, who finished the day with four tackles, gave Hawai’i a chance to take total control with his first career interception right before the end of the third quarter. The lone live-ball turnover of the game, the pick set up another Barfield burst to help push the lead higher as the junior back took a handoff on the first play of the fourth quarter 27 yards to the end zone for his first career rushing touchdown.

Air Force punched right back with a two-play, 75-yard scoring drive, shouldered by a 73-yard TD catch by WR Cade Harris, as both teams found the end zone in the final frame before a full minute had elapsed. Alejado and company pushed down the field to set up Matsuzawa’s second field goal of the day to go back up 13, but another quick scoring drive by the Falcons made it a 6-point game with under six minutes left in regulation.

Hawai’i looked to throw the knockout blow less than a minute later as Alejado found a streaking Harris for the second touchdown connection of the day, this time from 74 yards out for the Rainbow Warriors’ longest play from scrimmage this season to restore the two-score cushion.

The Falcons feigned one more comeback push as Szarka tossed his third TD of his first career start, a 45-yard score to Quin Smith, but Hawai’i salted the game away with less than a minute remaining with Matsuzawa’s third made kick of the day. The senior kicking sensation set a new Mountain West record to begin a season as he has hit 16 straight field goal attempts to start the year.

Szarka ended his first college start with more than 400 yards of total offense (278 pass, 139 rush) and three TD passes, getting intercepted once. The Falcons put up a UH-opponent high 494 yards of offense as a group but lost the time of possession battle almost by a full quarter-worth of time.

Jackson Harris turned in a career day all around for the Rainbow Warriors, who were still without the services of preseason All-Mountain West selection WR Nick Cenacle, as the transfer from Stanford hauled in a game-high seven receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Brandon White finally got in on the fun for UH as he secured seven catches for 50 yards and his first career score. Redshirt freshman WR Tama Uiliata set a new career best with six receptions, racking up 42 yards and the best catch of the day to help UH win for the second straight time at Air Force.

Hawai’i completes the first half of the 2025 slate with a 4-2 record, entering the team’s first bye week of the season flying high after evening the team’s conference record. The Rainbow Warriors will return to action on October 11, hosting Utah State on “Ultimate Keiki Night” in the islands.