Kahuku, Saint Louis advance to HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division State Championship

Kahuku, Saint Louis advance to HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division State Championship

Nov 16, 2024

Kahuku DB Aiden Manutai awaits a play during the Red Raiders’ 8-6 win over Mililani. Manutai had the lone TD for Kahuku, a 70-yard FG block returned for a touchdown. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Kahuku, Saint Louis advance to HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division State Championship

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 16, 2024
PRINTABLE VERSION

MILILANI – And then there were two. 

For the 16th time in 45 years, the Kahuku Red Raiders and Saint Louis Crusaders will face off with a Hawai’i High School football state championship trophy on the line. The two programs have combined to win all seven of the state championships in the Open Division since the classification was created ahead of the 2016 season. 

Top-seeded Kahuku used an elite defensive performance and a miracle-man play by Aiden Manutai to clip Mililani in the first of two semifinal games on Friday night, 8-6. Second-seeded Saint Louis used University of Hawai’i football commit Titan Lacaden’s 216 rushing yards and three touchdowns to come back from a double-digit halftime deficit in the second semifinal and defeat the Campbell Sabers, 27-24. 

The Red Raiders and Crusaders will meet in two weeks on November 29 at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, the home field of the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, for the 2024 HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division Championship. The two teams opened the season for the Open Division, facing off in the first game of the preseason on August 10. 

Manutai mastery moves Kahuku past Mililani for 5th straight state title appearance 

Kahuku (9-4) inched by Mililani (9-3) in the HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division semifinals, 8-6, seeing Cal-commit Aiden Manutai’s 70-yard field goal block, recovery and return and a 2-point conversion by Utah-commit Mana Carvalho give the defense the needed cushion to sink the Trojans. The Red Raiders’ defense held strong all night, keeping Mililani to five total conversions on third and fourth down in 18 combined chances. 

The Red Raiders’ offense struggled throughout the night themselves but dominated the time of possession, controlling the rock for over 27 minutes of game action. Kahuku quarterback Matai Fuiava completed 15-of-20 pass attempts for 107 yards and an interception in the win while Mana Carvalho chipped in 77 total yards (39 rushing, 38 receiving) on 10 touches for the Red Raiders. 

Kini McMillan completed 19-of-40 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his final high school football game. The senior quarterback will head to Washington following his final year of high school, one of a large number of Hawai’i high school football players continuing their football careers at the college level after graduation. 

The teams traded defensive stops throughout much of the first half, seeing the scoreless tie finally broken with just under two minutes to play in the second quarter when Kahuku safety Aiden Manutai blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt by Mililani’s Pookela Tom Makues, scooped up the loose ball and returned it 70 yards for a score. University of Utah-commit Mana Carvalho got creative to convert on the 2-point conversion attempt and gave Kahuku an 8-0 lead with 1:57 left before halftime. 

That score would hold until the game’s final minute as McMillan found Jonah Togafau-Tavui for a nine-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to play, but the 2-point conversion by Mililani fell to the turf as Kahuku held on to advance in the state tournament. 

The victory sends the Red Raiders to the HHSAA Open Division state championship game for the fifth consecutive season as the three-time defending champions attempt to complete the state’s second four-peat since the creation of the Open Division (Saint Louis, 2016-19). Mililani and Punahou are the only other two programs to appear in the Open Division state title game outside of Kahuku and Saint Louis. 

Lacaden’s legs lift Saint Louis over Campbell to return to state title game 

Saint Louis (8-3) overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to rally from behind and beat the Campbell Sabers (9-2) in the HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division semifinals, 27-24. University of Hawai’i-commit Titan Lacaden carried the ball 27 times for 216 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the fourth quarter, to punch the Crusaders’ ticket to Open Division state championship game against Kahuku on November 29. 

Campbell jumped out to an early 14-0 lead behind a pair of Brystin Sansano touchdown runs in the opening frame, seeing star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele complete five of his first six throws for 98 yards through the air while adding another 24 on the ground. Lacaden got Saint Louis on the board midway through the second quarter, rumbling his way into the end zone from six yards out to make it an eight-point game, 14-6. 

The Sabers added on a state tournament-record 48-yard field goal by Jadyn Parker as the first half clock expired to take a 17-6 lead into the break, but Sagapolutele took another hit just before Campbell settled for the kick that would hold him out of the second half against Saint Louis. 

The Crusaders struck quickly out of the halftime break, going 80 yards in 94 seconds for a touchdown as sophomore QB Nainoa Lopes found Hashley-Kingston Siliado on a 28-yard pass to bring Saint Louis back within a possession, 17-12. With Sagapolutele sidelined, star receiver Rusten Abang-Perez provided Campbell with a jolt of energy by returning the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and pushing the Sabers back ahead by double digits less than 20 seconds later, 24-12. 

It was the last time Campbell would score as Saint Louis went to the ground game to take control, using Lacaden in wildcat packages and trick plays along with his normal use running and receiving for the Crusaders. The senior brought Saint Louis within five, 24-19, as he recorded his second TD of the night to begin the fourth quarter and pushed the Crusaders in front for good two and a half minutes later with another score after the Saint Louis defense forced Campbell backup QB Brayden Medeiros to fumble deep inside Sabers’ territory. 

Campbell starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele ended his final high school game completing 10-of-17 passes for 168 yards as he watched from the sidelines in discomfort throughout much of the second half. The Sabers struggled to get much of a running game going against the Crusaders’ defense, totaling just 31 yards on the ground as a team in the loss. 

Saint Louis will look to return to Open Division glory and snap the Kahuku dynasty streak, seeing the season extend as long as possible under first-year head coach Tupu Alualu’s watch. It will be the 16th time the two programs have met with a state football championship on the line. 

The HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Open Division Championship will be played on Friday, November 29 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex on the campus of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. 

Flashback Friday: Kate Lang’s journey to and through the islands

Flashback Friday: Kate Lang’s journey to and through the islands

Nov 15, 2024

Kate Lang sets a ball during a spring exhibition for the Rainbow Wahine. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Flashback Friday: Kate Lang’s journey to and through the islands

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 15, 2024

HONOLULU – How fast time flies. 

University of Hawai’i senior Kate Lang has been a staple on the floor for the volleyball program for years, starting the last 107 straight matches and playing in a total of 114 since 2021. It has been a long (but also fast), bumpy (but also fun) ride with one of the most consistently strong women’s volleyball programs in the country that has helped Lang evolve from a tough Texas kid into so much more. 

Born in Indiana, Lang was a soccer player at an early age before her family made the move down to Texas when she was seven. Her sports journey included stops on horseback and the basketball court before finally making her way to the volleyball court. 

“I’m a horse girl at heart,” Lang chuckled when talking about her horseback riding days during an interview with Olivia Austin on the Hawaii Players’ Pod in 2023. “I remember thinking to myself like I don’t know anybody that does the same afterschool stuff that I do … but then I started getting into like basketball and volleyball and that’s where I made a lot of friends.” 

Her basketball career casually closed around the age of 12, shifting more focus to the volleyball court as she knew she wanted to pursue playing at the college level. By the age of 14, a set position on the floor painted a clearer picture of which spot she would use to punch her ticket to being a collegiate student-athlete.  

“It was the first year that I was like I’m really getting serious into [pursuing college volleyball],” Lang said of when she turned 14. “I wanted to start recruiting at 15.” 

Hawai’i obliged, offering Lang at the age of 15 and seeing the setter from Texas commit to the Rainbow Wahine by the time she was 16 years old. She admitted in the Hawaii Players’ Pod interview that if she could go back and commit to a school again, she would still pick the University of Hawai’i. 

The hardships came, losing her father unexpectedly at that same youthful age of 16 and trying to pick up the pieces of life with her mother. It was the one of the first inflection points in her life, forcing her to reconsider friendships in what she desired out of them and who she wanted around her. 

Her relationship with her mother grew closer than ever, supporting her while needing to grow up and mature faster than others her age. While she grew, she also points to that period – when other people placed the pressure on her to take care of her mom despite being a kid mourning her own father’s passing – as part of the start of her battle against anxiety that continues. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball coaching staff, more specifically former associate head coach Angelica Ljungqvist, called Lang to offer their condolences and explain that they would understand if she felt the need to go back on her commitment to the Rainbow Wahine program. She had no interest or intention of changing her plans despite the sudden shift in her life, despite multiple options far closer in her home state of Texas still being available to her. 

She made her way to the islands with more murky waters surrounding her, seeing the first chance at a college season get cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She once again persevered, returning to the program in 2021, pushing into the starting lineup by the game’s seventh match and earning all-Big West All-Freshman team honors for her efforts.  

Lang continued her progression, winning the Big West Setter of the Year award in her sophomore season and earning back-to-back all-conference selections in 2022 and 2023. For as much as she grew on the court, she found herself growing off the floor as well as on it. 

The tough Texas kid has meetings with head coach Robyn Ah Mow, a USA Volleyball Hall of Fame setter, every week for a time that both player and coach refer to as an opportunity to have real, adult conversations. For Ah Mow, it is one of the things that she will miss most about Lang. 

“There’s a lot of girls that are too scared to come up [to my office],” said the veteran head coach. “From Day 1, [even after] we kind of hit the heads the first year, she just kept coming [to my office]. I think I’m going to miss that, her coming upstairs [for meetings].” 

For Lang, those meetings helped push her to become the woman and leader that she is today. The young girl who found herself tightening her circle and dealing with the fallout of losing her father while she should have been able to focus on getting her drivers’ license finds it easier today to handle the tough, uncomfortable conversations because of her time with Ah Mow. 

“After [playing for] this program, I’m definitely okay with confrontation and I’m okay with having adult conversations, and that’s all thanks to Coach [Robyn],” Lang said during her Senior Week press availability. 

She now enters her final two home matches of her pristine college career, Long Beach State and UC San Diego visit the Stan Sheriff Center for the final battles in the islands with Lang quarterbacking the Rainbow Wahine attack. Awaiting her will be the thousands of screaming fans that have supported her since she first committed to UH, a fanbase that ranks in the top three nationally in both total attendance and average total attendance for home women’s volleyball matches and played a massive part in her reaffirmation of her commitment to Hawai’i. 

“One of the biggest reasons I came to UH was the community’s support,” Lang said on Wednesday. “I have so much love … I love our fans so much; I love this community, and I’m so honored to be able to play for them every weekend.” 

Hawai’i will host Long Beach State on Friday night for “Military Night” before taking on UC San Diego on Saturday for “Show ’UHM Your Aloha Senior Night” when the careers and contributions of both Lang and fellow senior Tayli Ikenaga will be recognized following the match’s completion. Both contests have an expected first serve of 7 p.m. 

Hawai’i downs Pacific late for 16th OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic crown

Hawai’i downs Pacific late for 16th OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic crown

Nov 11, 2024

The Hawai’i men’s basketball team poses with former NFL running back Todd Gurley (middle) after winning the 2024 OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic over Pacific, 76-66. | Photo Credit: Paul Brecht, HSRN

Hawai’i downs Pacific late for 16th OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic crown

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 11, 2024

HONOLULU – Back on top. 

Hawai’i (3-0) completed a clean sweep of the 2024 OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic field on Monday, pulling away from the Pacific Tigers (3-1) late, 76-66, to win the event for the first time since 2017. It is UH’s 16th time hoisting the champions’ trophy for the Rainbow Classic and third time under head coach Eran Ganot. 

Leading the way for Hawai’i were a pair of offseason transfer portal additions in Marcus Greene and Gytis Nemeikša, combining for nearly half of UH’s total offensive production off the bench to help the Rainbow Warriors to the last laugh in a back-and-forth championship game against the Tigers. Greene chipped in a season-high 18 points, 16 of which came after halftime, while Nemeikša recorded his first double-double of his UH career with 18 points and 10 rebounds. 

Hawai’i started slowly, hitting on just one of six shots from the field as Pacific raced out to a 9-4 advantage by the first media timeout. Akira Jacobs helped UH come alive, drilling a 3-pointer to push the Rainbow Warriors out to their first lead of the night following the break before Nemeikša and center Tanner Christensen helped power UH to a seven-point cushion with 11:26 left in the opening half. 

Pacific started to cut into the lead with under six minutes before halftime, seeing junior forward Elijah Fisher work his way to the line six times as he put multiple UH defenders into foul trouble while knotting the game at 27 with 4:06 to play. The Tigers looked to end the half with an avalanche, moving back in front by four before Hawai’i freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor‘s steal and score in transition helped the Rainbow Warriors keep the game within a basket as they went to the locker room down two, 37-35. 

After going 0-for-5 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, Marcus Greene entered into the second half action after a minute and started to get loose for Hawai’i with six of the first nine points for the Rainbow Warriors to push back in front, 44-42. Hawai’i and Pacific continued to trade baskets, seeing a single point separating the two sides with 7:30 left in regulation of the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic championship. 

Christensen drilled four consecutive free throws to give Hawai’i some breathing room and Greene delivered clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretch to maintain a nine-point cushion over the Tigers. Nemeikša delivered backbreaking blow against Pacific, putting back an errant Kody Williams free throw attempt to give UH the biggest lead of the night with 51 seconds left. 

Elijah Fisher scored a game-high 21 points (13-17 FT) in the loss for the Tigers, who have not won a game against the Rainbow Warriors in the islands since 1987. The former consensus five-star recruit received all-Tournament team honors for Pacific along with Elias Ralph, who had 17 points and eight rebounds in the championship game loss. 

Hawai’i’s defense found a great deal of success after the halftime break, holding Pacific to 35 percent shooting from the field and without a single 3-point make in the final 20 minutes. 

Tanner Christensen earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors with his third straight strong performance for Hawai’i, posting 14 points and seven boards against Pacific. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 15 points, 7.3 rebounds and a block per contest through UH’s three Rainbow Classic contests and was joined by Greene and sophomore captain Tom Beattie on the all-Tournament team as representatives for the champion Rainbow Warriors. 

Hawai’i returns to action on November 17, hosting Weber State in a final tune up before nationally ranked North Carolina visits the Rainbow Warriors later that week. 

Christensen powers Hawai’i over San Jose State in OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic

Christensen powers Hawai’i over San Jose State in OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic

Nov 10, 2024

Hawai’i G Tom Beattie drives during an exhibition game. The sophomore set a new career-high with 16 points in a win over San Jose State on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

Christensen powers Hawai’i over San Jose State in OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 10, 2024

HONOLULU – Punch it home. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team finally faced off against Division I competition on Sunday evening, powering by future Mountain West foe San Jose State in the second day of the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic, 80-69, behind a strong effort by graduate center Tanner Christensen and the calming presence of a multitude of veterans down the stretch. 

The Utah Tech transfer poured in 20 points (8-10 FG) and eight rebounds in his second start for the Rainbow Warriors, scoring 14 points in the second half to help Hawai’i (2-0) down the Spartans to set up a true championship game on Monday night in the final day of the 58th annual Rainbow Classic. 

Hawai’i started out hot, hitting the first four shots of the night as four different Rainbow Warriors scored to jump out to an early seven-point lead over SJSU. The Spartans responded quickly, rattling off an 11-2 run to take a two-point advantage with 13:16 left to play in the opening period. 

Marcus Greene, who transferred to UH in the offseason from Houston Christian, pushed the Rainbow Warriors back in front with consecutive baskets as a variety of the upperclassmen helped Hawai’i stay close with San Jose State in a back-and-forth first frame. 

The Spartans took a late 30-29 lead in the opening half after back-to-back shot-clock buzzer-beating triples by Will McClendon and Jermaine Washington swung the momentum back in SJSU’s favor with 3:57 left to play. Graduate forward Sadaidriene Hall closed out the period hot with a pair of buckets and a couple of free throws to send San Jose State into the halftime break leading by four. 

Christensen returned the momentum back to Hawai’i to begin the second half, slamming home a dunk over a pair of San Jose State defenders and drawing the foul to pull the Rainbow Warriors within one, 40-39. Kody Williams tied it at 44 just two minutes later with a three-pointer, but Hall scored six straight for San Jose State after Christensen’s third foul to push the visitors back ahead by a couple possessions, 50-46. 

Following the under-12-minute media timeout, Christensen went back to work with five straight points to pull Hawai’i back in front by one as the teams continued to trade the lead. The 6-foot-10 center knotted the game again at 56 with just over eight minutes to play before Harry Rouhliadeff drilled a straight-away triple to give Hawai’i the lead for good at the 7:55 mark of the second half. 

Christensen continued serving as the focal point for the Rainbow Warriors offense down the stretch, scoring another four points while delivering the pass on Tom Beattie’s dagger three with just under two minutes to play to seal Hawai’i’s second win in the Rainbow Classic. 

Beattie finished with a new career high in points, tallying 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 35 minutes for UH. Kody Williams and Harry Rouhliadeff each added 12 points apiece while Marcus Greene chipped in 11 points off the bench for the Rainbow Warriors, who turn around and face unbeaten Pacific (3-0) on Monday evening in the de facto OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic championship game. 

 The Tigers dispatched Life Pacific, 95-41, on the second day of the tournament and will look to snap the program’s two-game losing streak against Hawai’i. Pacific is 5-4 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors and fell in the 2019 and 2021 Rainbow Classic tournaments to UH, last beating Hawai’i in Honolulu back in December of 1985. 

Hawai’i is looking for the program’s 16th overall title in the event and has not won the Rainbow Classic since 2017, when current assistant coach Gibson Johnson was a senior co-captain for the UH program. The Rainbow Warriors are looking to start a season 3-0 for the second straight year and fifth overall season under head coach Eran Ganot. 

Hawai’i pushes past Portland State behind balanced effort

Hawai’i pushes past Portland State behind balanced effort

Nov 10, 2024

Hawai’i G MeiLani McBee shoots a three-pointer during an exhibition against Hawai’i-Hilo. McBee led the Rainbow Wahine with 12 points in Saturday’s road victory over Portland State. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

Hawai’i pushes past Portland State behind balanced effort

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 10, 2024

In the win column. 

The University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine vanquished the Portland State Vikings on Saturday, 72-50, using a dominant effort on the glass and 10 three-pointers to bounce back from Thursday’s season-opening loss against the University of Portland. MeiLani McBee led the way for UH, scoring 12 points and grabbing five boards in the victory. 

The offense started hot for Hawai’i (1-1), hitting nine of the team’s first 12 shots, but turnovers again plagued the Rainbow Wahine as PSU forced eight takeaways in the opening 10 minutes to hold a 20-19 lead through one period. 

UH tightened the screws defensively in the second quarter, limiting Portland State to six points while dominating on the glass and holding the Vikings without an offensive rebound throughout the frame to head into the halftime break leading by seven, 33-26. Jovi Lefotu provided a spark offensively for the Rainbow Wahine with her own personal 5-0 run while Jade Peacock and Daejah Phillips each drilled three-pointers to help the Hawai’i cause. 

The offense clicked into place along with the defense in the third quarter for UH, outscoring PSU 24-9 in the period to open up a 22-point lead entering the final frame. Brooklyn Rewers imposed her will on the Vikings, pouring in seven points and three rebounds in the third quarter alone while freshman Ritorya Tamilo added four points of her own as the bigs for Hawai’i helped open up the game. 

With a healthy lead in hand, the Rainbow Wahine saw some of the team’s depth get run as freshman Kira-May Filemu knocked down her first three-pointer and scored six points in the closing 10 minutes. Hawai’i saw 11 different players score and 13 players receive time in the 22-point victory over the Vikings. 

Jamia Carter paced all scorers with 15 points (3/10 FG, 7/9 FT) for Portland State while Lana Wegner and Alaya Fitzgerald each chipped in with nine points for the Vikings. PSU must turn the page quickly from the season-opening loss as they travel to San Francisco on Tuesday to face the University of San Francisco. 

Daejah Phillips scored 11 points while snagging three rebounds and handing out three assists in the win for Hawai’i. Freshman center Ritorya Tamilo finished with 10 points and two boards in her first career start and has reached double figures in both Rainbow Wahine games this season. 

Hawai’i will now face a 13-day layoff, returning to action for the home opener against Louisiana-Monroe on November 22 in the first round of the Bank of Hawai’i Classic.