Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Oct 17, 2026

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Kalaheo QB Loch Moorman celebrates after one of his four TDs against Castle. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

KANEOHE – The Mustangs keep marching.

Behind another big night on the ground from Air Force RB commit Marquez Mellor and QB Loch Moorman’s career-best showing, the Kalaheo varsity football team completed the first unbeaten regular season in program history on Friday night with a 62-21 road win over the Castle Knights.

Mellor rumbled for 135 yards and a touchdown across 19 carries in the victory for Kalaheo, bringing his season totals to 1,119 yards rushing and 19 scores on the ground through eight regular season games.

Moorman posted a career-high 236 yards passing while accounting for four total touchdowns (2 pass, 2 rush) on the way to the win. The senior quarterback also added 42 more yards with his legs, two yards shy of his career high on the ground.

“I was just doing this for the boys,” Moorman said after the best performance of his high school career. “Big thanks to my line for blocking for me, letting me get the ball out of my hand, letting me run for the touchdowns. Thanks to coach for all the good play calls. It was all thanks to them.”

Moorman and the Mustangs kicked things off with a bang, recovering an onside kick on the opening play of the game. The visitors wasted little time capitalizing, powering down the field for the night’s opening score as Mellor muscled his way into the end zone from nine yards out.

Castle (4-6, 4-3 league) answered back on the ensuing drive, capitalizing on a pair of Kalaheo penalties and eventually converting on 4th-and-goal as senior WR Dyson Yap-Tolentino made a circus catch through coverage to help tie the game up, 7-7, with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Kalaheo (8-0, 7-0 league) punched right back with the first of Moorman’s two rushing touchdowns on the night just before the first quarter closed out. It was the first time since the season opener at Hawaii Prep that the athletic senior QB found paydirt with his legs.

Fellow senior Zayne Farley finished off the Mustangs’ third drive of the night with another rushing score a few minutes later, pushing the visitors in front by 14 with just over four minutes left in the first half.

Castle showed off some urgency before the opening half wrapped up, driving the field at a perfect pace to drain the rest of the clock down before junior QB Draven Kalawa connected with senior WR Braden Domingo on a three-yard score to send the Knights into halftime trailing by seven.

When play resumed, Kalaheo took the offense off cruise control and cranked up the pressure as the Mustang passing attack came alive. After taking a couple deep shots at the start of the third, Moorman found WR Storm Kane on a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-14 in favor of Kalaheo less than 90 seconds after halftime.

Farley and Moorman each added a second rushing touchdown to their ledgers as the third quarter wound down and fourth quarter opened up, extending the Mustangs lead to 28 after just eight seconds elapsed in the final frame.

Castle found some positivity with a quick answer following the third of Moorman’s four scores, as Kalawa connected with Noa Sebay for a 29-yard touchdown with 10:45 left to play.

Kalaheo finished strong though, scoring the final three touchdowns of the night as Moorman and Kane combined for another score before back-to-back pick-sixes from Mason Jardine and Zayne Farley put a bow on the 62-21 victory for the Mustangs.

QB Draven Kalawa ended the night completing 31-of-51 pass attempts for 295 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the loss for Castle. Senior WR Braden Domingo went over triple digits in the receiving department for the fifth time this year, catching 11 passes for 140 yards and a score.

Kalaheo locked up the top spot in the OIA Division II ranks and will face Castle again in two weeks in the opening round of the league playoffs.

“They’re a tough team,” Mustangs HC Jaymason Lee said of the Knights. “I’m a proud Castle alum [and] us Castle guys, we don’t go down without a fight, so I knew they were going to come out firing … We’re going to see each other again so we’re both going to prepare, I know Coach Vince [Nihipali] and his staff are going to do a great job getting them ready for the playoffs and we’ve got to do the same.”

Molokai’s Jordyn McCutcheon went Rogue and became a record-setter

Molokai’s Jordyn McCutcheon went Rogue and became a record-setter

Oct 28, 2026

HONOLULU – College decisions can be hard, especially in Hawai’i. Plenty of students think they want to leave the islands after high school. Tons of others want nothing more than to attend one of the prestigious colleges located in their home state...

ADVERTISEMENT

Hawai’i holds off Wyoming in extra points to push win streak to seven

Hawai’i holds off Wyoming in extra points to push win streak to seven

Oct 16, 2026

Hawai’i holds off Wyoming in extra points to push win streak to seven

Hawaii setter Adriana Arquette puts up a joust at the net against a UC San Diego player. | Photo: Riley Guillermo

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Despite being pushed to the limit in Laramie, the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team fought off a ferocious upset bid from Wyoming (10-8, 3-4 Mountain West) on Thursday night for a hard-fought five set win over the Cowgirls, (25-13, 19-25, 26-28, 25-18, 17-15).

It was the first time in conference play that Hawai’i (15-3, 7-0 Mountain West) had dropped a set, falling in back-to-back frames before fighting back to take the final two stanzas to escape with the unblemished conference record still intact.

Sophomore outside hitter Cha’lei Reid led the way in kills for the Rainbow Wahine for the third straight match, tallying 16 putdowns on 44 swings to go along with six digs and four blocks. Senior outside hitter Panna Ratkai added her seventh double-double of the season as well, chipping in 14 kills and 11 digs while finishing out the match with her fifth block of the night.

Junior middle blocker Miliana Sylvester helped swing the tides in UH’s favor with one of the best performances of her career, posting her first collegiate double-double with 11 kills and 13 blocks as the Rainbow Wahine racked up a season-best 21.5 blocks as a group. It was the most denials in a single match for Hawai’i since 2010 against San Diego.

Wyoming was held to a season-low .075 on the attack, committing 37 attacking errors as a group against the Rainbow Wahine block party. Senior outside hitter Paige Lauterwasser put up a double-double of her own in the loss, totaling 13 kills and 19 digs to lead the Cowgirls.

After trading the first four frames back and forth, the Rainbow Wahine and Cowgirls clashed for an epic final set that saw 11 ties and four lead changes. Wyoming wiggled in front late to set up match point after an attacking error from Hawai’i but kills from Reid and setter Adrianna Arquette set the visitors up with a match point of their own and Ratkai solo-roofed Wyoming’s Reagan Sharp to snatch victory in extra points for UH.

Sophomore outside hitter/opposite Maëli Cormier tacked on a season-best 12 kills in the victory for the Rainbow Wahine, eclipsing double figures on the attack for the second time in the last three matches. Junior setter Adrianna Arquette added on her sixth double-double of the year, handing out 41 assists to go along with a career-high 19 digs.

Hawai’i and Wyoming will meet back up on Saturday for the rematch with first serve set for 2:30 p.m. HT.

Matingou magic helps Hawai’i hold on late against Seattle

Matingou magic helps Hawai’i hold on late against Seattle

Nov 3, 2026

HONOLULU – What a way to end college basketball’s opening day. After seeing a 16-point lead evaporate and falling behind for the first time all game late, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team sent fans home happy on Monday night as Jaden...

ADVERTISEMENT

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Oct 15, 2026

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Photo Credit: UH Athletics, Banana Ball

HONOLULU – It was only a matter of time before the Aloha Spirit crossed over with the baseball league taking the world by storm.

The Banana Ball Championship League revealed on Thursday that the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa would host a two-game series between the Loco Beach Coconuts and Party Animals at the iconic Les Murakami Stadium during the 2027 tour.

The pair of games will take place on April 30 and May 1, providing local fans with the rare opportunity to be live and in-person to see “Banana Ball” in the islands.

“Banana Ball has been growing tremendously fast,” Hawai’i athletics director Matt Elliott said during the school’s announcement on Thursday. “The popularity is incredible and as you’ve seen across the country, it’s their objective to play in places that are special, places that are iconic, and that’s what Les Murakami [Stadium] is.”

The Coconuts will head to Hawai’i with a pair of special connections to the islands. Shane Victorino, a Maui native and multi-time World Series champion, is the coach for the Coconuts and former Rainbow Warrior standout Andy Archer is featured on the roster for Loco Beach.

Kaupapa Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to Native Hawaiian sustainability, community resilience and sports and regenerative tourism partnerships, played a large role in bringing “Banana Ball” to Hawai’i after Victorino reached out to Kaupapa interim lead Lahela Aiwohi, a fellow Maui native.

“[Victorino] loves being a part of the Banana Ball league and just wanted to bring it home,” Aiwohi said. “If you didn’t catch the selection announcement, [the Hawai’i venue reveal] probably got the biggest cheers from those that attended.”

Tickets for the event will be sold and distributed through a lottery system on BananaBall.com at prices of $35 for standard tickets and $125 for Meet and Greet tickets. The Ticket Lottery List went live immediately following the announcement that the Coconuts and Party Animals would be heading to the islands and will remain open until October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST (5:59 p.m. HST).

Matingou magic helps Hawai’i hold on late against Seattle

Matingou magic helps Hawai’i hold on late against Seattle

Nov 3, 2026

HONOLULU – What a way to end college basketball’s opening day. After seeing a 16-point lead evaporate and falling behind for the first time all game late, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team sent fans home happy on Monday night as Jaden...

ADVERTISEMENT

Internal focus remains for red-hot Hawai’i ahead of first Wyoming trip in 30 years

Internal focus remains for red-hot Hawai’i ahead of first Wyoming trip in 30 years

Oct 14, 2026

Internal focus remains for red-hot Hawai’i ahead of first Wyoming trip in 30 years

Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

HONOLULU – The effects of elevation can take some people by surprise.

Look no further than the reaction to the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team, who have already eclipsed their win total from a year ago after a pair of sweeps over San Jose State last weekend and currently sit above their predicted preseason finish by a pretty margin.

With help from a few other results in a crazy weekend of women’s volleyball, the Rainbow Wahine now stand alone atop the Mountain West Conference with a 14-3 overall record and flawless 6-0 mark since league play began at the end of September. All six of those victories have come in consecutive frames, the longest streak of set wins in a row for UH since the 2016 team recorded eight straight sweeps and 25 consecutive set victories.

People have started to take notice as more and more fans fill the seats inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center for home matches. Hawai’i also continues to elevate higher within the national scope, checking in at 39th in the second NCAA Women’s Volleyball RPI rankings that came out on Monday – the highest mark in the Mountain West by nearly 70 spots.

Despite the growing noise and attention surrounding them ahead of the team’s first trip to Laramie since November 1996, the Rainbow Wahine remain focused on following the process that put them atop the conference totem pole to begin with.

“We have numbers and we have benchmarks that we’re going after, that we’re training for, regardless of who’s on the other side of the net,” first-year head coach Joshua Walker responded about the team’s continued hunger for success. “We’re not close to those numbers. Now defensively, we’ve done obviously pretty good. There’s some other parts of our game that’ve been pretty consistent and good, but as far as where we want to go and how good we want to get, we’re not there yet.”

Hawai’i entered the week as the best team in the Mountain West and the fourth-best unit nationally in limiting opponent hitting percentage (.141) and have held the other side’s hitting below .200 in 11 consecutive matches.

They’ll be tested again this weekend against Wyoming, who was picked just ahead of Hawai’i for fourth place in the Mountain West preseason poll and wield a weapon in senior outside hitter Paige Lauterwasser.

A two-time All-Mountain West honoree and 2026 preseason all-conference pick, Lauterwasser eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark for her career in the final weekend of September against UTEP and ranks among the top 10 players in the Mountain West in kills per set (3.05 in conference play).

The Cowgirls also enjoy home court advantage with familiarity playing at the 7,220-foot elevation. It’s something that Walker and the Rainbow Wahine have focused on preparing for.

“We know there’s altitude, we know the air is going to be drier, we know it’s going to be colder so we’re going to do things to make sure that we’re prepared for that environment,” Walker said ahead of his team’s trip to the highest elevation they’ll play at all year. “We can’t make too much out of it because in the end, you still have got to go out there and play volleyball.”

The status of junior outside hitter Tali Hakas will be up in the air for the Rainbow Wahine after she missed both matches against San Jose State with an injury to her lower left leg. Walker referred to her status as “day-to-day” ahead of the weekend while also noting that the ultra-competitive Hakas has been pushing to return as quick as possible.

Thankfully for Hawai’i, depth has been more than ready to dive headfirst into game action when called upon. Sophomore Maëli Cormier is coming off of her best weekend with the Rainbow Wahine, hitting .593 with 18 kills and two total attack errors across two matches against SJSU.

Fellow sophomore Cha’lei Reid also looks fully healthy again after missing eight matches with a shoulder injury earlier in the campaign. The lone preseason All-Mountain West selection for Hawai’i, Reid had herself a nice pair of outings against the Spartans, leading UH in kills on both nights while she moved herself into second place on the squad by upping her attack average to 2.83 kills per set so far this season.

“In our locker room, our quote is ‘it’s all mental’ so I think going to a different altitude, different place, different scenery and environment … nothing really gets in our way if we just really put our mind to it,” Reid said.

With or without Hakas, against altitude or not, Hawai’i remains focused on themselves first. It’s worked out for Walker and the Rainbow Wahine so far – and everyone knows the famous phrase.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Preparation and practice has been key for UH through a flawless beginning against Mountain West competition. There’s no reason to change the combination now.

Molokai’s Jordyn McCutcheon went Rogue and became a record-setter

Molokai’s Jordyn McCutcheon went Rogue and became a record-setter

Oct 28, 2026

HONOLULU – College decisions can be hard, especially in Hawai’i. Plenty of students think they want to leave the islands after high school. Tons of others want nothing more than to attend one of the prestigious colleges located in their home state...

ADVERTISEMENT

Hawai’i take to road trying to continue strong conference start

Hawai’i take to road trying to continue strong conference start

Oct 13, 2026

Hawai’i take to road trying to continue strong conference start

Hawai’i women’s soccer celebrates after a goal during a home match. | Photo Credit: Stacy Sur, HSRN

HONOLULU – Get the fire extinguisher, the ‘Bows are blazing through the schedule again.

More than midway through the 2026 campaign, the University of Hawai’i women’s soccer team has pieced together a pair of three-game win streaks and stands tied for second place in the Mountain West with a month left in the regular season.

Battling through the challenges of a new conference, fresh travel routines and all the regular craziness of being a collegiate student-athlete, the Rainbow Wahine have taken off to another level through the team’s first 11 matches. Hawai’i hadn’t put together multiple win streaks of three or more games in a single season since 2007 – when the program won the WAC regular season and tournament titles.

The recipe for that success?

Continuity, correct choices from the portal and overall cohesive play.

Hawai’i saw 17 of the 19 players with eligibility remaining after last season come back to the islands for the 2026 campaign and added four players out of the transfer portal. Chip in seven freshmen that all have raised the competitive bar, and you’ve got a Rainbow Wahine squad that’s already passed last season’s win total with six games to play.

“I think to see all the seeds that we planted actually starting to grow and flourish and come to fruition, it’s been just especially rewarding for us as a staff,” head coach Michele “Bud” Nagamine told the media ahead of the team’s upcoming two-game road trip to California. “We’ve talked about these things and these situations and scenarios for so long.”

Of the eight different players that have scored goals for the Rainbow Wahine, four were on the team last year. The leading goal scorer for Hawai’i, Anuhea Aluli, came home in the transfer portal after spending the past few seasons at Oakland. The other three goal scorers are part of the freshman class that’s already made an immediate impact as if they came from the portal themselves.

The previous year presented challenges of all kinds for Hawai’i. From waiting for young players to develop with game action to waiting on others to recover from serious injuries, 2025 was a campaign of character growth as much as athletic progress for the Rainbow Wahine.

“There was almost a different group playing all the time, a different lineup, different starters,” Nagamine said regarding the past year’s team. “I think settling into the leadership that we have from our upperclassmen and that continuity and that predictability, so to speak, has been really good for the players and they’ve kind of just got into a groove.”

That groove has been aided by the uptick in goal scoring – Hawai’i has 21 goals in 11 matches this year versus 19 total goals in 20 matches last season – but it’s been hard to ignore the defense of the “No Goal Patrol” Rainbow Wahine.

After giving up the second-most goals per match in the conference during their final year in the Big West, Hawai’i has been among the stingiest defenses in the Mountain West this season with 0.91 goals allowed per game and six clean sheets.

The continued maturation of goalkeeper Kennedy Justin has spearheaded the effort as the junior has comfortably taken over the full-time starting job in the net. In 2025, Justin split goalkeeping duties and only saw four matches where she played the entire 90 minutes in the cage for the Rainbow Wahine.

“Kennedy has really just evolved and developed into a really good leader,” Nagamine said about her keeper. “I think she’s got that opportunity to really show what she can do because she is clearly our starting goalkeeper, and she just takes care of everybody … I think she brings the group together really nicely.”

Justin has started all 11 matches so far this season for Hawai’i, only exiting her post during the Rainbow Wahine’s 7-0 blowout victory against Hawaii Pacific University to provide some play time for freshman keeper Cora Bryant and senior transfer Izzy Palmatier.

 “To get the number of shutouts that we have this year is really an indication of the unity and the togetherness of our back line and our goalkeeper,” Nagamine said.

One of those shutouts kicked off the first three-game win streak for the Rainbow Wahine, blanking one of the Big Sky preseason favorites Idaho for the team’s first victory of the 2026 season. It sparked a four-match unbeaten run (three wins, one draw) to wrap up non-conference play.

Another came on the road against preseason Mountain West favorite Air Force to close out September, igniting the team’s current three-game win streak in which they’ve outscored opponents by a 7-1 margin. Hawai’i is still the only team that has kept Air Force out of the net for an entire match all season.

Nagamine, Justin and the rest of the Rainbow Wahine will look to keep that stretch of stingy defense going when they hit the road this week for a pair of matches in California.

San Jose State will be up first on Thursday, matching up with Hawai’i for the first time since 2011. After the clash with the Spartans, the Rainbow Wahine will head to much more familiar territory as the road trip wraps at UC Davis, who also moved from the Big West into the Mountain West ahead of the 2026 season.

“There is a lot to be said for that familiarity,” Nagamine admitted ahead of the road trip. “I think the familiarity of the trip is going to be really good for us. Yes, we have not played San Jose State [in a really long time], but I’m excited and I think the team is excited.”

Hawai’i sweeps UNLV again to extend win streak to 10 straight

Hawai’i sweeps UNLV again to extend win streak to 10 straight

Oct 25, 2026

HONOLULU – Somehow a night that started with the national anthem and Hawai’i Pono’i being played on the electric guitar only got more rocking as time went on. After assistant coach Will McDonald shredded to start the night, the University of...

2026 OIA Football Playoff Schedule

2026 OIA Football Playoff Schedule

Oct 25, 2026

 2026 OIA Playoff Schedule Open Division First Round Results Friday, October 23: Campbell 42, Leilehua 7 (LISTEN ON DEMAND) Saturday, October 24: Kahuku 36, Kailua 0   Thursday, October 29 Division II Semifinals Final: Castle 13, Kalaheo 31...

ADVERTISEMENT

Win streak hits six as Hawai’i swiftly sweeps San Jose State

Win streak hits six as Hawai’i swiftly sweeps San Jose State

Oct 10, 2026

Win streak hits six as Hawai’i swiftly sweeps San Jose State

Hawai’i setter Adrianna Arquette triggers the attack during a home match for the Rainbow Wahine. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

HONOLULU – Someone tell Joshua Walker to keep his dancing shoes handy.

The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team continued a perfect start to conference play on Saturday night, slicing through San Jose State (6-10, 1-5 Mountain West) in straight sets inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, (25-20, 25-13, 25-13).

It marked the sixth sweep in a row for the Rainbow Wahine, who held the Spartans to a season-low -0.033 hitting percentage as a group. It’s the program’s longest stretch of consecutive sweeps since 2016, when Hawai’i had eight straight wins by way of the minimum number of sets.

OH Cha’lei Reid led the way for the Rainbow Wahine for the second straight night, finishing as the lone player on either team with double-digit kills with 11 across 33 swings. MB Miliana Sylvester tailed closely behind with nine putdowns and a match-high five blocks.

San Jose State provided their best punch in the night’s opening frame as Hawai’i helped hurt themselves with nine attack errors, but it still wasn’t enough for the Spartans to take a set off the conference-leading Rainbow Wahine as the hosts hung on for a 25-20 victory in the first stanza.

The “Mānoa Roofing Company” came to work in the second set as Hawai’i handed out five blocks as a team in a dominant 25-13 decision, holding SJSU’s attack to a match-low -.172 while more than doubling their own hitting efficiency from the night’s debut frame.

Hawai’i (14-3, 6-0 Mountain West) made quick work of the visiting Spartans in the night’s final frame, hitting .414 and committing only two attack errors on the way to another 25-13 set victory and the sixth straight sweep to begin conference play.

Sophomore OH/OPP Maëli Cormier, who started in place of the injured Tali Hakas for the second straight night, tacked on eight kills on 12 attempts in the victory as she hit above .500 in a match for the fourth time this season.

Senior OH Panna Ratkai chipped in seven kills and a team-leading 12 digs for Hawai’i while junior S Adrianna Arquette dished out 30 assists to go along with eight digs, two kills and two of the team’s seven service aces.

Learden Lee paced the Spartans in the loss as the junior middle blocker racked up seven kills on 16 error-free swings while adding three total blocks. Sophomore OH Morgan Graves, who entered the weekend as SJSU’s leader in kills, was held in check again as she finished the evening with more attack errors (5) than total putdowns (3).

It was the 10th sweep of the season for UH, doubling last year’s total of five straight-set victories and surpassing the 2024 team’s eight matches ending in three-set wins with more than half of the conference schedule still to go.

Hawai’i holds a two-game lead over UC Davis and New Mexico for the top spot in the Mountain West after three weeks of conference competition and will try to keep the good times rolling when they hit the road next Thursday, visiting Wyoming for a two-match series in the elevation.

Matingou magic helps Hawai’i hold on late against Seattle

Matingou magic helps Hawai’i hold on late against Seattle

Nov 3, 2026

HONOLULU – What a way to end college basketball’s opening day. After seeing a 16-point lead evaporate and falling behind for the first time all game late, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team sent fans home happy on Monday night as Jaden...

ADVERTISEMENT