Former Kahuku WR Carvalho to join Hawai’i football instead of Utah after LDS church mission

Former Kahuku WR Carvalho to join Hawai’i football instead of Utah after LDS church mission

Dec 6, 2024

Kainoa “Kaikai” Carvalho takes a photo during an official visit to the University of Hawai’i. | Photo courtesy Stewart Carvalho

Former Kahuku WR Carvalho to join Hawai’i football instead of Utah after LDS church mission

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2024

The date is Dec. 6, 2024.

Former Kahuku wide receiver Kainoa “Kaikai” Carvalho is currently sharing the good news in Sapporo, Japan.

That good news is the gospel of Jesus Christ as Carvalho is nearing the conclusion of a two-year mission as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dec. 6 is also a date that brought good news for Hawai’i football fans — Carvalho will be a Rainbow Warrior starting in the 2025 season.

Carvalho, who is 5-foot-7, 165 pounds, is the latest player to join the Hawai’i football team during the early signing period after the program’s social media accounts posted the news Friday afternoon.

It sent shockwaves across the state because the 2021 state Offensive Player of the Year was initially committed to play for the Utah Utes before he graduated in 2023 and embarked on his church mission.

What made it even more shocking was because his father Stewart, is an Utah alumnus, and his younger brother Mana signed his letter of intent to play for the Utes just two days prior.

With many moving pieces throughout the early signing period and as many other coaches and schools try to position themselves to get the best players and possibly flip some commitments, Stewart Carvalho just had one piece of advice for his son Kaikai.

“At the end of the day, Kaikai was kind of like, ‘hey dad, what should I do with all this hoopla going on and whatever,’ and I said: Go where you’re wanted, go where people believe in you,” said Stewart Carvalho, who is also an assistant coach for the Red Raiders.

Stewart Carvalho mentioned that there was conversations from other programs surrounding his two sons in hoping to get the younger Carvalho to flip his commitment from Utah.

But in the days of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and players getting compensated and getting paid either through collectives or from a portion of the university’s revenue share, relationships and being genuine and intentional still matters.

Stewart Carvalho credits Hawai’i wide receivers coach Jared Ursua in winning his son over, noting that Ursua “has never lost faith in Kaikai” and kept in touch while his son was on his mission.

Wide receivers coach Jared Ursua coaches from the sideline during the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors contest vs. UCLA in August | Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“My wife (Yuri) probably thought he was the classiest coach throughout this whole recruiting cycle,” Stewart Carvalho said. “(He) always showed (Kaikai) love, every time when we would talk, he always kept telling me ‘I’m going to get your boys, I’m going to get your boys.

“I think that resonated with Kaikai. At the end of the day, he wants to go somewhere where he’s love, where he’s appreciated more than someplace where I have been and I’ve gone.”

Stewart Carvalho added that he has no problem with Kaikai not playing for his alma mater.

“I’m happy with his decision, following his heart, but more importantly, following those that really believed in him because that’s when he plays his best.”

The Carvalho family moved to the Hawai’i from Utah when Kaikai was in fourth grade because Stewart Carvalho wanted to raise his family in the culture of the islands.

When Kaikai Carvalho eventually puts on the Rainbow Warriors uniform on his first game day, he will be representing something greater than the name on the back of his jersey.

“Hawai’i has given Kaikai, my son, basically my whole family so much love and appreciation that he knows that he’s playing (for) something bigger than himself. It’s not about him anymore,” said Stewart Carvalho.

“The two years on his mission has given him the perspective that you serve others to give back. The least he can do is give back to the home state, to the community, to his family and represent it the best way he can.”

Kaikai Carvalho’s final day of his mission is on the penultimate day of April 2025. He will enroll at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in May and get to work as soon as possible with Ursua and head coach Timmy Chang helping with the transition.

“(They) will let him enroll as possible, start working out with the team, start doing those PRPs (player run practices), with the players, get used to the quarterbacks and by summer camp, he’s ready to go and into the 2025 season.”

Injuries hampered Kaikai Carvalho’s senior season in 2022, but he was a dynamic playmaker as a junior and scored a total 147 points via 10 receiving touchdowns, five return scores on special teams, one rushing TD, 45 PATs and two field goals.

He also caught 64 passes for 1,029 yards and was instrumental to the Red Raiders going 10-0 in 2021 as they denied a fifth state title for Saint Louis while jumpstarting a three-year run atop of the mountain.

In 2024, the Crusaders stopped Kahuku’s bid for a fourth consecutive title behind a strong performance from a similar sized player as Kaikai Carvalho in Titan Lacaden, who is also Manoa-bound.

Stewart Carvalho is ready to see the two players tear it up for the Rainbow Warriors.

“I could see (Kaikai) and Titan just killing it out there.”

OL Kernaghan, LB Paogofie signs with the Rainbow Warriors

OL Kernaghan, LB Paogofie signs with the Rainbow Warriors

Dec 6, 2024

OL Kernaghan, LB Paogofie signs with the Rainbow Warriors

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2024

The Ewa Beach-to-Manoa pipeline continues.

A pair of Campbell Sabers put pen to paper Wednesday morning with offensive lineman Jordan Kernaghan and linebacker Aisiah Paogofie signing to play for the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors.

“We definitely want to make a mark, two boys from home, helping the home team,” said Kernaghan, who played right tackle on a Campbell offense that helped the Sabers put up 41.9 points per game and 395.3 yards of total offense in 2024.

They will join a roster that includes Campbell graduates Peter Manuma, a captain at safety, and a trio of freshman from the Sabers that signed last year in Nazaiah Caravallo, Lautaimi Manuma and Isaac Maugaleoo. Outgoing senior receiver Tamatoa-Mokiao-Atimalala, who caught two touchdowns in the final game of the season, was also a Campbell graduate.

Paogofie, who is 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, said the Ewa Beach-ties on the team contributed to him choosing to stay home.

“Just seeing what they had accomplished while being at the University of Hawai’i is really exciting,” he said. “I’m just really excited to go and experience what they experienced.”

Both players committed in early June after their official visit to the campus in Manoa.

“I committed on the spot,” Paogofie admitted. “They really just caught my eye just because I can play at home, play in front of my family and play in front of my friends.”

Kernaghan added that coach Timmy Chang and offensive linemen coach Derek Faavi, who graduated from Campbell in 2001 before playing for the Rainbow Warriors, made him feel at home.

“Over there just feels like one bond, one team, and coach Timmy Chang and coach Faavi just made me feel like a priority,” Kernaghan said.

“Coach Faavi knows where I’m from and he knows the struggles from over here so it feels great as someone I can relate to as a coach. It feels great to play with some of my boys from last year and this year.”

Kernaghan, who is 6-foot-3 and 279 pound, plans to finish out his full senior year of high school before joining the team in the summer. While he played right tackle in high school, he noted that he is open to playing any position on the offensive line.

“I’m ready to play anywhere, and learn just together on the field. Any where they need me I’ll play.”

Paogofie played in a hybrid strong safety/outside linebacker role for the Campbell defense. He will look to transition into an inside linebacker role in defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman’s base scheme is a 4-2-5 defense with two linebackers, but noted that linebackers coach Chris Brown could tap into his multifaceted skillset.

“They see me as a linebacker with coach Brown and the Lion’s Den, but I’ll be able to move around and be versatile if they need me to,” said Paogofie, who had 82 tackles with a pick-six in the first eight games of the season.

Regardless of what role he fits in, the Rainbow Warriors will be getting an active player on the defensive side of the ball in Paogofie, who earned the nickname “Scoob” as a freshman at Sierra Vista in Las Vegas.

“I got that nickname freshman year just because I was a ‘dawg,’” said Paogofie.

“I’m just a high-energy player that’s ready to go, a player that’s never going to give up and a player that has faith in each and every one of the boys and that has faith in the Lord.”

Saint Louis snaps Kahuku dynasty in return to the summit

Saint Louis snaps Kahuku dynasty in return to the summit

Nov 29, 2024

Hawai’i football commit Titan Lacaden holds up the trophy following Saint Louis’ 17-10 win over Kahuku in the 2024 First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA D1-Open Division State Championship game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Saint Louis snaps Kahuku dynasty in return to the summit

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 29, 2024

HONOLULU – Crusaders’ coronation.  

Saint Louis (9-3) returned to the pinnacle of Hawai’i high school football on Friday night, defeating three-time defending state champion Kahuku (9-5) in the First Hawaiian Bank/ HHSAA D1-Open Division State Football Championship. Senior running back and Hawai’i-commit Titan Lacaden shouldered the load for the Crusaders, totaling 31 carries for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Saint Louis dominated the time-of-possession battle, 31:42 to 16:18. 

The win marks the eighth state title in program history for the Crusaders and first since the 2019 season for the Brotherhood. The loss snapped a streak of three consecutive state championships for Kahuku, who played without defensive standout Falealii Atuaia after the senior was ejected from the state semifinal against Mililani for committing a targeting penalty. 

“Just a flood of emotions,” Crusaders star Titan Lacaden said immediately after the win. “Just grateful. It’s been a long year for me, for the team, for the parents … Just to be able to finish the mission and stay the course like Coach [Tupu Alualu] says, it’s just God’s doing.” 

Lacaden started strong as Saint Louis received the ball first, running for 45 yards to get his squad deep into Kahuku territory. A direct snap to Lacaden on a fourth-and-1 resulted in a first-and-goal for Saint Louis, but a holding penalty backed the offense up before Kahuku star Mana Carvalho came flying off the edge on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line to force a turnover-on-downs. 

The teams traded defensive stops as Kahuku went three-and-out on its opening drive before Saint Louis kicker Makena Kauai’s 43-yard field goal attempt came up just short to begin the second quarter. The Red Raiders’ second possession looked nearly identical to the first, running three plays before punting the ball back into the Crusaders’ possession. 

After forcing a punt for the first time all evening, Kahuku finally found some success on the offensive side of the ball while a pair of 15-yard penalties pushed the Red Raiders into Saint Louis territory. A false start after a three-yard loss stalled the drive, but Carvalho booted a beauty of a punt to pin Saint Louis on its own 1.  

Needing to go the distance of the field didn’t matter to the Crusaders, seeing Lacaden and quarterback Nainoa Lopes help lead a 99-yard scoring drive for the game’s first points. Lacaden punctuated the drive with a strong 1-yard run, helping Saint Louis capitalize on a 12-men-on-the-field penalty against Kahuku that gave Saint Louis a fresh set of downs with a 7-0 lead with 1:38 left in the half. 

Saint Louis RB Titan Lacaden powers through the Kahuku defense for a touchdown in the 2024 D1-Open State Championship. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The Red Raiders’ offense awoke for the final drive of the half, going 62 yards in just over a minute to tie the game, 7-7, heading into the break after Carvalho beat everyone to a rainbow ball from Matai Fuiava for a 34-yard touchdown catch. 

That momentum did not carry over through halftime, seeing Kahuku turn the ball over on downs on its own 42 on the first possession out of the break. Saint Louis once again capitalized on a Kahuku miscue, using the short field to help re-take the lead with 3:43 left in the third quarter as Lacaden rolled into the end zone for his second score of the night. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Lacaden said of shouldering the load while facing the Kahuku defense. “My line, my receivers, the defensive guys, the special teams – man, they played lights out … I give them the credit; I just try to do my job for them.” 

Saint Louis snatched the ball back two minutes later, seeing sophomore defensive lineman Stone Ah Quin come up with a juggling interception of Fuiava to give the Crusaders the ball on the Kahuku 43 and a chance to take a two-possession lead. The ILH champions did exactly that after draining five more minutes off the clock, seeing Kauai connect on a 22-yard chip shot with 8:39 left to play. 

Kahuku responded with a quick drive of its own that resulted in a 37-yard field goal from Manoa Kahalepuna, bringing the game back within a touchdown with 7:04 remaining, 17-10. Saint Louis was able to let four more minutes tick off the clock on the next drive, but the Red Raiders’ defense stood tall and forced a punt with 2:30 to play to give the offense one last chance to tie or take the lead. 

The Red Raiders would drive 87 yards to the Saint Louis 8-yard line with just under a minute left to play, but the Crusaders stood tall. After trading timeouts with 38 seconds left before the fourth-and-7 try, the ILH champion defense locked down the field one more time as Fuiava’s pass dropped to the turf and Kahuku turned it over on downs.  

Fuiava finished the night completing 17-of-34 passes for 206 yards while tossing one touchdown and one interception in the loss for the Red Raiders. Bohdi Kaanga led all receivers with 101 yards on seven catches for Kahuku while Mana Carvalho chipped in four receptions for 66 yards and a score. 

The win by Saint Louis ensured that the Brotherhood would remain the only Hawai’i high school football program to win four straight Open Division state championships for at least another half-decade. The Crusaders have appeared in all but two Open Division state title games since the classification’s creation in 2016. 

“I feel grateful,” said Saint Louis head coach Tupu Alualu following the win. “First of all, I want to give God the glory. We started this journey – it was God’s plan, and it didn’t matter who believed me … my boys believed me, my coaches believed me, my family believed me, and I thank the school for giving me an opportunity to be the head coach.” 

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. 

Nearly 50 student-athletes take part in Signing Day event at Elks Lodge

Nearly 50 student-athletes take part in Signing Day event at Elks Lodge

Nov 13, 2024

 

Nearly 50 student-athletes take part in Signing Day event at Elks Lodge

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 13, 2024

WAIKIKI — Wednesday morning was the culmination of a lot of hard work for nearly 50 high school seniors at the annual Hawai’i State National Letter of Intent Signing Day.

With their family and friends gathered at the Honolulu Elks Lodge, the student-athletes from the class of 2025 signed their binding letters to their respective universities and colleges across the country.

The group included athletes signing to play baseball, softball, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, golf, water polo, tennis, rowing and equestrian.

The event continued a 23-year tradition of annual signing day events in Hawai’i since 2001, that was first established by Doris Sullivan and her Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance (PIAA). Kawika Kane and the Aloha Kane Leadership Development Foundation is the latest organizers of the event.

A full list of all the seniors that signed at the event is listed below:

Student-Athlete (High School) — College signed with — Sport

Bruin Agbayani (Saint Louis) – Michigan – Baseball

Elyse Akimoto (Campbell) – Lower Columbia College – Women’s Soccer

Aukai Araujo-Waiau (Mililani) – Hawai’i – Baseball

Lila Badham (Punahou) – Baylor – Equestrian

Hazel Campbell (Punahou) – Cal Berkeley, – Rowing

Sydney Capello (Punahou) – Menlo College – Softball

Savanna-Leigh Casuga (Waianae) – Feather River College – Softball

Kendalyn Cordeiro-Felise (Kapolei) – Saint Martin’s – Softball

Gabriella Ferrante (Mililani) – Northern Colorado – Women’s Soccer

Mari Furoyama (Mid-Pacific) – Rice – Women’s Volleyball

Lexi Himahara (Punahou) – Idaho State – Softball

Taryn Ho (Punahou) – Oregon – Softball

Hayden Imai (Kapolei) – Eastern Arizona College – Softball

Deizha Lyn Jacinto (Waipahu) – South Dakota State – Women’s Soccer

Reia Kimi (Punahou) – Villanova – Women’s Water Polo

Adam Kobayashi (Mid-Pacific) – Stevens Institute of Technology – Baseball

Erin Kumasaka (Waipahu) – Whitworth – Women’s Soccer

Leila Leano (Mililani) – Seattle – Women’s Soccer

Kezia Lucas (Kamehameha-Kapalama) – Arizona – Softball

Tayah Lyons (Mililani) – Pima Community College – Softball

Kandi Malama-Ahlo (Kapolei) – Cal State Bakersfield – Softball

Erika Marciel (Punahou) – Cal Lutheran – Women’s Soccer

Malosi Mataafa-Alferos (Mililani) – Oregon – Baseball

Amber McIntosh (Punahou) – Westminster – Women’s Soccer

Fisher Migita (Mid-Pacific) – Chaminade – Baseball

Kendall Miyasato (Mililani) – Illinois Institute of Technology – Baseball

Kahea Moriwaki (Punahou) – Hawai’i – Women’s Volleyball

Mia Moss (Mililani) – University of Colorado Colorado Springs – Women’s Soccer

Kaylisa Nakoa (Kapolei) – Menlo College – Softball

Julia Oka (Pearl City) – Utah – Women’s Soccer

Kyla Okamoto (Mililani) – Cal Poly Humboldt – Women’s Soccer

Rayvin Pagan (Kailua) – Hawai’i Pacific – Baseball

Brooke Perreira (Kaiser) – Chaminade – Women’s Soccer

Brandon Ramos (Punahou) – Marist College – Men’s Tennis

Haley-Scott Recarte (Punahou) – Azusa Pacific – Women’s Soccer

Dylan Sakasegawa (Moanalua) – Hawai’i Pacific – Men’s Golf

Xeyana Salanoa (Punahou) – Western Oregon – Women’s Soccer

Ashlyn Sera (Kalani) – Pacific Lutheran – Softball

Kyler Shojinaga (Moanalua) – Hawai’i Pacific – Baseball

Paige Sur (Moanalua) – Hawai’i Pacific – Women’s Golf

Taylor Thomas (Moanalua) – Pacific Lutheran – Women’s Soccer

Bryson Toner (Kaiser) – Loyola Marymount – Baseball

Angela Tong (Kaiser) – Hawai’i Pacific – Women’s Soccer

Alyssa Umemoto (Mid-Pacific) – Saint Martin’s – Softball

Rylee Unebasami (Mililani) – SUNY Poly – Women’s Soccer

Kayla Whaley (Campbell) – Cal State Bakersfield – Softball

Allin Yap (Maryknoll) – Hawai’i – Baseball

Kelsey Yoshikawa (Punahou) – Emerson College – Women’s Soccer

Kaiaomalie Zoller (Punahou) – Oral Roberts – Women’s Soccer

Saint Louis’ Bruin Agbayani signs his National Letter of Intent to play baseball for the University of Michigan with father Benny and mother Niela beside him.

Punahou’s Hazel Campbell will attend University of California, Berkeley and will row for the Golden Bears.

Mid-Pacific’s Mari Furoyama will remain an Owl by continuing her volleyball career at Rice University.

 

Waipahu Pulls Away Late to Defeat Radford, 12-7

by | Apr 15, 2026

Waipahu used a big late-inning surge to break open a tight game and defeat Radford 12-7 on Tuesday afternoon, improving to 11-2 on the season. In a contest that remained competitive through the middle innings, the Marauders capitalized on timely...

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Pair of standout Mililani infielders to play Division I collegiate baseball

Pair of standout Mililani infielders to play Division I collegiate baseball

Nov 13, 2024

 

Pair of Standout Mililani Infielders to play Division I Collegiate Baseball

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 13, 2024

WAIKIKI — The Mililani Trojans boasted the best shortstop and third baseman in the OIA Division-I West baseball season in 2024.

They also are two of the top prospects in the class of 2025 that have signed on to play Division I collegiate baseball.

Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos and Aukai Araujo-Waiau affirmed their year-long verbal commitments to their respective college programs Wednesday morning at the annual Hawai’i State National Letter of Intent Signing Day at the Honolulu Elks Lodge.

Mata’afa-Alferos, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound shortstop, inked his commitment to play for the University of Oregon while Araujo-Waiau, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound third baseman, is staying home to play for the University of Hawai’i. The pair earned first team league honors in the spring as juniors.

“It’s a big accomplishment. I’m forever grateful for this opportunity,” said Mata’afa-Alferos, who owns a 4.07 GPA. “I thank God for putting me where I am. I thank my parents for shaping me into the person I am today. It’s just a big blessing.”

Wednesday morning cemented a commitment that Mata’afa-Alferos made more than 13 months ago on social media. He said that the way the Ducks ran their program influenced his decision to pick them.

“Everything was so high tempo,” Mata’afa-Alferos said. “They have a plan for me. It just felt like a family. It felt like home. I just want to thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity and helping me adjust and I know they’ll develop me into a better player.”

Mata’afa-Alferos, who is also an accomplished Samoan fire knife dancer, had a hit in 11 of 12 regular season games last season and finished with a .391 batting average for the year. He plans to major in business management, but isn’t ruling out a possibility of a career in the big leagues. 

“Future plans is to go to college, hopefully get drafted out of high school. If it doesn’t go my way, I’m totally find with that, get to develop at the University of Oregon. After that, get drafted, play in the MLB for 10 years plus and just take life slow.”

Mililani’s Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos comes home to score a run against Pearl City in the 2024 OIA opener. | Michael Lasquero for ScoringLive

Araujo-Waiau, announced his commitment nearly a year ago in late November of 2023. He said it “means everything” to put pen to paper after Hawai’i coach Rich Hill and the Rainbow Warriors gave him “love and support” and make him feel at home.

“It’s really nice to make everything official and I’m just really excited for this opportunity.”

The Mililani senior intends to study sports medicine while playing collegiate baseball. But before he plays at the next level, he is focused on helping the Trojans bounce back after missing the state tournament for the first time since 2012.

“We have a lot of work to do, but coming off of last year, we need to work on some things, but we should bounce back this year. We have some new people that came in and we’ll be prepared,” said Araujo-Waiau.

Mililani coach Mark Hirayama, who was in attendance at the signing day event, said his two senior infielders have worked hard to get to this moment.

“It’s great for the program, but more importantly, it’s good kids that worked hard to achieve their goals,” he said.

“All comes down to work ethic and being good young men that are going to go out and do good things. Proud of those guys for the work that they put in.”

Waipahu Pulls Away Late to Defeat Radford, 12-7

by | Apr 15, 2026

Waipahu used a big late-inning surge to break open a tight game and defeat Radford 12-7 on Tuesday afternoon, improving to 11-2 on the season. In a contest that remained competitive through the middle innings, the Marauders capitalized on timely...

read more