Defense, Barfield’s big half helps Hawai’i down Portland State

Defense, Barfield’s big half helps Hawai’i down Portland State

Sep 13, 2025

Hawaii RB Cam Barfield leaps for the pylon to score his first touchdown against Portland State. | Photo credit: Rayden Aoki

Defense, Barfield’s big half helps Hawai’i down Portland State

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 13, 2025

HONOLULU – Home, sweet homecoming.

Playing the earliest Homecoming Game in program history, a shorthanded University of Hawai’i football team rolled past Portland State (0-4) on Saturday, 23-3, behind a strong defensive performance and a pair of receiving touchdowns from junior running back Cam Barfield.

Junior quarterback Luke Weaver, making his second straight start in place of the injured Micah Alejado, ended the night 26-for-42 and passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns while Hawai’i (3-1) avoided turning the ball over for an entire game for the first time this year. Over the first three weeks, UH had committed eight total turnovers.

While Hawai’i took care of the ball well against PSU, penalties shot back up as the Rainbow Warriors were flagged 13 times for 138 yards. Two of the UH penalties provided a fresh set of downs for the Vikings while WR Brandon White had two different touchdowns wiped off the board due to holding calls.

“The one thing I would say is that I’m not happy about the amount of penalties we had today,” head coach Timmy Chang said following the win. “We harp on them, and they continue to happen.”

Barfield, in his second season with the Rainbow Warriors after transferring in from Boston College, led the UH receiving attack with 50 yards on four catches and scored the first two touchdowns of his college career.

“We gave a game ball to Cam,” Chang said. “Cam is a really good player that we can keep feeding the ball, whether they’re in runs, whether it’s in passing, Cam is special … He’s a dynamic player that we have to find a way to get the ball to.”

Without the services of starting receivers Nick Cenacle and Jackson Harris, Karsyn Pupunu stepped up with 40 yards and led the team with a career-best five catches while Pofele Ashlock extended his games with at least one reception streak to 28 straight as he collected four catches for 17 yards on Saturday night.

The victory marks the fourth straight inside Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, the longest home winning streak of the Timmy Chang era and most consecutive wins for the program at home since moving inside the temporary facility in 2021.

Elijah Palmer matched a career high with seven tackles as he led the Rainbow Warrior defense, adding two tackles for a loss and securing his fourth career interception with a pick of former teammate John-Keawe Sagapolutele at the end of the first quarter. The Hawai’i defense kept the Vikings to 230 yards of total offense and held an opponent without a touchdown for the first time this season.

“I thought in the first quarter, they were finding their way,” Chang said of his defense. “A couple of first downs here and there, but other than that, I thought it was really good. [They] got put in some situations where they’re at midfield because we were backed up and they responded with stops.

The UH defensive line continued to produce pressure against opposing QBs as Jamar Sekona and Lester Lagafuaina each registered a full sack and Jackie Johnson III and Qwyn Williams chipped in half-a-sack in the victory.

The interception by Palmer sparked the Rainbow Warriors after a slow offensive start, closing the opening frame with momentum in the host’s direction. Weaver and company promptly marched 73 yards down the field to capitalize on the turnover, giving Hawai’i a lead that they never relinquished.

“I love the way Elijah Palmer played,” Chang said. “He played aggressive on the screens, he’s a downhill tackler, but also has the athletic ability to cover in space, so I was really proud of that.”

With just under two minutes gone in the second quarter and facing a manageable third down deep in Vikings territory, Weaver dumped a pass off to a crossing Barfield and the junior back took it 16 yards to open up the scoring for the Rainbow Warriors, 7-0.

The defense followed the score with a three-and-out, forcing a punt from Portland State and quickly getting the UH offense back on the field. Hawai’i struck again as Barfield showed off his catch-and-run ability by taking a slip screen 31 yards for his second score in less than four minutes, giving the Rainbow Warriors a 14-0 lead to take into halftime.

After a roughing-the-passer penalty against Portland State helped extend the opening drive of the third quarter for Hawai’i, Kansei Matsuzawa pushed the UH lead to 17 with a 44-yard field goal, the first of three eventual second-half makes from the senior kicker.

Portland State finally got on the board with 3:45 left in the third quarter, kicking a 25-yard field goal after starting in UH territory thanks to a short punt and facemask penalty against the Rainbow Warriors.

Matsuzawa connected on a career-long 47-yard kick to put Hawai’i up 20-3 and added a 35-yard chip shot on UH’s final drive to improve to 11-for-11 on FG attempts this year as the team tied a bow on top of the best start to a Rainbow Warrior season since 2019. The senior from Japan has more than doubled his makes from 40+ yards than last season, when he made 12-of-16 tries total and only two kicks from 40-or-more yards out.

“Kansei continues to be consistent,” Chang said of his kicker. “He stays right there; he’s in a good place and we’re very fortunate and lucky to have him.”

Portland State starting QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele had an efficient night in his return to Hawai’i, completing 23-of-35 passes for 189 yards while throwing one interception. Zachary Dodson-Greene led the way in the receiving game for the Vikings, pulling down nine catches for a game-best 78 yards in the loss.

Hawai’i will close out a stretch of three straight home games next weekend, hosting Fresno State (3-1) to kick off the 2025 Mountain West conference slate for both squads.

“We’re going to take a look at them, we know they’re a good football team,” Chang said ahead of the matchup with the Bulldogs. “We don’t play for a trophy, but it has that rivalry feel to it … it’s going to be a great game.”

Prime opportunity awaits Hawai’i to close non-conference play

Prime opportunity awaits Hawai’i to close non-conference play

Sep 12, 2025

Hawaii RB Cam Barfield runs on the field during a home game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Prime opportunity awaits Hawai’i to close non-conference play

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 12, 2025

HONOLULU – Happy Homecoming Weekend, Hawai’i fans.

The University of Hawai’i football team will host Portland State (0-3) on Saturday for the earliest “Homecoming Game” in program history, welcoming in former UH QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele for a homecoming of his own along with his new PSU teammates for the first meeting between programs in four years.

Already off to the best start to a season in the four-year tenure of head coach Timmy Chang, Hawai’i (2-1) has a chance to get halfway to clinching the team’s first bowl bid since the 2021 campaign with a victory over the Vikings on Saturday.

Coming off a solid 37-20 victory over Sam Houston last weekend, the buzz about the ‘Bows kicked up again. Led by backup QB Luke Weaver’s three touchdowns and a strong defensive performance, Hawai’i calmed nerves of fans about the injury status of usual starting QB Micah Alejado ahead of the lone FCS game on the UH schedule.

Once again listed as a game-time decision while dealing with an injury to his lower right leg, Alejado could benefit from another week of rest before Mountain West play kicks off for UH next Saturday against Fresno State. With Hawai’i facing a Portland State team that has mustered up 20 points and allowed 161 points across three games, Weaver showed he is more than capable of manning the controls for one more week while Alejado gets as close to 100% healthy as possible.

Even if they are without the services of the standout redshirt freshman for another game, the Rainbow Warriors can (and should) dispatch the Vikings this weekend and extend the program’s 23-game win streak over opponents from the FCS. Doing so would put UH in prime position to clinch a postseason bid with even just average play through the conference slate and all but guarantee an eventual bowl by program’s historic standards.

Since 1999, no Hawai’i football team that started a season with a 3-1 record or better missed out on postseason play. While it’s far from clinching an actual spot in a bowl game, recent Rainbow Warrior history shows what a fast start to a season can do in the long run of a year.

It’ll be important for Hawai’i to take care of business on Saturday and not look past the winless PSU team, which put up 20 points with Sagapolutele starting last week against North Dakota. While the Rainbow Warriors have a pair of quality wins under their belt already, their coach continues to emphasize focusing on what’s right in front of his team on a consistent basis.

“Coming off of Stanford and going into Arizona, I thought that our focus was not there,” Chang said when asked about the practice intensity. “So, coming off of a win, homecoming week, a lot of different things going on, the focus has got to be us. There’s got to be a lot of discipline, a lot of details.”

Dating back to the final game of the 2024 season, Hawai’i has won three straight home games as T.C. Ching Complex works closer to being a temporary fortress for the Rainbow Warriors. UH will try to continue flying high Saturday when they line up against a defense that enters the weekend allowing an average of over 500 yards of offensive production to opponents so far this season.

The Portland State offense has been susceptible to turnovers throughout the course of the young 2025 campaign, giving the ball away eight times (5 INTs, 3 fumbles lost) in three losses. In turn, the defense has only jumped on three fumbles as the Vikings sit at -5 in the turnover margin department.

Giveaways have also been a bugaboo for the Rainbow Warriors through three outings, sitting at -6 with a pair of turnovers that led directly to a touchdown. This weekend could provide an opportunity for UH to make up ground in turnover margin but also proves as a major key to putting away Portland State early.

The Hawai’i defense also has one more opportunity to buff out any remaining scratches to the car before rubber hits the road in Mountain West play next Saturday. The Rainbow Warriors got into the backfield at a consistent rate against Sam Houston (4.0 sacks, 7.0 TFLs, 79 total rush yards allowed) while holding their third straight opponent under 200 passing yards and getting the program’s first pick-six since 2022.

Opportunity knocks on Saturday for UH to enter the Mountain West gauntlet in great shape while moving towards their best football.

It’s up to the Rainbow Warriors to rise up to the occasion.

Weaver solid as Hawai’i sprints past Sam Houston

Weaver solid as Hawai’i sprints past Sam Houston

Sep 6, 2025

Hawaii QB Luke Weaver scrambles for a gain during the Rainbow Warriors’ home victory over Sam Houston. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Weaver solid as Hawai’i sprints past Sam Houston

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 6, 2025

HONOLULU – No Micah, no problem.

Despite being without the services of their starting quarterback, the University of Hawai’i took down Sam Houston (0-3) inside the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Saturday night, 37-20, to move to 2-1 to start a season for the first time under fourth-year head coach Timmy Chang. Quarterback Luke Weaver tossed three touchdowns while completing 27-of-43 pass attempts for 294 yards in his first career Division I start.

“Luke is a diamond for us,” Chang said of his backup QB following the game. “When we recruited [Weaver], there’s one qualification that comes to mind, that’s a winner … From January, all the way through now, he’s put in the work.”

Playing substitute for redshirt freshman Micah Alejado, Weaver leaned on Pofele Ashlock, who exploded for 125 yards and a pair of TDs on seven catches while eclipsing the century mark in receiving yards for the first time in 2025 and fourth time in his career. Senior running back Landon Sims added seven catches for 29 yards and another touchdown to go along with 60 yards rushing across 14 carries in the win.

“He’s a dawg,” Weaver said of Ashlock after the star junior’s big game. “He’s got all the confidence in the world and I know he’s going to make a play if [I] put it there for him. So it’s great having a guy like him on the team.”

The Rainbow Warriors started quickly as the defense forced a three-and-out from the Bearkats and Weaver dropped a dime to a wide-open Ashlock 47 yards down the field before most fans took their seats.

Weaver helped pilot the offense to the doorstep of the end zone and then capitalized on a second chance for his first UH touchdown pass. After a fumble by Cam Barfield was overturned, the former Modesto College star found a wide-open Sims on fourth-and-goal for the 1-yard score.

Sam Houston returned fire after Sims got the ball punched out near midfield with just under six minutes left in the first quarter, working into the red zone before settling for a 28-yard field goal from RJ Lopez.

The UH defense provided a big spark for the home squad midway through the second quarter as Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen came crashing in to pop a Mabrey Mettauer pass up in the air and Giovanni Iovino took it back 41 yards for a touchdown to put the Rainbow Warriors up by 11.

“I just turned to the field and seen we had elephants on parade, we had a whole convoy [of blockers] so I just knew I had to run as fast as I could,” Iovino recalled of the pick-six after the game, adding that it was his first defensive touchdown since his peewee football days. “It was an awesome experience.”

Kansei Matsuzawa continued his perfect start to the year with a pair of kicks on each side of the halftime break, drilling a 38-yard field goal as time expired in the first half before he added a career-long 43-yard make on the first possession of the third quarter to help extend the Rainbow Warrior lead, 20-6.

Sam Houston got right back into the game with 3:12 left in the third quarter as DB Emon Allen jumped a Weaver pass and returned it 66 yards for a pick-six of his own, making it 20-13 with more than a quarter remaining. Undeterred, Hawai’i came right back with a nine-play, 76-yard scoring drive to go back up by two possessions as Weaver connected with Ashlock on a 5-yard score, the first of two touchdowns hookups between the pair.

“That’s one of our team’s biggest emphases right now is just one snap and clear,” Weaver responded when asked about being able to quickly flush the turnover to lead a scoring drive. “Can’t let the last play affect the next play. You have to move on, whether it’s good or bad. In that sense, I just had to move on from the pick-six and keep the game going.”

Sam Houston came back with another score of their own, but another chip shot field goal from Matsuzawa followed by the knockout blow on the next possession – a 15-yard TD to Ashlock – comfortably secured the victory for the Rainbow Warriors, 37-20.

“It was a great game by us in all three phases, offense, defense and special teams,” Chang said.

The UH defense turned in a bounce back performance of their own, racking up four sacks and 7.0 TFLs while holding the Bearkats to just 2-of-11 on third down. Iovino’s interception was also the second forced turnover of the year for the Rainbow Warriors and the first pick-six by UH’s defense since 2022 when Penei Pavihi returned an interception 50 yards for a score against Duquesne.

Matsuzawa tied his career-best with three made field goals while setting a new longest make at 43 yards. Freshman punter Billy Gowers saw his services only needed three times throughout the night and placed two punts inside the Bearkat 20-yard line.

Sam Houston QB Mabrey Mettauer, who started in place of the injured Hunter Watson, completed 12-of-18 passes for 91 yards and led the Bearkats in rushing with 45 yards across 17 attempts before exiting early in the fourth quarter after taking a big hit from Iovino. Senior running back Elijah Green added three receptions for a team-leading 45 yards and the lone offensive touchdown for the Bearkats.

Hawai’i hosts Portland State next week to close out the non-conference schedule, hosting former backup QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele and the Vikings for the second leg of a three-game home stand.

Three Hawaii football keys against Sam Houston

Three Hawaii football keys against Sam Houston

Sep 5, 2025

Hawaii QB Luke Weaver prepares to take a snap against Arizona in the second half of a road loss for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo Credit: Brian Bautista

Three Hawaii football keys against Sam Houston

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 5, 2025

HONOLULU – Football can be a fickle game.

After fans felt an immaculate high after the University of Hawai’i defeated Stanford on a walk-off field goal in Week 0, the vibes crashed down to earth in Week 1 when the Rainbow Warriors hit the road and left Arizona with more negatives than the blowout loss.

UH watched with bated breath as starting quarterback Micah Alejado stayed down for an extended period of time after getting stepped on in Arizona, leaving in the third quarter and not returning to the field in the eventual 40-6 loss to the Wildcats.

Backup QB Luke Weaver, a JUCO All-American transfer from Modesto College (CA), got his first taste of extended action in place of the injured redshirt freshman signal caller and showed off some impressive traits along with some head-scratching mistakes as he completed 50% of his passes, showed off a scrambling skill and turned the ball over three times in a quarter-and-a-half of action.

Hawai’i (1-1) now returns home for Week 2 action, preparing to host Sam Houston (0-2) for the second all-time meeting between programs and first matchup in the islands. The Bearkats blitzed the visiting Rainbow Warriors in the first meeting, using an explosive running attack (257 rush yards) and timely passing game to secure a comfortable 31-13 victory in 2024.

Both teams look very different in 2025 as longtime Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler accepted the head gig with Temple in the offseason and Hawai’i graduated three-year starter Brayden Schager while resetting the majority of the QB room. The lone returner from last year’s depth chart, Micah Alejado, was in a boot at Tuesday’s practice and ditched the boot while sitting out on Wednesday.

The Bearkats, who are now led by longtime collegiate offensive coordinator Phil Longo, will be forced to prep for both Alejado and Weaver. Despite ceding the Tuesday and Wednesday first-team reps in practice to Weaver, Alejado was a surprise starter last Saturday and will likely try to talk his way into playing against Sam Houston if he has enough mobility by the weekend.

As the Rainbow Warriors look for the first 2-1 start to a (non-COVID) season since 2019, here are three keys that will help lead Hawai’i over the visitors from Conference USA:

Slow down the Sam Houston ground game

Seem familiar?

Elite running attacks have consistently played kryptonite to Hawai’i’s defense. Look no further back than last weekend when the Wildcats ran all over the unit, gaining more than 200 yards on the ground in the blowout.

The Bearkats added themselves to a laundry list of teams to lean on the ground game in last year’s win over the Rainbow Warriors, going for more than 250 yards while stifling the UH pass rush as well.

Luckily for Hawai’i, former Sam Houston RB Jay Ducker (15 rush, 148 yards vs. UH in ’24) followed his head coach K.C. Keeler to Temple and won’t be making the trip to the islands this season. Back for the Bearkats is redshirt senior QB Hunter Watson, who has shown off dual-threat ability throughout his career and leads this year’s group in yardage passing (310) and rushing (108) after two games.

Though under different leadership, this year’s Sam Houston squad still employs a balanced offensive diet of running and passing plays. The Bearkats have averaged 159 rushing yards and 198 passing yards per game this season and deploy a bevy of different backfield bruisers to stay fresh as three different backs haven gotten 10 or more carries through two games.

Sam Houston also has been prone to breaking off big runs this season, already totaling three runs of 50+ yards through two games. That’s the most 50+ yard runs in a single season since 2021 for the Bearkats, back when the program was a dominant force in the FCS.

Longo and the Bearkats will want to establish the run once again against UH on Saturday. Whether it’s Watson, RB Coco Brown or the backup QB, Hawai’i has to be ready to shut down the ground game of the visitors and make Sam Houston protect in third-and-long situations.

Keep Qua’Vez Humphreys quiet

Last season, Sam Houston WR Qua’Vez Humphreys needed four total receptions against the Rainbow Warriors to eclipse the 100-yard mark for the game and brought in two touchdowns. The 6-foot-2 receiver was one of the lone players to score on UH standout CB Cam Stone, going up top for an eventual 55-yard catch and run during the 31-13 blowout.

Humphreys has had a slower start to the 2025 campaign, only catching one pass for nine yards in a Week 0 loss against Western Kentucky before getting completely shutout from the stat sheet in last weekend’s loss against UNLV. The Bearkats passing attack as a whole struggled through two games finding a go-to target as just two players (RB Elijah Green & WR Aviyin Smith-Mack) have more than three receptions so far.

HC Phil Longo said earlier in the week that it’s possible that Hunter Watson and redshirt freshman QB Mabrey Mettauer could both see action against the Rainbow Warriors and that both are mentally preparing as such. Watson showed an affinity for the big frame of Humphreys at times last year and Mettauer may lean on the bigger-bodied pass catcher as he works into the college game.

Hawai’i had question marks entering the season in the defensive backfield after graduating Stone and losing C-Bo Brown in the transfer portal to Virginia Tech, leaving nickelback Elijah Palmer as the lone returning starter from last year’s group. The Rainbow Warriors did see the return of Virdel Edwards II from a season-long injury rehab to begin 2025, providing an intriguing big option of their own to counter Humphreys and keep him quiet.

The Sam Houston offense has struggled a bit to get off the ground. Hawai’i needs to keep that trend going to pull another home win in as many chances in 2025 and denying Humphreys of an impact would go far in that effort.

Protect, punish, protect

The UH offensive line is always a lightning rod for criticism. Through two games, the unit has allowed nine sacks and shown very little push in the run game. Despite four different backs already seeing action for the Rainbow Warriors, Micah Alejado has the longest scamper of the season on a 30-yard scramble – the longest run any UH back has mustered up is 13 yards.

In fairness, the line took a blow when starting guard Kuao Peihopa got injured just before the season-opener against Stanford and saw the veteran lineman sit out against the Cardinal and again last week in Arizona. Judah Kaio has struggled in his absence, allowing two sacks and seven pressures while having the second-worst run blocking grade (per PFF) on the starting five in two games of action.

Regardless of the starting quarterback for Hawai’i when they kick off against the Bearkats on Saturday, the offensive line will be tasked with playing better in all fronts. If a hobbled Micah Alejado guts it out again, pass protection needs to show something much better than last weekend.

If Luke Weaver gets the nod at QB for the Rainbow Warriors, getting some push up front in the running game would go a long way in getting back into the win column. The Hawai’i offensive linemen love contact and physicality and finally have a chance against a non-Power 4 opponent to show any ability to move people.

Weaver would also benefit from better pass protection in extended action, but Sam Houston will be looking to build off of last week’s performance rushing the quarterback after posting a 71.7 pass rush grade (via PFF) against UNLV. Longo wants to get more out of his pass rush, talking this week about needing the defense to get the quarterback off the spot to help a talented defensive backfield.

If Hawai’i protects in the pass game and punishes in the run game against a fellow Group of 5 program, Weaver or Alejado should be able to steer the ship to a victory at home and even the all-time series against the Bearkats at one-all.

Game Week Presser: Sam Houston’s Phil Long

Game Week Presser: Sam Houston’s Phil Long

Sep 5, 2025

Game Week Press Conference: Sam Houston Head Coach Phil Longo

BY HAWAII SPORTS RADIO NETWORK STAFF
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 5, 2025

The Rainbow Warriors host Sam Houston for the second straight season, after the Bearkats won last year’s first-ever meeting, 31–13. This time, Sam Houston enters still searching for its first win of 2025, having fallen 41–24 at Western Kentucky and 38–21 to UNLV. Meanwhile, Hawaiʻi is coming off a 40–6 loss at Arizona and now begins a three-game home stretch with hopes of bouncing back.

During his weekly press conference, Sam Houston head coach Phil Longo reflected on early-season struggles, citing travel challenges, injuries, and a slow defensive start. However, he also praised the efforts of RB Coco Brown and QB Mabrey Mettauer. Looking ahead, Longo stressed the importance of managing recovery from the long flight to Hawaiʻi, while also establishing a run game, improving pass rush, and controlling the line of scrimmage—particularly in the red zone—against Timmy Chang’s pass-heavy offense.

LISTEN TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Here are the key topics from the press conference, with timestamps in parentheses:

Hawaii Game Preparation Strategy (‎2:00)

Phil Longo outlined preparations for the upcoming Hawaiʻi trip, pointing to the unique challenge of a nine-hour flight that leaves no time for Thursday practice. To adapt, the staff has consulted other coaches with Hawaiʻi travel experience and emphasized recovery strategies—focusing on hydration, flexibility, and mobility to get players ready within 36 hours of kickoff.

Sam Houston Quarterback Strategy Moving Forward (8:05)

Both Mabrey and Hunter will continue preparing as starters each week, with the possibility of both seeing action until one clearly separates himself. Coach Longo points to past seasons (2014–2016) where his teams successfully used multiple quarterbacks in different situations. The plan is to treat both as offensive weapons, with playing time determined by who has the “hot hand” on game day.

Preparing for Hawaii’s Offense (9:30)

Coach Longo praised Hawaiʻi head coach Timmy Chang’s offensive system, noting its strong passing concepts. While not identical to Sam Houston’s scheme, the similarities provide useful study material. He stressed that the key to slowing Hawaiʻi’s attack will be forcing quick stops and getting the defense off the field with three-and-outs.

Hawaii Quarterback Assessment and Live of Scrimmage Focus (15:10)

Coach Longo called Hawaiʻi quarterback Michael Alejado a talented passer with a strong command of the system, though possibly banged up from the last game. He stressed that winning will come down to controlling the line of scrimmage—especially in the red zone—and that Hawaiʻi poses different challenges than UNLV, making continued improvement up front essential.

Hawaii football commits shine in Bishop Gorman’s win over Kahuku

Hawaii football commits shine in Bishop Gorman’s win over Kahuku

Sep 2, 2025

Hawai’i football-commit Maika Eugenio fires a pass against Kahuku in Bishop Gorman’s 38-0 win over the Red Raiders. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawaii football commits shine in Bishop Gorman’s win over Kahuku

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1, 2025

KAHUKU — Saturday night’s non-league matchup between nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman and host Kahuku provided a mini preview of future members of the University of Hawai’i football team.

Led by quarterback Maika Eugenio, a trio of Rainbow Warrior commits from the class of 2026 played a hand in the Gaels’ 38-0 win over the Red Raiders at Carleton E. Weimer Field over the weekend.

Eugenio completed 31 of his 38 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

“I love it,” Eugenio said of the trip to Hawai’i. “Just taking a look at the beach, all the scenery, all the people all the families that are around here.”

One of his favorite targets was slot receiver Isaiah Nickels, another Hawai’i-commit, who finished with eight receptions and 73 yards to help set up multiple scoring drives.

“It’s just a blessing to be in Hawai’i right now,” Nickels said. “As a young boy I never really got to experience Hawai’i like that. My mom grew up here so it was good to be back and see the environment and play football here.”

 

In the previous week, Nickels said he was able to see the Rainbow Warriors defeat Stanford on a walk-off field goal for a 23-20 win to cap week 0 of the college football season.

“I thought it was an amazing game,” he said. “It’s just the start for Hawai’i. People doubt Hawaii thinking they’re not a good team this year but I think Hawai’i is on the come up.”

The third Hawai’i-commit was kicker Hudson Borsari, who booted five PATs and made a 38-yard field goal.

“It was great,” Borsari said of the experience. “Starting to feel like home a little bit out here and I’m just excited to get it going with them next year and get work in.”

Kahuku did get two sacks and an interception from Teave Crawford to spark some life energy to its fans in attendance, but it was pretty much a dominating by the visiting Gaels from Las Vegas.

Starting Kahuku quarterback Matai Fuiava completed just three passes for two yards before giving way to Troy Mariteragi, who completed 9 of his 12 pass attempts for 64 yards.

“Defensively we played pretty tough,” said Kahuku interim coach Nihoa Pule. “We were on the field quite a bit, but we did shutdown their running game to a certain extent. Offensively we got a spark in the second half, it’s just putting it all together now.”