Football

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Latest news

Cal Lee’s Achilles’ heel proves to be his Achilles

By Nick Abramo on November 21, 2018

Almost from the time Cal Lee decided to become a coach of football players nearly a half-century ago, his opponents have been trying to find the soft spot in his armor. Rarely have they actually done it. The last time Lee lost a meaningful game was in 2015 to the Kahuku Red Raiders and their ram-rodding elephant package. Lee is on the verge of winning a third straight top-tier championship, and that’s hard to do at any level. But it […]

CLOSING THE BOOK: Campbell Sabers

By Jerry Campany on November 21, 2018

The Campbell Sabers put together their third straight winning season and made it to the state tournament for the first time since 2016 before their loss to Mililani’s machine. Darren Johnson finished his second year at the school with a 15-10 record, matching the winning percentage of predecessors Amosa Amosa and Tumoana Kenessey. They won eight games for the first time since Amosa won nine in 2013. The Sabers took their share of beatings in the new Open Division, causing […]

Save, Tuiolemotu returned leaner, faster for Trojans

By Paul Honda on November 21, 2018

The hunger of Mililani senior Mykah Tuiolemotu is real. Since dropping to a lean, mean 215 pounds, he has leveled off at 225 during the season. His partner in the trenches, Ezra Save, dropped 50 pounds. The work has paid off. Both are defensive tackles who have more energy and endurance during the Trojans’ high-possession, uptempo games. “Last season, the one reason I tried to slim down was I couldn’t catch the stinking quarterback (Chevan Cordeiro of Saint Louis, now […]


Saint Louis’ appeal of Cox’s suspension unlikely

By Nick Abramo on November 20, 2018

Tempers flared and it led to two ejections during Saint Louis’ 49-22 victory over Kahuku in the Open Division semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships on Friday. For Saint Louis, it’s a blow, since defensive back Brian Cox will now be ineligible for the championship game against Mililani on Saturday. Cox was defending Kahuku’s Thorton Alapa on a pass play on the sideline when they got into a heated exchange. They were both flagged for throwing a […]

CLOSING THE BOOK: Kahuku Red Raiders

By Jerry Campany on November 20, 2018

The Kahuku Red Raiders can take heart that a season in which everything seems to go wrong still results in a trip to the state semifinals. The new Open Division resulted in five losses and set the program back five years to 2013 when Reggie Torres was let go. Sterling Carvalho‘s first — and if history is any indication, only — season in charge started as well as any other Kahuku season with blowouts of Konawaena and Waianae and a […]

Q&A: Mililani DT Mykah Tuiolemotu

By Paul Honda on November 20, 2018

Simple isn’t always easy. After all, to get where Mykah Tuiolemotu is, it takes help, and the willingness to ask for it. 3.7 grade-point average? The Mililani senior stays in class during recess and asks the questions he needs answers to. OIA championships? He works and works to get stronger, and this year, he got lean, dropping 30 pounds to have added quickness and endurance. Tuiolemotu is a stellar defensive tackle, teaming with Ezra Save up front to set the […]

VIDEO: Buchanan reflects on chat with idol Drew Brees

By Paul Honda on November 19, 2018

Alexandra Buchanan‘s season ended prematurely with a collarbone injury, but the McKinley quarterback remains upbeat. She’s two weeks away from returning to sports, this time with the basketball team. In the meantime, Bleacher Report did a documentary about the junior, who is the first female QB in state history. BR also set up. a FaceTime chat for Buchanan with her all-time favorite player, New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees. To read the story on her in today’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, click […]

VIDEO: Kapaa outduels Kaimuki to reach D-II final

By Paul Honda on November 18, 2018

Points and big plays were tough to come by when Kaimuki visited KIF champion Kapaa on Saturday. In the end, Stetson Telles-Kelekoma came up with an interception with 6.7 seconds left to preserve Kapaa’s 20-12 victory at Vidinha Stadium.