MILILANI — One was destiny for a group of kids from the east side of O‘ahu. Another was the stamping of a dynasty on the Valley Isle.
Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium was the site of the HHSAA Division I and II football state title games on Friday night. Kailua won the nightcap of the doubleheader 13-9 over Kapa‘a, winning the Division I crown in its first state championship game appearance in school history. In the Division II game, Kamehameha-Maui routed Waimea 48-24 to repeat as state champs.
Kailua 13, Kapa‘a 9
After a brief stint in the NFL, Hau‘oli Wong returned to Kailua High School to become the head football coach of his alma mater in 2014. The Surfriders went 0-7 in his first season.
Years of patience and a meticulous rebuild culminated in a storybook season for Kailua, which won the OIA title earlier in the month. A road win at Konawaena on Nov. 22 clinched the school's first-ever appearance in an HHSAA championship game.
The Surfriders began their first state title game emphatically, with Micah Sua taking the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Missed opportunities and multiple dropped passes led to a 6-6 tie at halftime. During the break, Wong sternly told his team that they needed to do a better job catching the ball. He ended his spiel by telling his group they had 24 minutes left, and to "sell out" by leaving nothing on the field.
After Kapa‘a kicker Yair Antonio made a 22-yard chip shot to give the Warriors a 9-6 lead with 11:14 left, Kailua began its next drive from its own 5 after a facemask penalty on the ensuing kickoff. A methodical 95-yard drive ended with Tayvin Kahele's 24-yard touchdown grab with 3:31 remaining.
"It feels great seeing everybody's faces go from kind of sad to happy, to raging again," Kahele told Aloha State Daily after the game. "That's what we wanted. We wanted that momentum back."
Kapa‘a, which won the 2024 HHSAA Division I title, was not going to give up its crown without a fight. The Warriors got all the way to the Kailua 9 before calling its final timeout facing third-and-5 with 30 seconds left. Kaitin Mundon's jump pass was intercepted by Kailua linebacker Keoki Cypriano, sealing the state title for the Surfriders.
"We've been envisioning this moment for a long time," Cypriano told Aloha State Daily following the game. "It feels amazing. It feels incredible. We knew they were physical, we knew they were hungry, we knew they had a very good run game. But we like that, we like the physicality. That's how we're raised. You hit back, we'll just hit harder.
"As a kid growing up, my cousins were playing for Kailua. Going to their games, playing football on the sideline. This team being the first one to do it, it's incredible."
Kailua's 2025 campaign ends at 12-3 overall, including a 10-game winning streak to end the season. Wong will say goodbye to a special crop of seniors, which includes his son, Esaiah, who will sign to play collegiate football with California on Wednesday.
"We said when they first came in as freshmen that this class was going to give us an opportunity to win a championship," Wong said. "We didn't know it was going to be a state championship, but they did."
Kamehameha-Maui 48, Waimea 24
The first matchup of the day featured the two most dominant teams in Division II following the HHSAA's return to play in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Kamehameha-Maui entered as the defending state champ at D-II, while Waimea won in 2022 and 2023, defeating KSM in in the 2023 final.
A sloppy first quarter for both teams involved two lost fumbles for Waimea and one for Kamehameha-Maui. Waimea struck first on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Kolby Correa to Nash Schaefer midway through the first quarter.
From there, it was all Kamehameha-Maui, led by the efforts of senior running back Zedekaiah Campbell, who racked up 146 rushing yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns. He also had a 36-yard touchdown for an additional touchdown, upping his total to three.
"Throughout the season, we learned to just trust each other," Campbell said. "We play nice, complimentary football. Everyone just has to have trust in all 10 of their teammates on offense. And we trust that the defense is going to get the ball back for us."
Kamehameha-Maui had a full cheering section on hand at Mililani on Friday, with support coming from various Islands.
"The community in Maui is very supportive. Just being part of the Kamehameha system, even those who aren't Maui residents, they'll come and support because you're Kamehameha," KS-Maui head coach Ulima Afoa said. "We appreciate the support that we get we got from the alums on O‘ahu."
Added Campbell, a Lahaina native: "It means a lot. It's more than just a community thing, too. I guess it's an island thing. When we come to states, our whole Island just kind of comes together, just all supporting."
The 2025 Hawai‘i high school football season concludes with the Open Division state title game between Kamehameha and Campbell on Dec. 5 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
