MĀNOA — Before Kamehameha and Campbell play each other in Friday night's HHSAA Open Division state title game at the University of Hawai‘i's Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, both head coaches were able walk around the facility and get a lay of the land on Monday.
"I think when we step in between the 54 yards (between the sidelines), I think it's the same," Kamehameha head coach Kaeo Drummondo said.
Offered Campbell head coach Darren Johnson: "The hash marks are different here, the goal posts are smaller, but it's the same kind of field and we're going to play hard no matter where we show up."
Drummondo and Johnson have mastered the art of coach speak through their stops leading multiple football programs across the state. But there's no denying the rare opportunity each has put their respective programs in as far as history is concerned on Friday.
Kamehameha has three O‘ahu Prep Bowl championships (1974, 1975, 1976) and two Division I state titles (2004 and 2009) to its name. The Warriors have won all five of their appearances in a Prep Bowl and state championship final. After the HHSAA introduced the new top-tiered Open Division in 2016, Kamehameha had yet to appear in a state tournament until 2025.
"It's been 16 years for us. Everything that these kids have worked for their entire lives, one game, 48 minutes away," Drummondo said. "The process doesn't change, the preparation remains the same. We prepare the same way we did week one. The ramifications of the game is different, but the lead up, it doesn't change. I'm excited to get back to campus today. We gotta get to practice. We gotta get to work. If we wasn't playing, we'd be here watching, so we're very excited to be a part of it."
On the field, the Warriors are led by supreme talents in Malakai Lee and Taimane Purcell. Lee, a 6-foot-6 Michigan commit, has played on both sides of the ball for the Warriors but is projected to use his 315-pound frame as a tackle for the Wolverines. Meanwhile, Purcell, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound tight end and defensive end, has a college commitment to Cal.
At quarterback, the Warriors are led by Mana Forges, who completed 20 of his 23 passes for 245 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against Kapolei in a state semifinal win. In the historical context of HHSAA tournament games, his completion percentage of 86.9 trailed only ‘Iolani's Austin Jim On's 21-for-24 performance in the 2014 Division II state title game.
As Hilo's head coach from 2016 to 2019, Drummondo led the Vikings to Division I state titles in 2017 and 2019. The 2019 state title game was particularly dramatic, as a Keanu Keolanui 55-yard field goal bounced off the front of the goalposts and through to deliver a last-second 20-17 victory over ‘Iolani. Can Drummondo lean on his championship experiences on Friday?
"To a certain degree you can," said Drummondo, who took over as Kamehameha's head football coach in 2023. "It's a different group of players. It's a different division, different opponent. I think when you look at preparing for the game, the process, it doesn't change. ... Those moments kind of create themselves. We got to do it in practice. You do it in practice, you should expect to do it in the game. Hopefully this week, we can create enough of those moments in practice, and then we just got to replicate it on Friday night."
While Kamehameha has tasted multiple state crowns in Hawai‘i's top division, Campbell's lone state championship appearance was a victory over ‘Iolani in the 2004 Division II championship game.
Johnson, who has coached at Campbell since 2017, contends he's coached star players each year during his time in ‘Ewa Beach. In 2025, that distinction belongs to speedy receiver and safety Tainoa Lave, who will sign with San Diego State on Wednesday barring a last-minute change of heart. Lave's two touchdowns were the difference in a stunning 15-12 win over top seed Kahuku in the state semis, including the game-winner with two seconds left.
Johnson, who has coached in the Islands for 37 years in multiple roles, will finally get his shot to lead a team in the Open Division state title game on Friday. Johnson, a 1983 Kahuku alumnus, has tattoos all over his body symbolizing each stop in his coaching journey, which include head coaching gigs at Kaimiki and Kailua, as well as separate stints as an assistant at his alma mater. A Campbell "C" is inked on his right calf, symbolizing what he calls his final stop in coaching.
"I'm not retiring, it's just my last run, period, and it's just a special place," Johnson said through tears. "I've been given an opportunity to coach and bring my culture to a lot of great young men."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
