MILILANI — The state's most dominant girls flag football program now has an HHSAA championship to show for it.
Since the inception of girls flag football as an officially sanctioned high school sport in the Islands in 2025, Moanalua has been the state's juggernaut team. Na Menehune breezed through a perfect regular season in 2025 before getting shocked in the quarterfinals of the state tournament to eventual runner-up Leilehua.
In 2026, Monalaua had another perfect regular season before losing to Waiʻanae in the OIA championship game. Na Menehune entered the 12-team bracket needing to win four games. Using lessons from their recent setbacks, Na Menehune triumphed with a 13-6 win at Mililani on Saturday.
"Coming out of OIA was kind of like a disappointment," Moanalua head coach Ladd Mokiao said. "We had the lead and we didn't take care of business. ... Coaching is always meant for something, right? That means the team wasn't strong at certain things, so we went back in the lab, regrouped and did the things that we was weak at, so we could come out in states and have this."
Trailing host Mililani 6-0 entering the fourth quarter of Saturday's championship game, it appeared Na Menehune were headed for another disappointing loss. A 3-yard touchdown reception from Quigstinn Rose Yoshihara tied the game with 8:37 left. Then with 38 seconds left, star receiver Jodie Keo broke the tie with a sensational 25-yard catch.
"I saw sit in the air, I was like, 'OK, I gotta lock in, and then boom,'" Keo recalled of her catch.
Added Mokiao: "When we called the play, I told (quarterback) Breidi (Higa), I said, 'You know your reads off of this.' Now, let's get that 'wow' play. If that ball got thrown to Jodie in any area, she's gonna pull it down 99.9% of the time."
Keo, a sophomore selected to compete with the United States under-17 team this summer, remembers the feeling of not winning the state title in 2025. Keo and her teammates turned that disappointment into fuel.
"We kept the drive that we had last year, and we just kept the losses with us too, because we won't let it define us, but we'll learn from it, and that's how we are here now," she said.
Moanalua's team and fans celebrate Jodie Keo's game-winning touchdown with 38 seconds left. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Jodie Keo celebtates after hauling in the game-winning touchdown with 38 seconds left. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
The celebration was on for Moanalua after clinching the state title on Saturday night. (Aloha State Daily Staff)
In the Division II championship game, Kapolei made it a mission to score as many points as possible, routing Maryknoll 77-19.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
