Sunday afternoons at Ewa Beach District Park are sometimes a football haven.
Some years back, it was Tua Tagovailoa and his father, coach Galu, leading a weekly clinic for keiki. Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon, Oct. 23, 2022, and Tua was busy at his full-time job, leading the Miami Dolphins to victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brothers John-Keawe Sagapolutele and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele were regulars at that Sunday clinic. Growing up in Ewa Beach was and still is a blessing.
“Tana (Togafau-Tavui) lives right there,” John-Keawe Sagapolutele said, pointing to nearly apartments. “We grew up in this park.”
Their idols were never too far away.
“Dillon Gabriel. I tried to throw like him,” Jaron-Keawe said.
“We used to throw with all of them,” John-Keawe added. “You know how older kids treat younger kids. It was cool that we were able to have relationships with guys like them. Dillon, Tua, Chevan (Cordeiro), Jayden (de Laura). I miss them.”
The brothers are older, bigger and wiser now. What else is big? The numbers.
There hasn’t been a brother duo quite like John-Keawe Sagapolutele of Punahou and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele of Campbell. The poise in the pocket, the escapability, the field vision and accuracy. The arm strength.
John-Keawe Sagapolutele can dink and dunk with the best of them, but his ability to launch the football deep to targets like Astin Hange and Noah Macapulay has been the brunt of many a defensive unit. Younger brother Jaron-Keawe will launch deep to Togafau-Tavui and Mason Muaau without hesitation, but his velocity on short and intermediate out patterns off his back foot are highly discouraged at the youth level — yet incredibly accurate for the southpaw.
Tag this under “must be seen to be believed.” John-Keawe Sagapolutele has been masterful in his senior season, leading Punahou to a 7-1 record, including 4-0 in the ILH Open Division. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound shot put and discus state champion has evolved into a watcher of many windows, transforming from a home run style slinger to a selective, more nuanced decision maker. The result: 1,643 yards and 19 touchdowns by air with just five interceptions in 155 attempts. With a 69.7% completion rate and a passer rating of 192.7, Sagapolutele is a clear contender for All-State offensive player of the year honors.
“I first saw John play when he was a freshman and he did a great job filling in,” Mililani coach Rod York said. “It was tough because Saint Louis was so good. John was so good, could move in the pocket like Aaron Rodgers, be elusive. They both have that gift. They buy time and a half a second is so important. Sometimes they buy a full two seconds.”
Brother Jaron-Keawe is a definite contender for All-State POY honors, too. Lacking the explosive ground attack that Punahou has, Campbell has relied heavily on the left-handed sophomore, who is listed at 6-4 and 200 pounds. He has delivered 2,800 yards and 28 TDs with eight picks in 284 attempts. His completion rate, 62.6%, is sufficient in a four-wide offense, but the big-play capability is always there for the third-ranked Sabers.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s yards-per-attempt average of 9.9 is spectacular. John-Keawe Sagapolutele’s YPA of 10.6 is simply off the charts.
“I like how they’re not afraid to take chances and throw the ball downfield. Both have strong arms,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “They have good touch, catchable deep balls to let their receivers make plays. They’re not afraid to stand in the pocket and take a hit while delivering the ball down the field. Their eyes are always down the field.”
When No. 1 Kahuku met Campbell on Sept. 10, conditions were soaking wet and neither offense could get going. The visitors from Kahuku won a slog fest, 16-6.
Mililani has faced Campbell twice, beating the Sabers 35-34 and 39-29. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele passed for 336 yards and three TDs with four picks in the first matchup. On Friday, he racked up a career-high 457 yards with four TDs and one pick in the playoff loss to the Trojans.
“Jaron, to me, is more of a pocket passer. He just slings it. That’s what I notice, what we notice. He delivers that ball really good,” Carvalho said. “His brother at Punahou, he runs their system really good. You can tell he’s a four-year starter, plays with a lot more poise and confidence. I would be happy with both quarterbacks on any team.”
Coincidentally, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele started out in youth football playing wide receiver.
“I was Kini Boy’s receiver at Kaneohe Knights,” he said of Mililani’s current standout QB, Kini McMillan. “I transferred to quarterback later on, like sixth or seventh grade. John was always a quarterback. He was on the heavy side.”
The path hasn’t been smooth and level for either brother. John-Keawe stepped into the starting QB job at Punahou as a freshman when Hugh Brady suffered a knee injury against Farrington.
“I think back to when he was a freshman, the thought was John would have some time to develop behind our returning senior, Hugh Brady, but from the moment Hugh is injured, any plans of gradual development were thrown out the window,” Punahou coach Nate Kia said.
Coincidentally, John-Keawe Sagapolutele’s favorite player has always been another Brady: Tom.
“I was never fast. I couldn’t move, so all I could do was throw the ball,” he said. “I also liked the way Marcus (Mariota) played in college. I wanted to be like him.”
The pandemic took his sophomore season away in 2020. Then came the roller coaster of ’21, when there was much less time to navigate in the pocket.
This fall, John-Keawe Sagapolutele has more time in the pocket thanks to one of the state’s best offensive lines. He has also continually improved, using his vast array of receiving talent to spray the pigskin from sideline to sideline. No. 2-ranked Punahou has been the only Hawaii team to take Kahuku down to the wire.
It was Punahou’s game at Kahuku, a 27-20 loss, that was a pivotal point for Sagapolutele. Watching backup QB Ty McCutcheon throw darts on intermediate and short routes horizontally rather than vertically made an impact.
“Since our game, John ran his system really good after that,” Carvalho noted. “It was really early in the system and I think John has really settled down.”
That composure has come from duress, the red-hot furnace of ILH Open football.
“He’s had to master his craft under live-fire conditions,” Kia said. “Learning from all his successes and failures on the biggest stage of Open Division.”
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele began high school in ’21 as freshman starter for Saint Louis’ JV team, which was part of a new look in the ILH. Sagapolutele and his teammates faced the league’s D-I and JV squads, as well as D-II Pac-Five. He had more than enough time to find two superb playmakers, Kache Kaio and Onosa‘i Salanoa in every possible way on the route tree. They were simply devastating, except for the one afternoon at ‘Iolani when Kaio cramped up severely. A close game turned into a runaway win for the Raiders.
Sagapolutele came back for his sophomore year expecting a chance to compete for the starting QB position, but the Crusaders varsity squad had Kekahi Graham back in the fold after a year in Utah. Oa Kamakawiwo‘ole, a sophomore, was also in the competition. After one practice, Sagapolutele’s father talked with Saint Louis coach Ron Lee and decided to explore other opportunities.
“I miss the boys. It was a fun run with them,” Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele said. “I miss coach Dillard (Spray), our quarterbacks coach Palani (Nunes). Oh man, we had a good team. It was a good (2021) season for us.”
Whether the exodus of talent out of Saint Louis was sparked by his departure, or simply part of a natural cycle for the Saint Louis dynasty, Sagapolutele found himself surrounded by a pass-catching corps at Campbell that rivaled Saint Louis or any other program in the Open Division.
Kaio had already made plans to transfer to Kahuku. Salanoa was at Mililani. Then Muaau, a commit to Colorado State, left Saint Louis and arrived in Sabers country.
The landscape of Open Division football in the OIA and ILH hasn’t been the same since. Punahou has run away with the ILH’s regular-season crown. Campbell’s offense has been explosive. Neither team has secured a state-tournament berth yet, but Punahou can qualify with a win over Saint Louis this weekend. Campbell can do likewise with a victory over Kapolei.
The transition from Kalaepohaku to Ewa Beach has almost been effortless for Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Campbell is 6-3, including 4-2 in the OIA Open regular season. He has a 3.8 grade-point average.
“Jaron works hard and instills trust in all his teammates,” Campbell coach Darren Johnson said. “He plays with confidence. He’s a great young man.”
The possibility of QB brother-versus-QB brother at states is there. They’ve talked about it, but it’s a not a big deal. What’s more important is the time they spend together watching anime shows and eating lava cakes. Jaron-Keawe learned to bake from watching Tik Tok videos. John-Keawe is the taste-tester.
They have always leaned on each other for all things football and life.
“Junior year, it was a struggle. It’s more of a spiritual thing. I read my scriptures a lot before the games,” John-Keawe Sagapolutele said. “Fixing my relationship with God has been helping me. I’m just thankful to my family and parents for being supportive, especially Jaron. We share a lot of ideas and thoughts with each other after each game we play. It’s good to talk to someone.”
There haven’t been many sibling combinations that succeeded simultaneously at the highest of levels. York recalls the Motuapuaka siblings of Mililani, offensive lineman Sione Tavo and track standout Kiana. They joined older brother Hale at Utah State.
“There’s the throwback siblings, Tita and Dan Ahuna,” York added.
Dan Ahuna was a slotback and kick returner at UH during the heyday of the spread option offense. Tita Ahuna was captain of the UH volleyball team that won the 1987 national championship, a two-time AVCA All-American.
Carvalho recalls Kahuku track standouts Zhane and Tajana Santiago.
Erik (Punahou) and Kawika (‘Iolani) Shoji were standout volleyball players. The list could go on and on.
Johnson compares the Sagapolutele brothers to two brothers who once ruled the gridiron, now making their mark in media.
“They remind me of the Manning brothers (Peyton and Eli). Very supportive of each other,” Johnson said. “Very loving and caring.”
Setema and Atalili Sagapolutele give their sons freedom with the boundaries. Setema will sit with family and cheer on during games. Atalili, a former defensive lineman, is tougher to spot.
“You would never find him. He just never liked being around people when we played,” John-Keawe Sagapolutele said. “Even at our flag and (Ewa Beach) Sabers games. You’d be surprised where he’s at.”
“Sometimes, he goes to the car,” Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele said.
Unlike other families, there isn’t a lot of analytical post-game criticism from father to sons.
“He lets us talk to each other about football,” John-Keawe added. “The way he looks at it, he never played quarterback. He understands more now, but he just talks to us about it.”
FAVORITES
John-Keawe Sagapolutele, Punahou quarterback, senior Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Campbell quarterback, sophomore
Top 3 movies/shows
>> John-Keawe: 1. “One Peace” (anime), 2. “To All The Boys I Loved Before” (Netflix teen drama), 3. “Dexter’s Laboratory” (Cartoon Network).
>> Jaron-Keawe: 1. “One Peace” (anime), 2. “Slugterra” (anime), 3. “My Hero Academia” (anime). “It’s better in Japanese. It sounds more authentic.”
Did you know?
>> The brothers have Keawe as part of their first names as a tribute to their grandmother and legendary music artist, the late Genoa Keawe.
Top 3 foods
>> Jaron-Keawe: 1. Fettuccine Alfredo (Antipastos), 2. Double-double, In-and-Out, 3. Waffle fries, Chick-Fil-A.
>> John-Keawe: 1. Vitamin Water, 2. Chicken strips (Chili’s), 3. Saimin (Daichi Ramen).
Top 3 homemade foods
>> John-Keawe and Jaron-Keawe: 1. Kal bi (mom), 2. Lava cake (Jaron), 3. Baked salmon (mom). “I make lava cakes. I learned it from Tik Tok. It’s nutella, an egg, flour. I’ve made 20,” Jaron said.
Top 3 music artists
>> Jaron-Keawe: 1. Young Go (“Da Wave Way”), 2. The Green (“Love I”), 3. Rod Wave (“Invisible Scars”).
>> John-Keawe: 1. Fiji (“Morning Ride”), 2. Jenevieve (“Resume”), 3. Young Go (“Ivory”).
Favorite class
>> Jaron-Keawe: P.E., ninth grade (Saint Louis)
>> John-Keawe: Hawaiian music ensemble with Mr. (Jay) Koseki.
Favorite athlete
>> Jaron-Keawe: Marshawn Lynch
>> John-Keawe: DK Metcalf, Bryce Young
Favorite team
>> Jaron-Keawe: Las Vegas Raiders, Oregon (football)
>> John-Keawe: New England Patriots
Bucket list
>> Jaron-Keawe: “I want to play with a paintball or air soft gun. Get an ATV or a four-wheeler and rip that around a park.”
>> John-Keawe: “I want to go to Japan and see the cherry blossoms at Christmas time. I want to be a Christmas Bowl (pylon) champion. Run a marathon just to test my limits. And I want to be an Ultimate Frisbee champion.”
Time machine
Jaron: “I’d go to the future, maybe 100 or 200 years from now and see how much the world has changed. See if we have hoverboards and if I can ride it.”
>> John-Keawe: “I’d go back to the age of dinosaurs for a week and test my survival skills.”
Hidden talent
>> Jaron-Keawe: “I’m secretly fast.”
>> John-Keawe: Cartwheeling. “Travis Ross has been teaching me how to back flip.”
First sport
John: “We both went into wrestling. I was in kindergarten and Jaron was 3.”
Shout outs
>> Jaron-Keawe: “Shout out to Jesus. My mom (Setema) and dad (Atalili). His nickname is ‘Tiki Boy.’ And ‘Young T.’ And all our trainers, too much. And my uncle Analu OVERSET FOLLOWS:B.”
>> John-Keawe: “Mr. Koseki and anakala (uncle) Kimo Kealana. My auntie Rosa and uncle Alvin (Yasuda).”
