For the final time on a football field, eight Kahuku seniors interlocked hands and sang their alma mater before they go their separate ways.
No school had more players in the 2023 Polynesian Bowl than Hawaii’s two-time defending Open Division state champions, who represented both Team Mauka and Team Makai on Friday night at Kamehameha’s Kunuiakea Stadium.
Team Mauka, led by Tennessee signee Nicholaus Iamaleava, defeated Team Makai 22-17, with Kedrick Reescano, an Ole Miss signee, scoring the game-winning touchdown on an 8-yard run with 2:43 remaining.
As soon as it was over, family and friends gathered on the field to celebrate all 96 players who were invited and made it to the game.
As security attempted to escort the remaining players and fans out of the stadium, the Kahuku kids got together for one final picture, capping a two-year run coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic that undoubtedly raised the brand name of Kahuku to new heights.
“Now if you just look at all of the (younger) kids getting offers from Washington State and UH and everything, it’s really special that Kahuku is on the map and getting represented very well,” said Leonard Ah You, who signed to play at Oregon State. “A lot of boys (are) transferring to Kahuku. They just want to win and that’s all we wanted to do. If we win, our community wins.”
This was the first Polynesian Bowl broadcast live on the NFL Network. On Thursday, the network showed a 30-minute special on Kahuku football and how the team handled multiple coaches dying during the pandemic.
For this group of Kahuku seniors, Saturday was one last time to be together on a field and to feel that camaraderie that developed through a pandemic, when football wasn’t there to be played, all the way through both state titles and a two-year undefeated runs against every other school in the state.
“It was kind of upsetting because we’re all just going our separate ways,” offensive lineman Brayden Ma‘ilo said.
“I’ve played with these guys for a while now, but it’s exciting to see what everyone will do in the future.”
Not everyone grew up from the beginning in Laie. Ma‘ilo moved to Oahu in 2015 from Los Angeles. Stanley Raass, who after the game was trying as hard as he could get to get Ah You to lead them for one last haka, came over from Utah last summer.
No matter when they arrived, or how long they’ve known each other, all eight of them stood on the field Saturday night and relished every last minute together.
“I soaked it all in,” said receiver Kainoa Carvalho, the Star-Advertiser All-State Offensive Player of the Year as a junior who missed a large chunk of his senior season with an injury. “Bringing that state championship back home twice was a special honor. I feel like I’ve had a great high school career and made my mark and hopefully for the younger ones that they do the same and are coached to be better than me.”
Carvalho had two catches for 23 yards in the game and was on the field for Team Makai’s final drive down five.
He managed to get open on a couple of routes but was never thrown the ball, much to the disappointment of Ah You, who was on the field on defense for those same final plays.
“I was telling him the whole week that if he ever caught the ball next to me he would end up on the ground,” Ah You said. “I was hoping he would catch one, but he never did.”
Brock Fonoimoana had a team-high five tackles for Team Mauka and Ah You added three.
Liona Lefau, the two-time All-State Defensive Player of the Year, didn’t play. He’s already started college at Texas as an early enrollee.
Iamaleava, who was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player, finished 13-for-20 for 186 yards and a touchdown and ran for 63 yards.
Andrew Harris, a linebacker from Florida, was named the Defensive MVP.
Kapolei senior Iosefa Tapeni was injured on a play early in the second quarter and had his arm in a sling when he was carted off the field.
