He was a legend before stepping foot on the Saint Louis campus. As eighth graders, it was Pupu Sepulona and JJ Mandaquit who were the most talented — and hyped — basketball players in the class of 2025. Mandaquit had one All-State season at ‘Iolani before transferring to what is now Utah Prep and became a US U17 national team point guard, signing with Washington.
Sepulona? All he did was become one of the most dominant multi-sport athletes in Hawaii history. By the time he graduated, he was a three-time All-State selection and two-time Player of the Year in basketball. After giving football a shot later in his sports career, became a first-team All-State defensive lineman as a senior. An outside hitter for a Division II volleyball state championship team. For good measure, Sepulona gave track and field a try and racked up more accomplishments. He is the epitome of a Hall of Honor inductee.
“I was thanking God and telling my parents it’s an awesome award. Not many athletes are able to get this prestigious award. Going into my senior year, getting inducted was one of my goals,” Sepulona said.
In all, Sepulona was part of five state-championship teams: three in basketball, one in football and one in volleyball.
“My entire career I’ve been taking it day by day. I played in a lot of big atmospheres in different sports. For me, it’s a mindset before I step on the court and field. I pray for God to give me strength and all the glory goes to him, Jesus Christ. It’s a big impact by my parents raising me to be the man I am now. It all starts at home. I’m blessed to receive accolades and I’ll have to do the same at the next level. Start from ground zero.”
In the process, Sepulona transformed from a dominant solo-sport athlete to a spectrum of excellence. Though basketball was his first and only love, he suited up for the Saint Louis I-AA team as a 6-2, 190-pound freshman defensive lineman. That team included Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback and Onosa‘i Salanoa and Kache Kaio at wide receiver.
He was a sixth man as a freshman when Saint Louis won the state basketball crown in the 2021-22 season.
In the spring of 2022, he joined the volleyball team, following the footsteps of his mother, Valasi, a standout outside hitter at Farrington and Chaminade who is a 1996 HOH inductee.
Pupu Sepulona made an impact right away and had a season-high 14 kills against Le Jardin.
By sophomore year, Sepulona grew to 215 pounds and showed more signs of potential as a defensive lineman on the I-AA squad. By winter, he was the go-to scorer, a man among boys on the hardwood. He averaged 18 points per game to spark the Crusaders to a second state crown in a row — despite fielding one of the youngest lineups in the ILH.
“Coach Dan (Hale) knew what we were capable of, and we were a young team. A lot of us were inexperienced. To be honest, I feel like me and my brothers felt like we really had nothing to lose knowing nobody in the state believed in us. I remember ‘Iolani, Punahou, Maryknoll, Kamehameha and Mid-Pac — all of them were great. Every game was a struggle. We had to keep overcoming adversity. Against Campbell, I remember those last three seconds, we stepped out and won,” he said. “I remember going to my knees and thanking God.
Sepulona scored 18.7 points per game in wins over Kailua, Moanalua and Campbell at the state championships and was voted Star-Advertiser All-State Player of the Year for the first time.
The momentum carried into the spring of 2023. Saint Louis won the ILH D-II volleyball title, then swept Konawaena in the opening round of the state tournament. The Crusaders then edged Aiea in five sets, and University in five games for the state title. Sepulona averaged 14.7 kills per game at the state tourney, adding nine digs in the final against ULS.
The summer of 2023 was a transition period for Sepulona. Though his sophomore year had yielded vast success, there were tough decisions to make. The influence of his uncles played a key role in convincing him that football would be his ticket to the next level and beyond. There was talk in Rumorville that he might move to the mainland. In the middle of summer while he played in a club basketball tournament in Las Vegas, the word was that he might transfer to Liberty there.
He stayed home. At 6-2 and 225 pounds, Sepulona began to make a big difference for the Crusaders’ Open Division squad as a defensive end and H-back.
During preseason of the 2023-24 basketball season, Sepulona confirmed that his main goal was to invest his time and energy in football. That didn’t stop him from being the best hoopster in the state. Saint Louis’ basketball team three-peated in the winter of 2023-24. The Crusaders went 27-5 overall as Sepulona averaged 15 points per game with power and finesse. His versatility was a major edge, providing a more balanced attack as defenses double- and triple-teamed him. He sank a career-high 23 3-pointers as a junior and was voted Player of the Year for a second time.
Between the end of basketball season and the start of football, Sepulona made his first serious commitment to the weight room. He went from 225 pounds to 275 and grew to almost 6-3.
After recording two sacks as a junior, Sepulona had 6.5 as a senior, sometimes using that same, devastating spin move that he perfected on the basketball court. Two of the sacks were against Kahuku in a 17-10 state-championship victory. He was voted by coaches and media to the Star-Advertiser All-State football team.
The Crusaders entered the basketball season as the favorite, but Sepulona was sidelined by a knee injury he suffered in the state football final. He returned in time for the ILH regular season and powered Saint Louis.
He averaged 13 points per game, but their bid for a four-peat fell short in the state final against Punahou. Sepulona finished second in the voting for Player of the Year.
Spring arrived and he gave track and field a try. He finished third in the shot put at the state championships at 53 feet, 0.5 inches. He also placed seventh in the discus with a throw of 157-5.
Always disciplined. Always focused. Always stepping up. Sepulona was a rare combination of immense talent and humility. Grounded, yet limitless in potential. He will play football at Utah this fall. He departs Wednesday for the biggest challenge of his life.
In the weight room, it’s been roughly one year of serious work. Sepulona has a maximum squat of 505 pounds. His max bench is 315 pounds.
“Bench is one of my weaknesses, but I’ve been improving a lot. During track season I’ve been focusing on my upper body,” he said.
All the devotion and discipline he learned from his father, Siona Tiapula, and mother is immeasurable and invaluable.
“I’m just a kid from Kalihi. People think kids from the projects would go in the wrong direction. My high school career is a testament that kids can accomplish anything if you put God in the center of your life,” Sepulona said. “You serve a champion. I gave high school everything I’ve got, worked my butt off every single day. It was all God who gave me that mindset, that drive, that focus.”
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>> HHSAA Hall of Honor: Tyler Loree
>> HHSAA Hall of Honor: Sage Miller
>> HHSAA Hall of Honor: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
>> HHSAA Hall of Honor: Pupu Sepulona
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