For the Kamehameha-Maui Warriors, nothing extinguishes a painful memory like the bling of a koa championship trophy.
The top-seeded Warriors got another superlative performance on the ground as junior Zedekaiah Campbell rumbled for 239 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in a 37-14 runaway win over Kaiser for the Division II state title on Saturday night at John Kauinana Stadium.
Campbell’s offensive line did much of the same pulverizing work in the trenches for a second week in a row. Last week, KS-Maui routed OIA champion Roosevelt 60-26. Preparing for a well-coached Kaiser squad that had lost to Roosevelt in the OIA final required steadfast focus.
MIL champion KS-Maui (8-3) did it with steady defense, allowing two quick touchdown passes by Kaiser’s Jesse Shinagawa to Caleb Hamasaki in the second quarter, but otherwise controlled the line of scrimmage.
Campbell, who missed the early part of the season with a shoulder injury, was devastating in the state tournament with yardage after contact.
“Track helped me so much with my speed. It helped me with my form. My running form used to be terrible compared to now,” the junior said.
He and Kaikea Hueu relied on what may be the best offensive line in school history.
“Left tackle, we have Isaiah Lani. Left guard, Kamuela Lani and Keanu Reyes. Center, Keawe Delatori. Right guard is (Duane) Peneku and our right tackle is Pau Spencer. We’re close, man. Without them, I would not be as good as I am. They just open up all those holes and give me all those opportunities,” Campbell said. “Just let them do their thing and I just run up behind them.”
The state title is the first for KS-Maui in football after two previous finals appearances. The Warriors lost to Kapaa, 61-7, in 2021, and to Waimea, 31-28, last year.
Kaiser (10-3) last played Kamehameha-Maui in the 2021 D-II state semifinals. KS-Maui won 48-24, despite 313 passing yards by Easton Yoshino.
The Cougars won the 2013 D-II state title under then-coach Rich Miano. In ’79, Ron Lee guided Kaiser to the Oahu Prep Bowl crown.
“We understood what our offensive strengths are. When you have a back like Zeddie and a back like Kaikea (Hueu), and pretty good offensive linemen, why not use that? Plus you reduce the game and part of the plan was the keep the ball away from their offense,” KS-Maui coach Ulima Afoa said.
The seniors, he added, will be missed.
“I’ll miss this group’s tenacity and willingness to play through pain, to get prepared every week. The effort and the mindset that they bring to the game. They bought it. That was the biggest thing I’ll remember about them. When you have talented people who buy in, the talent will show,” Afoa said.
Kaiser’s grit was immense, rebounding from an OIA title-game loss to Roosevelt before ousting Pac-Five and Kauai to reach the final.
“We’re proud of our coaches and athletes. Our kids work very hard. Kamehameha was the better team. They have outstanding athletes. They’re well coached. This is three times they’ve been here (in the final). Their program is extremely solid and they do a heck of a job,” Kaiser coach Tim Seaman said.
The Warriors stymied Kaiser’s offense on the game’s opening series, then drove 60 yards in five plays. Campbell provided most of the gains on the ground with 40 yards on just four carries before quarterback Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira found Tevyn Apo on a play-action go route for a 20-yard TD near the left pylon.
KS-Maui led 7-0 with 8:15 to go in the opening quarter. After another three-and-out by Kaiser, the Warriors drove into the red zone and stalled.
A high snap factored into Kayden Yap’s miss on a 27-yard field-goal attempt, which hooked wide left with 3:36 to go in the first quarter.
KS-Maui’s third series made up for it. Again, Campbell exploded into the second level with regularity, breaking tackles for gains of 35 and 29 yards. That set up a 1-yard run by Waikiki-Caldeira to open the lead to 13-0 with 15.7 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
By this point, Campbell already had 103 rushing yards on six carries.
Moments later, the Warriors blocked Dillon Reis’ punt, sending the ball out of bounds at the Kaiser 4-yard line. Two plays later, Waikiki-Caldeira found Apo again on a go route for a 12-yard TD. KS-Maui led 20-0 with 11:24 left in the first half.
Kaiser then engineered a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive that turned the game around. Shinagawa found Hamasaki for a 27-yard TD in single coverage to cut the lead to 20-7 with 3:28 left in the first half.
A personal foul on KS-Maui during the PAT pushed Kaiser’s kickoff into Warriors territory. Yap’s perfect onside kick bounced off a Warrior, who was promptly katooshed by a Cougar, allowing Kaiser to recover the bouncing pigskin at the 37-yard line.
On the next snap, Shinagawa launched another bomb to Hamasaki for a 37-yard TD, bringing the Cougars within 20-14 with 3:19 to go in the first half.
KS-Maui generously gifted an early Christmas present to Kaiser when Waikiki-Caldeira lobbed an interception to Kash Kamauoha. Kaiser took over at the KS-Maui 36-yard line with 24.2 seconds left before intermission. After a holding penalty, the Cougars opted to run out the clock rather than try another long pass.
KS-Maui asserted control with the opening series of the second half, driving 71 yards in six plays. This time, Campbell got the reward with a bruising 36-yard TD run. The Warriors led 27-14 with 8:49 to go in the third quarter.
The Warriors had their chance to put the game on ice with fourth-and-goal at the Kaiser 1-yard line. Cougars defensive back Kolt Glipa leaped high to intercept Waikiki-Caldeira’s pass in the end zone for a touchback, but after Afoa threw the challenge flag, the play was ruled a touchdown reception by Frank Abreu, who tore the ball away from Glipa.
KS-Maui led 34-14 with 11:12 remaining.
After a personal foul on Kaiser during the PAT, KS-Maui’s Keanu Lanoza recovered a pooch kick at the Cougars’ 24-yard line. Yap’s 38-yard field goal stretched the lead to 37-14 with 9:30 to go.
One of KS-Maui’s early losses was to eventual Open Division champion Saint Louis. The 49-0 rout helped the Warriors evolve into a stronger team.
“If you can play with a top team and hold your own for awhile, it’s about familiarizing the kids to the speed, to the ability, and to the size,” Afoa said.
Spencer, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound right tackle, has a scholarship offer from Hawaii.
“We learned a lot from that (Saint Louis) game. We needed that loss. It’s a different mentality. Coming in from last year, we weren’t cocky, but we were very confident about dominating the league. We needed that loss to humble us,” Spencer said. “Running the ball, it’s a mentality. We don’t care who’s across the line of scrimmage from us. We just go. Reckless abandon. Kaiser is some of the best we faced. I tip my hat to them. They gave us a good game tonight.”
