Hopes were high when the Hilo Vikings opened the season.

A 62-35 win at ‘Iolani opened a few eyes, especially with a backup quarterback in the shotgun: Kaleo Apao, Hilo’s starting free safety. Eventually, Apao became the full-time starter at both positions.

Would it be too heavy a load to play two ways? Apparently not. With senior Kahale Huddleston rushing for 91 yards and two TDs, Apao also made use of his classmate with a number of pocket-sliding shovel passes.

“We just put that in before (the semifinal game against) Maui,” said Apao, who rushed for 98 yards on 20 carries and scored a TD.

Hilo finished the season 11-1, outlasting Damien 35-19 for the Division I state championship on Saturday night. While playing half the snaps on defense, Apao completed eight of his 13 throws for 134 yards, two TDs and no picks, with scoring tosses to Kainalu Tioganco and Makana Kanehailua.

“I saw Nalu kind of putting his head down. I told him, ‘I’ll get you the ball.’ Right down the middle on the trips (three-receiver) side,” Apao said. “Makana, he’s our outside receiver, I saw them man up. That’s my boy. We did what we had to do — no safety on him, and I know he can do it.”

With a first-step burner like Huddleston — he finished his senior year with 1,410 rushing yards and a total of 35 TDs via rushing, passing and kick returns — and stellar seniors at linebacker and offensive line, the big question was whether Apao would be ready to lead the Vikings to their first state football crown.

“This is his best game by far,” coach Kaeo Drummondo said. “He’s gotten better and better as the season went along, as he got more comfortable in the office. I’m not surprised. That’s what we ask him to do at practice and we expect him to do it in the game.”

With Damien’s defense putting its clamps on Huddleston, plays like the mobile shovel pass were difficult to pin down. Apao was also on point with defense, playing the role of spy at times on Damien’s elusive QB, Marcus Faufata-Pedrina.

“It took us losing to Kona for us to tell the offense, you can have him,” Drummondo said.