Kamehameha Schools Maui’s Dylan Schnitzer gets a lift from teammate Kanekoa Maielua-Kekiwi after catching a touchdown pass in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 31-10 win over Pac-5 in a Division II state tournament semifinal Saturday night at Kanaiaupuni Stadium. The Warriors will face defending champion Waimea in the state championship next Saturday. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
PUKALANI — The numbers from Saturday night show just how dominating the Kamehameha Schools Maui football team was in its 31-10 win over Pac-5 at Kanaiaupuni Stadium.
The victory sends the Warriors to their second First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II state championship game in the last three seasons — there is a feeling of unfinished business that has lingered on the Pukalani campus since that 61-7 loss to Kapaa in late 2021.
“It feels amazing, you know, that loss our sophomore year for our seniors, like, it really drove us the past two years,” Kamehameha Maui senior quarterback Makana Kamaka-Brayce said after he threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in his final game in Pukalani. “We didn’t have the best year last year, but this feels good ending on this note.”
In getting back to the state title game, the Warriors simply rolled past the Wolfpack. KSM will face Waimea, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mililani High School on Oahu.
Among the eye-popping dominance of the statistics were these numbers: Kamehameha Maui had 24 first downs to eight for Pac-5; the Warriors outgained the Wolfpack 432 yards to 161; and the time of possession favored KSM 33 minutes, 18 seconds to 14:42.
Kamehameha Maui’s Kaikea Hueu takes a second-quarter reception into the end zone Saturday night.
The Warriors had the ball for 9:11 of the 12-minute fourth quarter as they ran out the clock.
“We’re fortunate to be heading back to the finals, you know, this is a different team than the one that we had (in 2021), different circumstances,” Kamehameha Maui head coach Ulima Afoa said. “I really feel good about the kids that we have. Our coaches have done a great job all year and so I’m just ecstatic for our kids, I’m ecstatic for our school, I’m ecstatic for our coaches.
“This is just proof that if you stick by the things that you preach — pursuing standards and keeping the process in play, you know, taking one thing at a time — some times it works out pretty good.”
After taking a 7-0 lead on Kaonohi Casco’s 3-yard run midway through the first quarter, Kamaka-Brayce found Shane Ueki with a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-3 with 10:34 left in the first half, capping an eight-play, 71-yard drive.
Kamehameha Maui dropped the hammer on Pac-5 in the final minute of the first half.
The Warriors’ Ka‘onohi Casco returns the opening kickoff for a big gain.
Freshman running back Kaikea Hueu caught an 8-yard scoring pass to finish off a six-play, 66-yard drive that made it 21-3 with 53 seconds left in the second quarter.
Then most of the doubt in the outcome was wiped out when Ramzak Fruean smacked Elijah Connell-Chavez, forcing a fumble that Ramzen Fruean recovered on the Pac-5 24-yard line.
Three plays later, following a sack, Kamaka-Brayce found Dylan Schnitzer for a 34-yard score to extend the lead to 28-3 with 14 seconds left before halftime.
Schnitzer led the Warriors receiving corps with six catches for 78 yards and the backbreaking touchdown reception. The team was missing University of Hawaii verbal commit Frank Abreu, who sat out with a slight knee injury.
Abreu was dressed for the game, but did not play. He gave a thumbs-up when asked from a distance if he would play in the state championship game.
Kamehameha Maui’s Ronin Souza tackles Pac-5’s Elijah Connell-Chavez in the first quarter.
“That’s going to be huge, you know, having him out there in the rotation, it helps a lot in spreading the defense out,” Kamaka-Brayce said of Abreu. “They key on him a lot, so that’ll help.”
Hueu led the way on the ground with 90 yards on 15 carries, and sophomore Zedekiah Campbell added 72 yards on seven carries. The pair of close friends are known as “Thunder and Lightning” on this team.
“I’m Lightning because lightning is quick, he’s Thunder because he brings the boom,” Campbell said with a wide smile.
Leading the young rushers, the offensive line has no seniors and just one junior among its starters.
“All love to my linemen, bro, they’re amazing,” Campbell said. “Dude, the whole season they’ve been going all out, blocking to the best of their ability, probably one of the best in the (Maui Interscholastic League).”
The Warriors’ Shane Ueki hauls in a touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Hueu added that the versatility for the KSM rushing attack has been a key to the team’s success all season.
“It feels good, all of us, we get an equal amount of playing time, equal amount of rest,” Hueu said. “Since the first game we played together it’s been so much fun. It’s great, it’s just great.”
Pac-5 coach Kena Heffernan led his team to its first-ever HHSAA tournament win last week, 32-7 over Kaimuki. The Wolfpack coach was impressed with the Warriors.
“Oh my goodness, hats off to Kamehameha — I will tell you right now, first of all the Kamehameha fans here, fantastic sportsmanship, all love out here, they made us feel welcome as well as we were getting challenged,” Heffernan said. “Much love to the fans, their kids are very tough kids, they’re well-coached, they’ve got a great group over here. You know, a lot of love for Maui right now.”
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.
Kamehameha Maui quarterback Makana Kamaka-Brayce throws a first-quarter pass.
Pac-530 0 7–10
KS Maui 7 21 30–31
First Quarter
KSM–Kaonohi Casco 3 run (Kaden Yap kick), 6:08.
P5–FG Evan Derauf 34, 2:16.
Second Quarter
KSM–Shane Ueki 9 pass from Makana Kamaka-Brayce (Yap kick), 10:34.
KSM–Kaikea Hueu 8 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Yap kick), 0:53.
KSM–Dylan Schnitzer 34 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Yap kick), 0:14.
Third Quarter
KSM–FG Yap 20, 8:49.
Fourth Quarter
P5–Elijah Connell-Chavez 61 run (Derauf kick), 11:48.
P5 KSM
First downs 8 24
Rushes-yards 17-10935-175
Passing yards 52 257
Total offense 161 432
Return yards 23 92
Comp-Att-Int 6-21-118-34-1
Fumbles-lost 1-11-1
Penalties-yards6-44 13-114
Punts-avg7-28.6 2-33.0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Pac-5, Connell-Chavez 10-110, Sean Fujimoto 1-1, Seth Miller 6-(minus 2); Kamehameha Maui, Hueu 15-90, Zedekiah Campbell 7-72, Kamaka-Brayce 7-20, Dane Nakagawa 1-4, Casco 1-3, Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira 1-(minus 2), team 3-(minus 12).
PASSING–Pac-5, Colten Amai-Nakagawa 6-21-1-52; Kamehameha Maui, Kamaka-Brayce 17-33-1-256, Waikiki-Caldeira 1-1-0-1.
RECEIVING–Pac-5, Miller 2-29, Jerome Lilio 1-12, Mission Uperesa-Thomas 1-7, Colt Hauptman 1-4, Don Kalenate 1-0; Kamehameha Maui, Schnitzer 6-78, Ueki 4-19, Keegan Gantala 3-58, Teiva Kauhaa-Po 1-65, Campbell 1-14, Tevyn Apo 1-14, Hueu 1-8, Piikoa Kamoku 1-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS–KSM, Yap 30 (SH).
*****
FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
DIVISION II
Saturday’s Results • Semifinals
No. 2 Kamehameha Maui 31, No. 3 Pac-5 10
No. 1 Waimea 13, No. 4 Roosevelt 10
Saturday, Nov. 25 • Championship
Kamehameha Maui vs. Waimea at Mililani, 4 p.m.
DIVISION I
Saturday’s Results • Semifinals
No. 1 Konawaena 37, No. 5 Kapaa 19
No. 2 Waipahu 21, Farrington 20
Saturday, Nov. 25 • Championship
Konawaena vs. Waipahu at Mililani, 7 p.m.
OPEN DIVISION
Friday’s Results • Semifinals
No. 1 Mililani 44, Campbell 7
Kahuku 28, No. 2 Punahou 16
Friday, Nov. 24 • Championship
Mililani vs. Kahuku at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, 7 p.m.
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