It all started in Hawaiʻi on Oahu’s North Shore, where plantation managers and mormon elders nurtured future generations of football stars Long before Oahu’s North Shore became a global hot spot for football, it was a pu`uhonua, a refuge under the protection of priests. Fugitives and villagers escaping the carnage of island warfare, or punishment for violating the traditional code of conduct, found sanctuary there—as long as they abided by the priests’ rules. But Captain Jame

On a night when the home team shot 9-for-24 from the free-throw line, Punahou fans could’ve had a lot to worry about. Instead, the Buffanblu jolted the visiting Kahuku Red Raiders with six steals in the second quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 14-point halftime lead. Unseeded Punahou went on to oust Kahuku 64-48 on Monday night in the opening round of the Snapple/ HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball State Championship. The Buffanblu shot 54 percent from the field (27-fo

Punahou opened up title defense of its 2018 Division I state title with a bang. Three players scored in double figures to power the Buffanblu over visiting Kahuku, 64-46, at Hemmeter Fieldhouse Monday night in the opening round of the Snapple Boys Basketball Championships. Duke Clemens led all scorers with 15 points to lead Punahou in a rematch of the past two D1 state championship games. Tamatoa Falatea had 11 and Jakob Kimura added 10 more to round out the top scorers for t

Chaz Evangelista, Ethan Erickson, and Enokk Vimahi waiting patiently to sign their National Letters of Intent @ the Kahuku High School gymnasium - Image by RedRaiderSoul.com It's a little late but . . . It was a different type of National Letter of Intent [NLI] signing day today @ Kahuku. First of all, there were only 3 student-athletes ready to sign on what has become the traditional NLI signing day. And the 3 young men who were ready to sign had very different journeys to t

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM Moanalua’s DiAeris McRaven, above left, found major resistance from Kahuku’s Marcus Damuni on this shot during an OIA semifinal at McKinley on Wednesday. Geremy Robinson poured in 25 points as No. 6 Moanalua rallied past Kahuku 66-58 on Monday night in the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association boys basketball playoffs. Moanalua (19-6 overall) will meet Kailua on Wednesday night for the title. Moanalua last won the league c

Geremy Robinson scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first half to lead No. 6 Moanalua to a 66-58 win over Kahuku in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I semifinal at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium Monday night. Na Menehune (12-1) rallied from six-point deficit midway through the third quarter with a 17-0 run to pull away for their 12th consecutive win. They will play No. 8 Kailua in the tournament final at 7 p.m. Wednesday at McKinley. The Red Raid

Just a few of the Red Raiders involved in @polynesiabowl #PolyBowl2k19 from left to right: Johnny Tapusoa, Jamerus Tai Hook, Sola Solia'i, Miki Ah You, Nalu Emerson, Leonard Peters, Ethan Erickson, Nate Ilaoa, Enokk Vimahi, Tausili Fiatoa, David Te'o, Samu Falevai, Les Kekahuna, and myself. My son, Jamerus, and I attended our 1st Polynesian Bowl last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I did my very best to secure access again for the 2k19 version. I even gained access to one

Photo courtesy of Sharlene Cravens The agony and ecstasy of coaches throughout the OIA and ILH is as rollicking as ever. Kahuku is one of many examples. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 10 in the Star-Advertiser boys basketball poll just three weeks ago after wins over Waiakea, Kauai and Mililani over a two-week span. Their first landing in the top 10 was followed by OIA East losses to Kailua (58-52), Kaiser (45-43) and Farrington (57-54). At 0-3, the Red Raiders decided not t

The 2019 Polynesian Bowl kicks off Saturday, Jan. 19, at 12 a.m. ET/7 p.m. HST on CBS Sports Network. In its third rendition, the game will pit several of the best high school recruits in the country against each other — Team Mauka vs. Team Makai — inside Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium. 247Sports will be on the ground from the Aloha State all week, from registration and check-in, to each practice all the way through the game Saturday night under the lights. We’ll have plenty

Kailua's Everett Torres-Kahapea drives by Kahuku's Thorton Alapa in the first quarter. Michael Lasquero | SL KAHUKU — The monkey is finally off their back. The seventh-ranked Kailua Surfriders defeated No. 8 Kahuku for the first time since 2014 with a 58-52 win at Thomas G.S. Walker Gymnasium in both teams' OIA opener Wednesday night. Kailua (9-8 overall, 1-0 OIA East) forced 19 turnovers in the victory as they ended a seven-game losing streak to the Red Raiders, who eliminat

HALAWA — Top-ranked Saint Louis rolled past No. 4 Kahuku, 49-22, in First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Open Division Football State Championships semifinals in front of 5,250 fans at Hawaiian Financial FCU Field at Aloha Stadium Friday. The Crusaders advance to the title game for the third-straight year to take on Mililani in the nightcap of a tripleheader on Nov. 24. Kahuku ends their season at 7-5 overall, but battled through everything that came their way. "I'm proud of our kids. T

BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM Saint Louis linebacker Kila Kamakawiwo‘ole, right, wrapped up Kahuku running back Toalei Lefau during the regular-season meeting between the Crusaders and Red Raiders on Sept. 7 at Aloha Stadium. Saint Louis-Kahuku, chapter 2, in the year 2018. The first meeting on Sept. 7 was a 30-14 win for Saint Louis, ranked No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10. The two-time defending state champion Crusaders are also nationally ranked. The Hawaii fo

JAMM AQUINO/JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM Mililani wide receiver Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi, right, was chased down by Kahuku linebacker Aaron Fonoimoana-Vaomu, bottom, and defensive back Alex Fonoimoana-Vaomu during the teams’ regular-season meeting on Sept. 29 at Kahuku. Mililani snapped the Red Raiders’ home winning streak with a 38-10 victory. Somehow, some way, the Kahuku Red Raiders keep overcoming adversity and heartbreak. Injuries to key players like Miki Ah You and Kaonohi Kan

Kahuku safety Nalu Emerson, who has also played linebacker this season, has been selected a Polynesian Bowl All Star. Emerson, who is 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, holds D-I scholarship offers from Navy, Hawaii and UNLV. Emerson is the fifth Kahuku player selected to the game, joining LB Miki Ah You (injured), OL Enokk Vimahi, TE Ethan Erickson and DE Tausili Fiatoa. The 2019 Polynesian Bowl will take place Saturday, Jan. 19. A total of 24 players currently at Hawaii high schools

Kahuku defensive back Peter John Mataira returned an interception for a touchdown against Campbell. Photo by Steven Erler/Special to the Star-Advertiser. Four sacks. Two pick-sixes. No. 5 Kahuku’s 27-7 win over No. 4 Campbell, on the same field where the Red Raiders lost three weeks earlier, had all the makings of a traditionally dominant defense making an elite-level comeback. It was, at the prep level, the rough equivalent of the Baltimore Ravens putting a muzzle on the