KS-Maui Warriors

Head coach/Defensive coordinator: Ulima Afoa (10th season overall, 5th at KS-Maui)
Offensive coordinator: Lance DeSilva

Players to watch: OL/DL Kale Spencer (6-4, 225, Sr.), OL/DL Kalai Yap (6-1, 215, Sr.), WR Pookela Aiu (6-2, 175, Jr.), QB Makana Kamaka-Brayce (6-0, 175, So.)

Coach's words: "The thing that I think that you can expect from us is that our kids will compete at a very high level. Now how that translates to wins and losses, I don't know. I don't know if our talent level will help us overcome some of the challenges, but I think if nothing else, our kids will compete real hard." - Ulima Afoa

SL's take: Now in their fifth season under the direction of Afoa, a former college coach and athletic director at Saint Louis School, the Warriors are poised to breakthrough for just their second-ever state tournament appearance and first since 2005. Much of that is due to the continued growth they have experienced under Afoa - who was also the first football coach at Kamehameha-Hawaii from 2004 to 2008 - as evidenced by their record in each of his four seasons prior: 2-7 in 2016, 4-6 in 2017, 6-3 in 2018 and 6-3 in 2019. But there's also the fact that there is no more Lahainaluna to contend with, at least, as far a D2 state tournament berth is concerned. Spencer is a big, athletic, versatile lineman who can play either G or T on offense, while serving as a DT on defense. Yap will also go both ways on the line of scrimmage. Aiu got a lot of playing time as a freshman in 2019 and is the leader of a young, but talented receiving corps; He will also contribute on the defensive side of the ball. At the controls of the offense will be a youngster in Kamaka-Brayce, who has yet to play a snap of high school football. With a total enrollment of approximately 500 high school students (including boys and girls), Kamehameha-Maui relies heavily on multi-sport athletes, many of whom have been late to join the football team due to summer travel for other sports. After graduating a large class of seniors in the spring, Afoa estimates he has just "six to seven" seniors on this team. If it can stave off injuries, however, the MIL's lone D2 state berth - and the Warriors' first in 16 years - should be theirs for the taking.

SCHEDULE

Sat Oct 30	Maui	at War Memorial	L, 34-26
Fri Nov 05	Kekaulike		W, 58-27
Fri Nov 12	@ Lahainaluna		L, 31-13
Sat Nov 20	Baldwin	at War Memorial	W, 34-19
Fri Dec 03	@ Kekaulike		W, 38-0
Fri Dec 10	Kekaulike		W, 31-0
Wed Dec 22	Kaiser **	at Farrington	W, 48-24
Thu Dec 30	Kapaa **	at Farrington	L, 61-7