Kaimana Carvalho wears a number of different hats for the Kahuku football team.

Carvalho, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior, fills no fewer than five roles for the Red Raiders this fall: wide receiver, defensive back, kick returner, punter and holder. His multiple capacities on the gridiron is an indicator of just how important he is to the newly-crowned OIA champions.

In Kahuku's 33-15 win over previously-undefeated Campbell, Carvalho filled up the stat sheet. On special teams he returned a pair of kickoffs for a combined 107 yards, two punts for 18 yards and also ran in a two-point conversion. Offensively, Carvalho registered two receptions for 17 yards, including a touchdown, and, for good measure, he recorded one tackle while on defense.

In all, Carvalho ended the night – which culminated with the Red Raiders taking home their 30^th OIA championship – with a game-high 142 all-purpose yards.

"He did everything, along with the rest of the team. It was collectively a team effort and Mana just did his one-eleventh part, whether he was on special teams, offense, or defense," said Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho, Kaimana's uncle.

Being that Kaimana Carvalho's father, Stuart, serves as the team's special teams coordinator, it is fitting that the younger Carvalho takes his special teams' duties seriously.

"He did a good job returning the ball and doing his one-eleventh there, but it was because all the other ten (players on the field) provided awesome blocks. When he made some catches, the linemen had to make their blocks, the quarterback had to get him the ball and the other (skill position) guys had to do their jobs holding their blocks, so Mana did his one-eleventh well to help the team win," Sterling Carvalho said.

After Campbell took a 6-0 lead into the start of the second quarter, Kaimana Carvalho help set-up Kahuku's first points of the game with a long kickoff return down the right sideline. Carvalho utilized the blocking of his teammates and navigated his way through the Sabers' kickoff coverage team. He eventually emerged from a mass of bodies and returned the kickoff 78 yards, all the way to the Campbell 10-yard line.

"His mindset and his mentality is that he's going to score every time he touches the ball, that he's going to make something happen. Without the blocks and the effort of his other teammates to spring him forward, it wouldn't happen, but yes, at the same time, he willed himself to stay up and go for the touchdown," coach Carvalho said.

The Red Raiders eventually got a 28-yard Manoa Kahalepuna field goal out of the possession to cut the Campbell lead in half.

The teams exchanged touchdowns in a span of less than two minutes later in the second quarter. Campbell stretched its lead back to 12-3 following a Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele touchdown pass to Tainoa Lave, Kahuku answered with a 62-yard TD pass from Matai Fuiava to Bodhi Kaanga. On the ensuing extra point, Carvalho, from his holder position, took the snap and rather than placing it on the tee for Kahalepuna to kick, ran with the football behind a wall of linemen and into the end zone for a successful two-point conversion.

"We have cues that we look for and if we see something we like, it's an automatic check down to that, so we spend a lot of time on special teams and we feel that that's our X-factor going into every game. Our defense is always going to be stout, our offense is always going to try to control the game, but our special teams is hopefully always an extra advantage, whether it's a PAT here, a return there, that's why we take a lot of pride in our special teams," Sterling Carvalho said.

In addition to his return duties, Kaimana Carvalho averaged 36 yards on his four punts Friday night, including a pair of punts that pinned the Sabers' inside their own 20-yard line. In fact, Campbell was unable to get a return of any kind on all four punts by Carvalho, who holds the ball until he is pressured before he boots it. That meant Tainoa Lave, who has been a problem for opposing teams as the Sabers' punt returner, was shut out from any play-making opportunities of his own on special teams.  

"He has the green light on that, meaning if he sees any alley or daylight, he's taking it and (running) for a first down, otherwise, he's holding it and allowing the coverage to go downfield, so we have allowed, like, zero return yards and especially against Campbell that was important because Tainoa Lave has returned some for touchdowns, or he flips the field with a big return and the thing about him is he can be dangerous because he'll wait and wait and then he'll pick up the ball and gain yards, so our coverage is important to try and negate any return yardage," Sterling Carvalho explained.

The Red Raiders took the lead for good late in the third quarter and added to it with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, the latter coming on an 8-yard TD pass from Fuiava to Carvalho on third and goal.

"He's just so electric that any time he touches the ball you always expect something to happen," Sterling Carvalho said. He added that Kaimana grew up being overshadowed by the accomplishes of his older brother, former Kahuku standout and current University of Utah wide receiver, Kainoa, who goes by the nickname "Kaikai."

"Mana, he wants to be the best and he wants to compete against the best and being the younger brother, for a long time he was pretty much in the shadow of Kaikai and seeing the accolades he got like Gatorade Player of the Year and so that fueled him even more, fueled him to be better, to be the best and when he steps on the field, he believes that he's the best, so it's his mindset and mentality," Sterling Carvalho said.

Even though it is Kaimana Carvalho's fourth year on the varsity squad, he missed out on much of his freshman season after he suffered a fractured clavicle in the first game. Carvalho was eventually able to return in time for the playoffs and has been a fixture in the starting lineup ever since his sophomore season.

However, just before the start of this season, Carvalho sustained a leg injury that forced him to miss Kahuku's first four games.

"That fueled him even more, made him even more hungry so when he returned it was kind of like, making up for lost time, but because he had that experience of how to overcome adversity from his freshman year, that he was able to cope with that, be patient in his recovery and then come back from it," coach Carvalho said.

Kaimana Carvalho's absence early in the season forced Kahuku to develop depth behind him at the multitude of positions that he fills.

"Exactly. With Mana out other people had to step up and that's always basically Kahuku football, that it's never about one person and it's always a ‘next man up' mentality. We perform as a team, not as a bunch of individuals, or one individual," Sterling Carvalho reiterated.

It's not just with his play that Kaimana Carvalho elevates the Red Raiders – it's just as much about the leadership that he provides.

"He's very vocal with his teammates. He demands a lot because he demands a lot from himself, so we know that he holds himself, as well as his teammates accountable for everyone to play better, to do better, practice harder, play harder," Sterling Carvalho said.

Kaimana Carvalho, who is a member of both the Kahuku boys' volleyball and track and field teams during the spring season, is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent to join his brother at Utah, in early December.

The Red Raiders, who improved to 8-4 with their win over the Sabers, ascended to the No. 1 spot in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings. They will take on No. 3 Mililani Friday at John Kauinana Stadium. That game will kickoff at 4:07 p.m. and be followed by the second semifinal between No. 4 Saint Louis and No. 2 Campbell at 7:37 p.m.

FOOTBALL

Keoki Cypriano, Kailua — Made nine tackles, including one-half tackle for a loss, in a loss to Leilehua 

Keawe Davis, Roosevelt — Caught seven passes for 114 yards in a win over Kaiser 

Journey DePeralta, Roosevelt — Kicked field goals of 29 and 36 yards and was 4 for 4 on extra point attempts in a win over Kaiser 

Matai Fuiava, Kahuku — Threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns on 8-of-15 passing without an interception in a win over Campbell 

Benjamin Honebein, Kailua — Made 4 ½ tackles, including 1 ½ for losses and one sack, and caught a 6-yard touchdown pass in a loss to Leilehua 

Shaison Hosino-Marquez, Kailua — Made seven tackles in a loss to Leilehua 

Nakoa Kahana-Travis, Mililani — Ran 12 times for 118 yards and caught three passes for 62 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown, in a win over Kapolei 

Isaiah Kaiu, Kailua — Caught touchdown passes of 31 and 23 yards in a loss to Leilehua 

Ioane Kamanao, Roosevelt — Threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-37 passing with one interception and ran eight times for 28 yards in a win over Kaiser 

Cameron Keeve, Leilehua — Ran for 180 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in a win over Kailua 

Kyson Kupukaa, Campbell — Made 5 ½ tackles, including three for losses, in a loss to Kahuku 

Titan Lacaden, Saint Louis — Ran 25 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass in a win over Kamehameha 

Tainoa Lave, Campbell — Made four tackles, including two for losses, and caught three passes for 69 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kahuku 

Jabez Lilo, Kailua — Made 8 ½ tackles, including one for a loss, and registered one pass break-up in a loss to Leilehua 

Braden Liua, Leilehua — Made 5 ½ tackles, including two for losses and one sack, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in a win over Kailua 

Nainoa Lopes, Saint Louis — Threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-27 passing without an interception in a win over Kamehameha 

Kini McMillan, Mililani — Threw for 315 yards and four touchdowns on 20-of-34 passing with one interception in a win over Kapolei 

Izaiah Nakamura, Roosevelt — Scored on a 49-yard interception return for touchdown, made 2 ½ tackles, including one sack, forced a fumble and had one pass break-up in a win over Kaiser 

Tea Nuuhiwa-Santos, Kaiser — Made 9 ½ tackles and recovered two fumbles in a loss to Roosevelt 

Aisiah Paogofie, Campbell — Made 7 ½ tackles and had one pass break-up in a loss to Kahuku 

Jadyn Parker, Campbell — Kicked field goals of 40, 33 and 36 yards in a loss to Kahuku 

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Campbell — Threw for 239 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-33 passing without an interception in a loss to Kahuku 

Chaystin Senas, Leilehua — Recorded two interceptions, including one that he returned 35 yards for a touchdown, broke-up another pass and made three tackles in a win over Kailua 

Malaki Soliai-Tui, Kahuku — Made nine tackles, including one sack, in a win over Campbell 

Ezekiel Soon, Roosevelt — Made nine tackles, including three for losses, and broke up a pass in a win over Kaiser 

Jahsiah Souza-Armstead, Roosevelt — Caught six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kaiser 

Taimane Souza-Fautanu, Roosevelt — Made 12 total tackles, including three for losses and one sack, and had one punt return for 49 yards in a win over Kaiser 

Talon Tarpley, Leilehua — Caught touchdown passes for 10 and 4 yards in a win over Kailua 

Pookela Tom Makua, Mililani — Kicked field goals of 25 and 32 yards and was 5 of 5 on extra point attempts in a win over Kapolei 

Derek Tsuchiyama, Mililani — Caught six passes for 97 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown, in a win over Kapolei 

Romeo Tubon, Leilehua — Caught seven passes for 77 yards in a win over Kailua 

Tim Wallace, Mililani — Recorded two interceptions, returned one 23 yards for a touchdown, broke up two other passes and made 2 ½ total tackles, including a sack, in a win over Kapolei 

LeBron Williams, Kahuku — Made 2 ½ tackles for loss, including one sack, in a win over Campbell