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Jaron Sagapolutele

Campbell football  •   #3    

Change can be difficult. It just hasn't seemed that way for Jaron Sagapolutele. 

The Campbell sophomore leads all Open Division quarterbacks with 1,927 passing yards and 18 touchdowns despite this being his first season in the program after transferring from Saint Louis over the summer. 

For Sagapolutele, however, it was more of a homecoming than anything else. 

"I think we got a lot of kids back from Ewa Beach and he's one of them," Sabers coach Darren Johnson said of the 6-foot-4, 200-pound lefty. 

"It's always good when you get a Ewa Beach kid back, but we also knew that we had a returning quarterback in Chayne (Kuboyama-Hayashi) and we knew (Sagapolutele's transfer) would cause competition and it was a good competition, so we were excited about his transferring," Johnson added. 

Sagapolutele was reunited with many of his former teammates from his days of youth football; Campbell's offense — which is averaging better than 38 points and 352 yards per game — has been the beneficiary of that familiarity. 

"It was easy for them to take to him because he played (Junior Prep Sports) with the majority of them and he's grown up with them so it was actually (that) he came back home, so it was a good thing and he grew up around all his teammates," Johnson said. 

As far as what Sagapolutele brings to the table? A little bit of everything, according to his coach. 

"He brings a complete quarterback to the table. He can spin it, he can sling it, he has confidence, he trusts his teammates, he makes his teammates want to play for him. He's just an all-around quarterback and he believes he's gonna win every game when he's down," Johnson described. 

Before he left Kalaepohaku, Sagapolutele lit up opposing defenses as a freshman on the Crusaders' I-AA team last fall. He averaged 346 passing yards per game and completed nearly 72 percent of his passes. Sagapolutele threw for 1,730 yards with 21 touchdowns against five interceptions in only five games last season. 

Despite all of that that, there was no guarantee Sagapolutele would assume QB1 duties with the Sabers. 

"He had to win the job first; it wasn't given to him," Johnson stated. "He had to earn it, which he did, but he had to work hard. Him and Chayne both work hard for that job and both guys are good quarterbacks. Right now, (Sagapolutele) has the nod and everybody knows that it wasn't an easy job for him to win, so he had to put some good work into it."

Sagapolutele's willingness to earn his playing time through sweat equity is indicative of the ‘lunch-pail' mentality that permeates within the program. 

"I think everybody understands that there's competition and our kids work. All our kids work, nobody is lazy and they understand that there is work to be done, so they work hard," Johnson disclosed. 

Sagapolutele's first two games this season (non-league wins over Kailua and Waipahu) resulted in nearly 700 combined passing yards and six touchdowns. He logged 336 yards and three more TDs through the air against Mililani on Aug. 27, but was intercepted four times in the one-point loss to the Trojans. In the Sabers' only other loss this season, Sagapolutele was held to only 72 passing yards on 11-of-21 passing and was intercepted once in a 16-6 loss to top-ranked Kahuku on Sept. 10. 

Johnson said that Sagapolutele and the Sabers took the losses in stride and didn't allow themselves to lament for very long. 

"I think it shows that we're able to play with these teams, that with everything on the field, the ball could have easily bounced our way. A lot of them feel like they need to make plays, Jaron feels like he needs to make plays, so it's a good feeling; it wasn't negative," Johnson said. 

Sagapolutele bounced back from the loss to the Red Raiders by completing 16 of 23 passes for 271 yards and three TDs despite mud-bogged conditions to lead Campbell to a convincing 51-15 win over Moanalua two weeks ago. About the only negative was his sixth interception of the season. Last week, however, Sagapolutele turned in a stellar performance with 289 yards and four TDs on 21-of-33 passing and no picks in a 38-19 win over rival Kapolei. 

"I think he did some good things — his ball placement was real good where he put it where only our guys could catch it — but there were still some things that he's gotta get with our quarterbacks coach and correct. He did some good things and we just want him to get better because we're heading into the playoff stretch," Johnson said. 

Johnson has been impressed by Sagapolutele's leadership despite being just a sophomore and first-year team member. 

"That's impressed me a lot, that he actually steps up as a sophomore and leads this team. I think he shows good leadership. Although he's not a captain, his leadership skills are off the chart, our trust in him is off the chart, every now and then you gotta get on him, but he's a field general," Johnson said. 

Sagapolutele and the fourth-ranked Sabers sit in third place in the OIA Open Division standings. They conclude the regular season Friday against No. 14 Waianae. Kickoff at Raymond Torii Field is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. 

FOOTBALL

Jacob Ah Mook Sang, Konawaena — Scored on a 50-yard punt return for touchdown and intercepted a pass in a win over Waiakea

Kolu Alani, Konawaena — Threw for 297 yards and five touchdowns on 11-of-14 passing without an interception in a win over Waiakea 

Corrado Altomare, Saint Louis — Made four tackles, including three for losses and two sacks, in a win over Kamehameha 

Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, Konawaena — Caught four passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Waiakea 

Kamalu Anoba-Jordan, Kalaheo — Caught eight passes for 86 yards and a touchdown and intercepted a pass in a loss to Kaiser 

Tyson Apau, Waialua — Ran 18 times for 105 yards and four touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass in a win over McKinley

Keola Apduhan, Saint Louis — Ran 14 times for 97 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kamehameha 

Kila Apuna, Waimea — Made 8 1/2 tackles in a loss to Kapaa

Bobby Best, Pearl City — Ran 21 times for 118 yards in a win over Kalani 

Kaonohi Casco, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored on an 88-yard kickoff return in a win over Kekaulike

Jayden Chanel, Aiea — Caught six passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in a win over Radford 

Koa Colburn, Kalani — Had nine tackles in a loss to Pearl City 

Piercen Evans, Maui — Ran 17 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Baldwin 

Rico Figueroa, Aiea — Caught five passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Radford 

Maa Fonoti, Kailua — Threw for 220 yards on 21-of-31 passing without an interception in a win over Farrington

Zane Gaison, Farrington — Had two sacks in a loss to Kailua 

Ezekiel Gragas, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored on a 60-yard interception return in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Kekahi Graham, Saint Louis — Threw for 316 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-33 passing without an interception in a win over Kamehameha 

Kobe Higa, Aiea — Ran for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass in a win over Radford 

Brock Higashi-Sojot, Waipahu — Scored on a 25-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Castle 

Micah Hoomanawanui, Iolani — Threw for 135 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-18 passing without an interception in a win over Kamehameha II 

David Kalili, Nanakuli — Caught four passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kaimuki 

Eli Keoho, Kapaa — Scored on a 47-yard interception return in a win over Waimea

Keagan Lime, Kaiser — Caught two touchdown passes and intercepted two passes in a win over Kalaheo 

Waikahekili Makepa, Kapaa — Ran 19 times for 110 yards in a win over Waimea 

Kini McMillan, Mililani — Threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 13-of-20 passing without an interception in a win over Leilehua 

Makana Naleieha, Kaiser — Caught seven passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kalaheo 

Ezekiel Olie, Aiea — Threw for 361 yards and five touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing without an interception in a win over Radford 

Garrick Pahinui, Kailua — Had four tackles for loss and three sacks in a win over Farrington

Jinoby Paul, Kaimuki — Recovered two fumbles in a loss to Nanakuli 

Maika Peralta, Nanakuli — Had two sacks in a win over Kaimuki 

Michael Perry, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing without an interception and ran for a touchdown in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Hansen Salausa-Kaawa, Nanakuli — Threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns on 16-of-22 passing with one interception and ran six times for 50 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kaimuki 

Nainoa Smith-Akana, Kailua — Caught 12 passes for 150 yards in a win over Farrington

Romeo Tagata, Waipahu — Had 12 tackles, recovered a fumble and had one pass break-up in a win over Castle 

Austin Takaki, Konawaena — Scored on a 35-yard interception return in a win over Waiakea 

Anieli Teleaai, Waipahu — Ran 19 times for 192 yards and four touchdowns and caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown in a win over Castle 

Coby Tanioka, Castle — Caught nine passes for 142 yards and a touchdown and scored on a 97-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a loss to Waipahu 

Emana Tarape, Mililani — Threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-10 passing without an interception in a win over Leilehua 

Jonah Togafau-Tavui, Campbell — Caught seven passes for 170 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kapolei 

Aiden Trinidad, Kalani — Had six tackles and two interceptions in a loss to Pearl City 

Liatama Uiliata, Waipahu — Threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 11-of-16 passing without an interception and ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in a win over Castle 

Jeremiah White, Kaimuki — Caught four passes for 115 yards in a loss to Nanakuli 

Makana Williams, McKinley — Ran 22 times for 126 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Waialua

Easton Yoshino, Kaiser — Threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns on 21-of-31 passing with one interception in a win over Kalaheo 

Kiana Cueto

Damien volleyball  •   #21  OH/OPP  Junior

It has not taken long for the Damien girls volleyball team to take to Kiana Cueto. 

After transferring from Sacred Hearts, Cueto has assimilated herself rather quickly to her new school and her new teammates, thanks to her abilities on the court, but also her demeanor off of it. 

"She's very kind," Monarchs coach Dandi Holder said of the junior. "She's a very humble person, easy to talk to, just a very nice girl. She comes from a nice family, she's very respectful, she's takes her academics very seriously, she stays after practice sometimes to get in some extra work and then she'll clean up the area around her."

Holder described how Cueto fit right into the culture of the team. 

"A lot of the girls welcomed her; She had no problems fitting in. Her personality is very welcoming, she's a person you can talk to and a lot of the girls were able to talk to her and she's anyone needs help, she's always there to lend that helping hand," Holder said. "Also her style of game made it even easier for our girls to adapt with and they really took to her from the very beginning."

The 5-foot-10 Cueto began the season at outside hitter, but shifted over to the opposite position at the request of Holder. 

"She was all for it. I asked her what she thought about moving to the oppo and she literally looked at me and said, ‘Coach, whatever you need.' I said, ‘Are you comfortable?,' she said that her main position (in club) and whatever the team needs, she'll do," Holder recalled. 

Cueto rarely comes off the court as a six-rotation player and can even play in the middle. Her transition to the right side has added another dimension to the Monarchs' attack, Holder pointed out. 

"She's so versatile that you can put her anywhere and now that she's moved to opposite, that's spread out our offense a little bit and in the last two to three games since we moved her to opposite, her game has spread out a little more with kills, blocks and digs," she said. 

Cueto's presence at opposite has also spread out opposing blockers across the net. 

"So other girls kind of have a lot of opportunities to have that one-on-one look as well," Holder said. 

In Damien's Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener against Le Jardin back on Aug. 27, Cueto pumped a team-high 17 kills, as well as one ace, in a four-set loss to the Bulldogs. 

"She definitely offers us another outlet. She gives us an opportunity to free up our outside. If she needs to put away the ball, she puts away balls whenever we need. She tries her hardest to get us a point and she's super physical so she's a big block for us at the opposite position," Holder said. 

After the Le Jardin loss, Damien went on to win five of its next six matches, including sweeps of Sacred Hearts, Hanalani, Maryknoll and Iolani II. 

"We're definitely getting to know each other this season," said Holder, who previously coached at Saint Francis and most recently, was an assistant at Roosevelt last year before taking over with the Monarchs this fall. 

"New coach and I haven't coached any of these girls before — I didn't know any of them — so it's about getting to know each other's skillsets, expectations, really just trying to jell and become one family," she added. 

Holder describes Cueto as both "grounded" and a "spark plug."

"She tries her best to uplift our team by always staying positive. She's always trying her best out there and making sure that her teammates are being lifted up. She works very hard and she is a definite team player, always willing to do what's best for the team. She demands a lot from herself and always puts her best efforts forward," Holder said. 

Cueto used her multitude of attacks Saturday afternoon, when she recorded 12 kills in a sweep of Maryknoll — less than 24 hours after a sweep of Sacred Hearts. 

"She's a very knowledgeable player; She does a combination of all kinds of shots: she'll rip, roll shot, tip, deep corner shot, angle shots — she's definitely all-around. She can hit every shot and from the back row she hits an awesome deep ball, so she's a very smart player," Holder said. 

Along with her match-high dozen kills, Cueto was tallied eight digs and was in on two blocks. She also served up three aces, for good measure. 

"She played a really good game. Often times we try and find ways to find that consistency and she was definitely that consistency all-around where we were able to side-out, she came up with big blocks and overall she payed a well-rounded game," Holder said. 

With the win, Damien took hold of second place in the ILH Division II standings. 

"It was very important for us. We told our girls that it was going to be tough games for us coming up with not only Maryknoll, but University Lab is gonna be a tough game and HBA is gonna be a tough game and we just need to be prepared physically and mentally to go through this gauntlet that we're going to be going through with these tough teams," Holder expressed. 

Cueto and the ninth-ranked Monarchs defeated the Jr. 'Bows in four sets Tuesday night to improve to 9-4. They wrap up the ILH first round of play against Hawaii Baptist Thursday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Eagles' Dan Liu Gymnasium.  

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Hiwa Agbayani, Kaiser — Had 43 assists, one kill, one dig and an ace in a five-set loss to Roosevelt 

Isabelle Alatini, Radford — Had 20 assists, one ace and a block assist in a three-set win over Aiea 

Jamilyn Amina, Campbell — Had 15 kills, three digs and an ace in a three-set win over Waipahu 

Anae Asuncion, Mililani — Had 24 assists, nine digs and five kills in a four-set loss to Waianae 

Leina Chu, Hawaii Baptist — Had 27 assists and two aces in a three-set loss to Le Jardin 

Kealohi Dudoit, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 15 digs in a three-set win over Kau 

Maya Imoto-Eakin, Iolani — Had 26 assists, nine digs, two aces, one kill and a block assist in a three-set win over Punahou 

Larrynn-Alexis Joseph-Rodrigues, Waianae — Had 11 kills, five digs, three aces and three solo blocks in a four-set win over Mililani 

Kaila Kalama-Bajet, Damien — Had 10 kills, seven digs, three aces and a block assist in a three-set win over Maryknoll 

Dani Kapu, Kahuku — Had 22 assists, two digs and a kill in a three-set win over Farrington 

Kawena Kapu, Castle — Had 13 digs, one kill, one ace and an assist in a three-set loss to Kahuku 

Avery Kirkham, Maui Prep — Had 14 kills, 10 digs and three aces in a four-set loss to Lanai 

Kylie Kobayashi, Kaiser — Had 11 kills, 11 digs, five aces and a block assist in a five-set loss to Roosevelt 

Madison Mamizuka, Kahuku — Had 17 assists, nine digs, two kills and an ace in a three-set win over Farrington 

Marlayina Masani, Campbell — Had 13 assists, 12 digs, five kills and two aces in a three-set win over Waipahu 

Marissa Nakata, Hawaii Baptist — Had 17 kills in a three-set loss to Le Jardin 

Tessa Onaga, Iolani — Had 14 digs, four assists and one ace in a three-set win over Punahou 

Paige Paaluhi, Mililani — Had 16 digs and an ace in a four-set loss to Waianae 

Aiyanie Park, Damien — Had 11 kills and two block assists in a three-set win over Maryknoll 

Hehea Pulotu, Kahuku — Had 11 digs, one ace and an assist in a three-set win over Farrington 

Cha'lei Reid, Kahuku — Had 18 kills, six digs, four block assists and one ace in a three-set win over Farrington 

Senna Roberts-Navarro, Iolani — Had 13 kills, 15 digs and one assist in a three-set win over Punahou 

Alexis Rodriguez, Mililani — Had 12 kills, seven digs and three solo blocks in a four-set loss to Waianae 

Isaiah Sexton-Tua, Roosevelt — Had 11 kills, seven aces and four block assists in a five-set win over Kaiser

Valo Sopoaga, Kaiser — Had 27 kills, four digs, three block assists and two solo blocks in a five-set loss to Roosevelt 

Haiti Tautuaa, Waianae — Had 13 kills, nine digs, seven assists, two aces and a solo block in a four-set win over Mililani 

Tayah-Anne Toa, Maryknoll — Had 10 kills, one dig and a block assist in a three-set loss to Damien 

Kenna Wengler, Damien — Had 33 assists, three digs, two kills and six block assists in a three-set win over Maryknoll 

Caitlin Wong, Hawaii Baptist — Had 12 kills in a three-set loss to Le Jardin

Tehani Yamashita, Aiea — Had 12 digs in a three-set loss to Campbell and had 13 digs in a three-set loss to Aiea