Waianae coach Vince Nihipali had an inclination that Slater Kaleiohi would ball out last Friday. And ball out he did.

Kaleiohi, a senior wide receiver, played a prominent role in the Seariders' lopsided 44-8 win over Pearl City over the weekend. The 5-foot-8, 155-pound second-year varsity player tallied 11 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns against the Chargers.

After Kaleiohi was held in check for three catches for a combined 19 yards through Waianae's first two games of the year – a 28-7 loss to Kapolei back in week 1 and a 20-13 defeat at the hands of Waipahu two weeks later – Friday's breakout performance was exactly what Nihipali envisioned for him in the regular-season opener.

"There were things we did and didn't do in those first two games that we weren't able to get him the ball as much as we needed to and it hurt us," Nihipali said. "This game we saw the mismatch against Pearl City and I knew it would be a huge game for him. With everything we saw on film, I knew they couldn't cover and he would always be open and he catches everything; his catch radius is maybe the most insane I've seen at the high school level."

Nihipali noted Kaleiohi's pre-game demeanor as another reason for his high expectations of him going into the contest at the Chargers' Edwin "Bino" Neves Stadium.

"It was just how locked in he was. I told him before the game that he's gonna get some touches and have the opportunity to make some really big plays and that ‘somehow, some way you're gonna score three TDs,' " Nihipali recalled.

Kaleiohi didn't wait long to make the most of his touches. He hauled in a 32-yard TD pass from Maximus Kahalewai Sapigao to ignite a 17-point first quarter for the Seariders. Kaleiohi then added a 21-yard TD reception from George Mier in the second quarter before he closed out the scoring with a 12-yard scoring strike from Kahalewai Sapigao in the fourth quarter.

"He caught those two touchdowns early and got things rolling, kind of like a streak shooter we were feeding him the ball early. He had those two and I said, ‘You still got one more coming,' and it did come. When it did come, he was like, ‘I got the three' and I said, ‘I told you, man, it was gonna be a good game for you.' He's a great kid, just one of those jolly kids. His energy level is high, he's always smiling and always joking around and stuff like that," Nihipali described.

The first-year Waianae coach said that he was "extremely happy" for Kaleiohi's productive night, which resulted in a single-game school record for receiving yards. Furthermore, Kahalewai Sapigao also had a record-breaking night with 273 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-19 passing. The Seariders totaled 446 yards of total offense, including 386 through the air.

"I was disappointed in myself not getting Slater the ball more the first two games, so it was great to see him have that kind of game and because he's so talented he gets that ball and he can do so much stuff with it and it makes everyone around him look good. The o-line gives the quarterback some time and he catches everything, so it was great to see for both the quarterback and Slater and the o-line giving him time; overall it was just awesome," Nihipali said.

Nihipali added that Kaleiohi put much of his varied skillset on display against the Chargers.

"He was able to shake guys on some skinny posts, he was able to run by guys and his hands are so good they just melt into the ball," said Nihipali, who drew similarities between Kaleiohi and Moanalua wideout Jayce Bareng, whom Nihipali coached during his time at Moanalua.

"He reminds me a lot of Jayce, but faster. Whenever they touch the ball, they can go at any time – they're very similar," he added.

Nihipali gave some detail on one eye-popping reception Kaleiohi recorded Friday night.

"He didn't score on it, but it was for a big gain. He made this twisting catch where he went up and turned and caught it and then was able to keep his balance and game more yards – it was pretty incredible – but when it's not him getting the ball and we run a bubble or something, he blocks. The kid blocks and he just does everything we ask him to do," Nihipali said.

Kaleiohi also excels as both a kick and punt returner on special teams and, when he is asked, can fill in at cornerback.

"In the return game, if he gets a little bit of room he can take one to the house at any time because he's so quick and elusive. If I have to put him at corner, I know he's gonna lock up whoever he's playing against and he's gonna be a nuisance to that person," said Nihipali, who pointed out that Kaleiohi even filled in at linebacker against Kapolei and served as a spy against the Hurricanes' stellar signal-caller, Liatama Amisone.

"He really didn't practice that position but at some point one of our ‘backers got hurt and he just spied (Amisone) and when Tama would break contain and step up, Slater would just mirror him and he was effective. It was one of those situations where it was one of our best athletes on their best, so that game we used him unconventionally, but we had to," Nihipali said.

As a junior last season – under a previous coaching regime – Kaleiohi's primary position was defensive back. The Seariders struggled to a 1-8 record in 2023, but Kaleiohi was one of a few bright spots. He had a 42-yard interception return for touchdown against Radford – Waianae's lone win that year – and totaled three picks on the year. Kaleiohi also took back a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown return in a loss to Kapolei.

Kaleiohi was the lone player from Waianae selected to the All-OIA Open Division team. He was tabbed as a Second Team defensive back in league all-star selections.

When Nihipali took over the program in the spring, he knew that he wanted to expand Kaleiohi's role on offense.

"I knew right off the bat what he was and our primary focus was to get him to touch the ball as much as we can. He's extremely athletic and he runs hard. He's one of those kids that has one speed. He's a small, quick athlete with great hands and he's small by stature – he's not the tallest, he's not the heaviest, he's not the biggest and he's not the most muscular – but he's just a player," Nihipali said.

The win was the first for the Seariders under Nihipali and put his team at 1-0 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association's Division I standings.

"It was huge. Those kids work hard and after we had let one slip against Waipahu, it was good to see a smile on these kids' faces," said Nihipali, who acknowledged the multitude of recent incidents involving targeted violence in and around the community of Waianae.

"Things have been real hard for these guys – not just the last three, four years, but the last three, four weeks with all the stuff going on in the community – and I'm constantly telling these kids that they will be a beacon for this community and as they win games, it gives the community something to talk about instead of all these negative things going around. They can be a special source of pride for a lot of people, so it was good to see that and see the fans happy and it's always good to see kids win and succeed and become confident," Nihipali said.

Kaleiohi and the Seariders (1-2 overall, 1-0 league), who are ranked 13^th in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings, will look to stay hot this weekend when they visit No. 14 Moanalua (3-1, 1-0) Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Salt Lake.

FOOTBALL

Nelson Aau, Punahou — Ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries in a win over Iolani 

Alakai Aipia, Hawaii Prep — Ran for 157 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Keenan Alani, Konawaena — Threw for 334 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-30 passing with an interception in a win over Hilo 

Deegan Anduha, Waianae — Scored on a 75-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Pearl City 

Kayden Anzaldo, Mililani — Recorded two interceptions in a win over Los Alamitos

Germaine Bagasol, Waialua — Intercepted two passes in a win over Kaimuki 

Jhermie Cacpal, Aiea — Caught six passes for 93 yards and a touchdown and ran in a touchdown in a win over Nanakuli 

Taylor Calaro, Waialua — Ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a win over Kaimuki 

Clay Ching, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored on an 80-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Jesse James Douglas, Keaau — Made 10 tackles, including three for losses with one sack and scored on a 38-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Kealakehe

Dallas Enriquez, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Rolly Gamez, Castle — Had one tackle for loss, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and ran for a touchdown in a win over Kaiser 

Benjamin Honebein, Kailua — Made two tackles, including one sack, forced a fumble and scored on a 35-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Leilehua 

Maximus Kahalewai Sapigao, Waianae — Threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-19 passing in a win over Pearl City 

Lehiwa Kahana-Travis, Mililani — Ran for two touchdowns in a win over Los Alamitos

Aizek Kaanoi, Kailua — Caught seven passes for 100 yards in a win over Leilehua 

Aiden Kahele, Castle — Ran for 102 yards on 18 carries in a win over Kaiser 

Cameron Keeve, Leilehua — Carried 30 times for 149 yards and caught three passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kailua 

Dane Kellner, Punahou — Scored on punt returns of 80 yards and 65 yards for touchdowns in a win over Iolani 

Patrick Kennedy, Kalaheo — Forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble and had one sack in a win over Kalani 

Zechariah Kuratsu-Cook, Kaimuki — Carried 17 times for 135 yards in a loss to Waialua 

Gabriel Liua, Leilehua — Made 9 1/2 tackles, including 2 1/2 for losses and 1 1/2 sacks in a loss to Kailua 

Nainoa Lopes, Saint Louis — Threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing without an interception in a win over Kamehameha 

Samisoni Mafi, Kaiser — Scored on a 23-yard interception return in a loss to Castle 

Keawe Mahelona, Castle — Recovered a pair of fumbles in a win over Kaiser 

Elias Malapit, Konawaena — Made five tackles for loss, including one sack, in a win over Hilo 

Nainoa Melchor, Kamehameha — Ran for 101 yards on 12 carries in a loss to Saint Louis 

Elijah Mendoza, Aiea — Threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-34 passing with one interception in a win over Nanakuli 

Izaiah Nakamura, Roosevelt — Scored on a 25-yard fumble return in a win over McKinley 

Dallas Pelen-Talalotu, Saint Louis — Scored on a 65-yard blocked punt return in a win over Kamehameha 

Diego Pettypool, Keaau — Threw two touchdown passes and ran for three touchdowns in a win over Kealakehe

Christian Rhodes, Hawaii Prep — Caught four passes for 103 yards in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Michael Robinson, Radford — Scored on a 90-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a loss to Skyview

Cody Salas, Kalaheo — Caught seven passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Kalani 

Charlie Salazar, Keaau — Ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in a win over Kealakehe

Shaeden Sexton, Roosevelt — Carried 20 times for 85 yards and four touchdowns in a win over McKinley 

Zane Shinkawa, Kaiser — Recorded two interceptions in a loss to Castle 

Taimane Souza-Fautanu, Roosevelt — Scored on a 36-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over McKinley 

Ezra Kila Spencer, Aiea — Caught nine passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Nanakuli 

Austin Takaki, Konawaena — Caught 11 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns and made five tackles and intercepted a pass in a win over Hilo

Aliimalu Tan, Konawaena — Caught six passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns and made 4 1/2 tackles and intercepted a pass in a win over Hilo 

Timothy Wallace, Mililani — Recorded two interceptions in a win over Los Alamitos

Jude Weber, Kalaheo — Threw for 342 yards and seven touchdowns on 16-of-24 passing without an interception in a win over Kalani 

Chaseton Wong, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored on a 22-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Hawaii Prep

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Tehani Faasuamanu, Kapolei — Had 14 kills, 11 set assists and five digs in a five-set loss to Mililani 

Kwyn Greig, Mililani — Had 17 digs, one kill and one ace in a five-set win over Kapolei 

Poema Kalama-Kingma, Iolani — Had 15 kills, 11 digs, five aces, three set assists and two block assists in a four-set win over Punahou 

Kara Kaohe, Pearl City — Had 14 kills, seven aces and three digs in a four-set win over Leilehua 

Rylie Kaopuiki-Kaikaina, Mililani — Had 14 kills, 13 digs and one ace in a five-set win over Kapolei 

Kaitlin Kiko, Kapolei — Had 25 digs and two set assists in a five-set loss to Mililani 

Koali Kimokeo-Helekahi, Hana — Had 15 kills, 11 digs, three aces and two set assists in a three-set win over Kulanihakoi

Marley-Alzie Matautia, Nanakuli — Had 17 kills, five digs and one set assist in a three-set win over Waialua 

Tehani Militante, Waialua — Had 14 digs and five kills in a three-set loss to Nanakuli 

Bailey Nakanelua, Iolani — Had 49 set assists, 12 digs, two kills and one block assist in a four-set win over Punahou 

Leila Paraoan, Kapolei — Had 16 kills, 11 digs, one ace, one block assist and one set assist in a five-set loss to Mililani 

Callie Pieper, Iolani — Had 16 kills, 11 digs and one ace in a four-set win over Punahou 

Kealananea Stephens, Mililani — Had 40 set assists, five digs, two kills and two aces in a five-set win over Kapolei 

Maddie Taniguchi, Iolani — Had 17 digs, four set assists and one kill in a four-set win over Punahou 

Saydee Vera Cruz, Pearl City — Had 20 digs and three aces in a four-set win over Leilehua 

Chandy-Lee Westbrook, Nanakuli — Had 14 digs, four set assists and one ace in a three-set win over Waialua 

Kadence Wilson, Mililani — Had 13 kills, 15 digs and one block assist in a five-set win over Kapolei 

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