AJ Tuifua is not one to shy away from hard work. After all, as the oldest of eight children, he doesn't really have a choice. 

Tuifua, a junior and third-year starting quarterback for the Damien football team, is seeing his hard work pay off on the gridiron this fall. With their veteran signal-caller at the controls, the Monarchs are off to a 5-1 start to the year and are coming off of a 55-35 win over Iolani Saturday night. 

In the victory over the Raiders, Tuifua threw for 299 yards and eight touchdowns on 17-of-25 passing without an interception. He had five TD passes by halftime and ended up connecting with five different teammates on scoring strikes. 

Despite the gaudy, video game-like statistics, Tuifua's coach downplayed the numbers and instead pointed to a few missed opportunities. 

"I was impressed, don't get me wrong, but there are little things that he could have done better," Tuitele said. 

It's nothing new for Tuitele's players; He often fills the role of devil's advocate as a means of pushing his student-athletes toward the pursuit of perfection. 

"The kids understand why. I told AJ that ‘I'm never gonna gonna be satisfied with you because I understand how you're living your life and I will continue to coach you to get to that perfection,' and he's doing good," Tuitele said. 

"He's finally learning and just trusting the line and also his receivers and obviously he's got more work to do — yes, he threw eight touchdowns (against Iolani), but there were some times that he missed some key reads that should have been touchdowns — but it's OK. I told him, ‘I'm still proud of you, but you could have done better,' and as I said, there's always room for improvement but where he's at right now, I'm happy," Tuitele added. 

Damien opened the scoring less than four minutes into the contest with Tuifua's 29-yard TD pass to Dayton Savea. About six minutes later, Tuifua found Tayvin Kahele for a 10-yard score. 

One play into the second quarter, Tuifua connected with Sylas Alaimalo for a 34-yard touchdown that gave their team a 21-7 lead. In the final three minutes and 30 seconds of the first half, Tuifua found Kahele and Alaimalo for TD passes of 30 and 10 yards, respectively. 

The Monarchs built upon their 35-21 lead at the intermission with a 15-yard scoring strike from Tuifua to Wyatt Ho-Williams late in the third stanza. About five minutes into the final period, Tuifua and Ho-Williams hooked up once more, this time for a 32-yard touchdown to stretch it to a 48-28 cushion. 

"There was one play to Wyatt where we kind of called it specifically to hit him and he came across the middle and AJ went through his progressions and he was able to find that open person and hit Wyatt in stride," Tuitele recalled. 

Tuifua's statistics over the years are a reflection of his growth. As a freshman in 2022, he completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 1,254 yards with nine touchdowns against nine interceptions. Tuifua was voted by ILH coaches as the league's Division I Offensive Player of the Year that season. 

The following year, Tuifua raised his completion percentage to 60.9. He threw for 2,130 yards with 31 touchdowns against 12 interceptions as a junior and was once again an All-ILH First Team selection. 

"He's gotten way better. He's understanding the offense, he's asking a lot of questions and he and I are spending a lot of time together. Now he understands the whole progression of the play, whereas before he just felt whoever was open was open. We had to keep it simple for him, but now we're able to draw up new plays and with his football IQ, he's understanding the whole concept and progression and he's also adding in more of the line protection," Tuitele detailed. 

Tuitele's hope is that Tuifua will be calling his own plays as a senior next year. 

"That's what I want for him, where if I give him one play and he doesn't like it, he can check out of it and call audibles and be that quarterback that we all know a quarterback should be," Tuitele said. 

Tuifua is showing glimpses of that this fall. In a win over Nanakuli in late August, Tuifua connected on 13 of 18 pass attempts for 189 yards with three touchdowns. He was not intercepted. 

Tuitele said a season-opening 67-35 loss to Campbell — when Tuifua threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns on 22-of-31 passing but was intercepted thrice — has proven to be especially beneficial. 

"I feel like Campbell is the best team in the state. They're undefeated and nobody's stopping them right now, but our boys just showed that they can compete with anybody after that game. The picks we threw in that game, those are mistakes that you can't make against a team like that with all those athletes, but he's learned from that and overall it was a confidence-builder for us, that's what it was," Tuitele said. 

The accolades and eye-popping numbers haven't come without some serious sweat equity on Tuifua's part. His willingness to roll up his proverbial sleeves and put in the effort has been instrumental in his continued progression. 

"He's being a sponge taking all the criticism that I'm giving him, taking all that hard coaching and just being able to learn and continue to learn. He's worked with our quarterback coach, even in the offseason, on his footwork, his fundamentals, his movement and pocket presence and being able to incorporate that into what we're seeing on the field this year, you love to see it because he's wants to learn and he wants to get better and that's why he's a very coachable kid," Tuitele expressed. 

Tuitele likens the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Tuifua to former Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

"Or maybe even a Josh Allen," Tuitele said of the Buffalo Bills' signal-caller, "but AJ has his own style. He's big, he has an arm and to be honest, quarterbacks sometimes you think of their personality as being very outgoing. Not this kid. He's very quiet, very shy, very humble, very respectful. He's a big family guy, he's the oldest of eight kids so he does a lot for his family."

Tuifua, who is also a member of Damien's boys basketball team during the winter season, volunteers much of his time helping out youth football leagues in his community of Waimanalo. 

"He's just a pleasure to have. I'm blessed to have him, this team and I'm just grateful for the work that he has done and given to this program," Tuitele added.

Damien is ranked 10th in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings. Tuifua and the Monarchs (6-1 overall, 4-0 league) were scheduled to play Punahou II Saturday at Radford's John E. Velasco Stadium, but that game has been forfeited by the Buffanblu. Instead, their next game will be against PAC-5 on Oct. 4 at Radford. 

FOOTBALL

Rusten Abang-Perez, Campbell — Caught 10 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kapolei 

Emery Abilla, Waialua — Threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-19 passing without an interception in a win over McKinley 

Sylas Alaimalo, Damien — Ran 22 times for 134 yards and caught two touchdown passes in a win over Iolani 

Keenan Alani, Konawaena — Threw for 276 yards and six touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing without an interception in a win over Keaau 

Zayden Alviar-Costa, Campbell — Scored on an 84-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over Kapolei 

Jayce Bareng, Moanalua — Caught eight passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kailua 

Hunter Fujikawa, Punahou — Threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-31 passing with one interception in a loss to Saint Louis 

Isaac Harney, Moanalua — Threw for 201 yards and a three touchdowns on 15-of-26 passing with one interception and ran for a touchdown in a win over Kailua 

Kalino Judalena, Moanalua — Ran 21 times for 105 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kailua 

Aiden Kahele, Castle — Ran 37 times for 185 yards in a win over Kaimuki

Kauanahe Kalahiki-Gohier, Castle — Ran 18 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kaimuki 

Kekama Kane, Iolani — Caught 10 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns and scored on kickoff returns for touchdowns of 85 and 99 yards in a loss to Damien 

Ezekiel Kuie-Matias, Kaimuki — Caught five passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Castle 

Tainoa Lave, Campbell — Scored on a 70-yard punt return for touchdown in a win over Kapolei 

Aiden Leong, Kaiser — Ran 11 times for 114 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kalani 

Iosua Letuli, Kaimuki — Made four tackles for loss, including one sack, in a loss to Castle 

Nainoa Lopes, Saint Louis — Threw for 227 yards on 23-of-28 passing with one interception in a win over Punahou 

Javian Mizuno, Pearl City — Caught five passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Radford 

Hercules Nahale, Konawaena — Ran 20 times for 150 yards and a touchdown in a win over Keaau 

Nakoa Orlando, Moanalua — Scored on an 18-yard blocked punt return for touchdown in a win over Kailua 

Romeo Ortiz, Kailua — Scored on a 75-yard interception return for touchdown in a loss to Moanalua 

Adam Perry, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-27 passing with one interception and ran for a touchdown in a win over Kohala 

Michael Robinson, Radford — Caught six passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Pearl City 

Kaelb Rodriguez, Waianae — Scored on a nine-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Aiea 

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Campbell — Threw for 203 yards and four touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing without an interception in a win over Kapolei 

Austin Takaki, Konawaena — Caught 10 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Keaau 

Afi Togafau, Radford — Threw for 368 yards and six touchdowns on 16-of-18 passing without an interception in a win over Pearl City 

Donte Utu, Punahou — Caught two touchdown passes, made four tackles and intercepted a pass in a loss to Saint Louis 

CJ Villanueva, Iolani — Threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-35 passing without an interception in a loss to Damien 

Zion White, Punahou — Caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Saint Louis 

Over the last three-plus years, Leila Paraoan and Naidah Gamurot have developed a deep and genuine relationship built on transparency. 

It's the reason why Gamurot, the longtime Hurricanes coach, has full trust in Paraoan, a fourth-year member of the team and third-year starter, and likely at least part of the reason the squad is off to a promising start this fall. 

"I can ask her anything and she will tell me exactly what the truth is and sometimes she just tells me without even asking, so we have a really honest and open relationship and I really value that about her," Gamurot described. 

But it wasn't always that way. 

"Her freshman year she was scared to death of me," Gamurot laughed. 

"I would tell her things straight up, which was probably kind of difficult for a freshman to take, but I don't know if it's because I was so bluntly honest with her that beginning in her tenth grade year, she would be straight up blunt with me," she said. 

Gamurot noted that Paraoan's to-the-point nature always comes across in a respectful way. 

"It's like she says what she is thinking and she would just tell me straight up even if it's something you wouldn't think a coach would want to hear, so it naturally came about but it was not there her ninth grade year and to this day we still laugh about that," Gamurot recalled. 

Although player and coach did not necessarily see eye to eye that season, Gamurot knew that Paraoan had the potential to be a special players for the ‘Canes in the years to come. 

"I pulled her up to varsity that freshman year because I saw her talent and I saw it early. She didn't have much playing time as a ninth grader, but her skill was there. Over the years we've had to talk about all the aspects of the game, including the leadership part, the mental part and along the way she's had some good leaders there and she's absorbed all the good that everyone there before her had to offer and she was doing this from her sophomore year on," Gamurot said. 

Paraoan earned a spot in the starting lineup as a sophomore and has seen her role increase with each season. She received All-OIA West Honorable Mention recognition in 2022 then picked up All-OIA West Second Team honors and All-Hawaii Honorable Mention as a junior last year. 

This fall the 5-foot-9 Paraoan has again seen her role expand, both on and off the court. She was tabbed as a team captain prior to the start of the season and is now a six-rotation player for Gamurot. 

"Freshman year she played but would come in off the bench. Sophomore year she was at opposite because we just needed her to block. Last year we put her on the outside and she really shined on the outside, but some times we would switch her back and forth. This year there's one rotation where she's on the outside, but she plays all the way around and is also hitting from the back row," Gamurot spelled out. 

Gamurot pointed to Paraoan's versatility and dependability as key factors in her continued growth. 

"She's not your big, massive, powerful player. She's a smart player and she's quick on the hit. She's pretty good about reading the block now, so she reads the defense well and usually knows where to put the ball down. She's seeing everything she's supposed to be seeing and just her experience having played different positions I think helps a lot and she's very comfortable in the back row, too," Gamurot said. 

Paraoan isn't one to ride the emotional roller coaster over the course of the match, but rather, displays an even-keel demeanor that tends to rub off on her teammates. 

"That's actually probably one of the reasons she's a stabilizing force on the court and one of the reasons why the girls respect her. She can walk up to somebody and help them and talk to them, but they walk up to and talk to her, too. I think the number one thing for her is that she's just consistent. She can stay mentally in the game in all six rotations," Gamurot said. 

The preseason included a trip to the Big Island for Kamehameha-Hawaii's tournament over the Labor Day weekend. Paraoan missed some time earlier in the year due to illness, but returned to form in time for the OIA West regular season. 

Paraoan opened the year with a 16-kill, 11-dig effort in a down-to-the-wire five-set loss to Mililani back on Sept. 5. She also was in a block and had one assist and an ace against the Trojans. Last Tuesday, Paraoan posted a match-high 17 kills in a four-set win over then-No. 10 Campbell. 

"She was very composed throughout the whole thing and when mistakes were made, she could think it through, go in the huddle, have that conversation with everybody, so that's the experience showing and leadership on the court — she's the one that we can depend on for that consistency through everything," Gamurot said. 

A day after the ‘Canes' victory over the Sabers, Paraoan posted eight kills, three digs, one solo block and an ace in a sweep of Radford. 

"We can depend on her in the front and the back, so that's game, but her entire game has kicked up. She can block, she can set and she can play defense and then when you add the type of athlete and person and leader she's become, she's the whole package on the court," Gamurot summarized. 

Paraoan also plays basketball during the winter season and was an All-OIA West Third Team pick last year. Gamurot said she recently Paraoan recently picked up a part-time job as well. A handful of colleges have reached out to inquire about Paraoan's services post-high school. 

"She's going to college, but doesn't know where yet, but she wants to play volleyball at the next level," Gamurot said. 

As for the Hurricanes, Gamurot is optimistic that with Paraoan's leadership serving as a galvanizing force, the squad can find an identity and hit its stride at the right time. 

"We're getting more consistent and that's good. We kind of know what positions people are going in and I think that's the earliest it's ever happened for us. We've had seasons where we were going into the postseason and we were still trying to figure it out," Gamurot said. 

Paraoan put down a team-high 15 kills to help the ‘Canes (4-1) sweep past Nanakuli Tuesday night. They will next visit Waianae (3-2) Thursday. 

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Maiya Beltran, Waipahu — Had 14 kills, seven digs and two aces in a four-set win over Pearl City and had 10 kills, 15 digs and one ace in a five-set loss to Leilehua 

Skye Boeche, Hana — Had 10 service aces and one kill in a three-set win over Kihei Charter

Kealohi Dudoit, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 24 digs in a four-set win over Waiakea 

Camryn Grace, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 14 kills and 13 digs in a four-set win over Waiakea 

Rylie Kaopuiki-Kaikana, Mililani — Had 13 kills, nine digs, two block assists and one ace in a four-set win over Nanakuli 

Lehiwa Kapu, Castle — Had 31 set assists, eight digs, one kill and an ace in a three-set win over Kailua 

Shaeniah La Fountain, Waipahu — Had 26 set assists, seven kills, seven digs, two aces and one block assist in a five-set loss to Leilehua 

Zsiare Lakalo, Campbell — Had 22 set assists, 19 digs, two kills and one ace in a four-set loss to Kapolei 

Rylie Matsuda, Castle — Had 19 digs in a three-set win over Farrington and had 17 digs in a three-set win over Kailua 

Marley-Alize Matautia, Nanakuli — Had 14 kills, two digs and two block assists in a four-set loss to Mililani 

Ramsey Sadiarin, Waipahu — Had 20 digs in a four-set win over Pearl City and had 19 digs in a five-set loss to Leilehua 

Anny Scott, Kapolei — Had 35 set assists, 13 digs, five kills and one block assist in a four-set win over Campbell 

Kealananea Stephens, Mililani — Had 47 set assists, 13 digs, four aces and one block assist in a four-set win over Nanakuli 

Chandy-Lee Westbrook, Nanakuli — Had 15 digs, one set assist and one ace in a four-set loss to Mililani 

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