Braydon Obrero does not lack for confidence. Not by a long shot. 

The Iolani junior's confidence came in handy Saturday night. Obrero, a third-year starting goalkeeper for the Raiders, registered eight total saves between the posts to help his team rally to a win over defending state champion Mililani in a match that went to a penalty kick shootout. 

Obrero made four saves over the course of 80 minutes of regulation plus three more in two 10-minute overtime periods before he came up with a crucial save to deny the Trojans' first shooter in PKs. 

"He made big saves for us to keep us in the game," Iolani coach Chris Lee. 

Not only did Obrero come up with a number of clutch stops between the posts, he also put away the Raiders' first attempt in the PK shootout. 

"Of course making that first save was huge. Braydon is like one of my sons — he's always over at my house — and he's always like, ‘Coach, I don't get my moment, I don't get my moment,' and I said, ‘Well, now's your moment,' and he made the most of it," Lee said. 

Iolani built upon the momentum Obrero generated and went on to win in PKs, 4-2. The result was the team's 11th state title and second in three years. In the process, the Raiders also avenged their loss to the Trojans in last year's state final. 

Obrero, to be sure, played a big part in the final result. 

"There was one shot in the game that, I think, Mililani took a shot and it deflected off one of our players and was going straight for the corner and he was able to make that save, so his reactions are phenomenal. He's pretty slender so he's not the most physical-looking guy, but he is extremely athletic and he's quick," Lee said. 

Lee noted that had Obrero's services not been required in goal, he would likely excel as a field player. 

"If he wasn't playing in goal, he would probably play somewhere up front. I mean, he's also very good on the field; He has really, really good foot skills," Lee said. 

He explained that Obrero started out as a ‘keeper in club soccer, but also saw a lot of time on the field. 

"He got away from playing in the goal until maybe, I want to say, eighth grade maybe, when he decided that he just wanted to be a goalie and just stuck in there, but in club he still plays out on the field a lot when they play in other games and leagues," Lee added. 

Part of Obrero's athleticism and lightning-quick instincts stems from the fact that he grew up boxing, with much of that influence coming from his mother. 

"I want to say boxing was his first sport. His mom was a boxer so that's why she got him into boxing, so I think that mentality and that confidence in himself — and he has really quick reactions — and I think that is attributed a lot to his boxing at a young age," Lee surmised. 

Obrero's confidence was evident in the aftermath of Mililani's go-ahead goal in the 22nd minute Saturday. He was the one that provided encouragement to his teammates to stay positive with more than 57 minutes of time remaining in the match. 

"Off the field he's a real easy-going guy and just a fun-loving kid. On the field he's extremely confident in himself and his abilities as a ‘keeper and I think that's the funny part about Braydon is just his confidence in himself. I mean, even with me or his club coaches he's always texting, ‘Can I play in the field?' or can I do this, so he's a player that I think gets along well with his coaches and just harassing you and bothering you, but in a fun way; You just kind of get a laugh," Lee said. 

As a freshman two years ago, Obrero served as a backup to starting goalkeeper Tanner Shum. However, Shum suffered an injury during the football season last year, which thrust Obrero into the starting role. 

"Because our defense has been pretty stingy, he doesn't always get a lot of action in goal sometimes, so part of us preparing him was making sure that he's focused and ready to make those saves when we need him to and I think he's matured in that sense from last year to this year. He didn't give up any soft goals or easy goals, per se, because of a lack of focus," Lee expressed. 

Avoiding those lapses in focus can be easier said than done for any goalkeeper, Lee cautioned. 

"I guess that's one of the hardest things as a ‘keeper. You might not face a lot of action throughout the whole game, but then you're called upon in certain instances to make those plays," Lee said. 

Obrero plays with an aggressiveness that translates to him sometimes playing 40-plus yards off his line at times when the Raiders possess the ball in their attacking third. 

In Friday's semifinal win over Campbell, Obrero was whistled for a foul after a minor collision with a Sabers' forward. A few seconds later, he was also given a yellow card for a brief skirmish. All of it speaks to the type of competitor Obrero is, Lee said. 

"Sure, I mean, sometimes he's too confident with the ball and it did get him into trouble a little bit his sophomore year and maturity-wise and even in practice he gets distracted or sometimes bored and we try to keep him focused, so it's always a check and balance and it comes with the territory with Braydon. We've had to kind of work through it and make sure that he understands what the team needs from him," Lee shared. 

Obrero made four saves in the win over Campbell. Following the completion of Saturday night's title match, Obrero was one of four Raiders selected to the all-tournament team. 

Iolani allowed only five goals all season with all but one coming off of restarts. 

"I'm just really proud of how the team went through the season and we were able to score a lot more goals than we have in the past and our defense was pretty stout again this year. The goal by Mililani was probably the only goal that was off the run of play, so it was a pretty, I would say standout performance by our defense," Lee said. 

Among those he heaped praise onto was the starting backline of center-backs Kekama Kane, Nathaniel Shuai, outside-backs Nicholas Moses and Austin Ancheta, along with holding-mid Dan Arima. 

"It wasn't just those guys, it was the whole team and even at a certain point, we had some other starters and so I think it was the competition in practice for playing time that pushed them to keep working and improving so I'm just proud of how they adjusted in the state tournament and we hadn't had to make as many adjustments in the ILH season just because of how the season was going, so it was good to see on their part," Lee said. 

Obrero, like Chris Lee's son, Devin — who was selected as the most outstanding player of the state tournament — is a junior, meaning he will be in Chris Lee's hair for at least another year and likely beyond. 

"I never know when he's gonna show up at my house and say, ‘Uncle, I'm sleeping over tonight,' " coach Lee laughed. "He just shows up and it's like, ‘OK, alright, as long as your mom knows you're sleeping over.' That's what is kind of special for me right now is the different connection I have with these kids coaching and competing with and against my son's friends. It's on a different level because you know them and it makes it even more enjoyable. With Braydon, like I said, he's like one of my sons."

The Raiders completed the year with a 12-0-1 record under Lee, who aside from a one-year leave of absence, has been head coach of the program since 2004. They posted a 9-0-1 mark in the ILH and won their third league crown in as many years. 

BOYS SOCCER

Jacob Aiona, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Made six saves in a win over Kapaa

Kingston Akana, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kapaa 

Kingston Collman, Kapolei — Scored two goals in a loss to Kekaulike 

Armando, Games, Kalaheo — Scored two goals in a win over Kahuku 

Lorenzo Gonzalez, Kekaulike — Scored five goals in a win over Kapolei

William Henderson, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored the lone goal in a win over Seabury Hall

Devin Lee, Iolani — Scored one goal and assisted on another in a win over Campbell and converted two penalty kicks in a win over Mililani 

Kobi Miyamoto, Mililani — Made eight saves in goal in a win over Kamehameha 

Skye Raymond, Hawaii Prep — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu 

Kitsakorn Saengkaesuk, Castle — Scored the lone goal in a win over Keaau 

Tyler Cole Tamashiro, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kamehameha 

Tyler Thornton, Kapaa — Made eight saves in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Pookela Tom-Makue, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kekaulike 

BOYS BASKETBALL

David Akiona, Honokaa — Scored 28 points in a win over St. Joseph 

LeCedric Brown, Mililani — Scored 22 points in a win over Kaimuki 

Nyson Cabreros, Keaau — Scored 22 points in a loss to Kealakehe 

Kyran Canete, Pahoa — Scored 21 points in a loss to Hilo 

Kama Carroll, Kamehameha II — Scored 30 points in a win over Punahou II 

Ethan Chung, Punahou — Scored 20 points in a win over Iolani 

Bromo Dorn, Seabury Hall — Scored 23 points in a win over Kihei Charter and scored 37 points, including eight 3-pointers, with seven rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks in a win over Molokai 

Vander Eberhard, Hawaii Prep — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Vainuupo Fanueaea, Nanakuli — Scored 20 points in a win over Kalaheo 

Diego Hernandez, Island Pacific — Scored 22 points in a loss to Hanalani 

Kawohi Huihui, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 31 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Waiakea 

Reese Jenkins, Kauai — Scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Island School 

Layden Kauka, Kohala — Scored 34 points in a win over Waiakea 

Imai Kramer, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 21 points in a win over Kekaulike 

Rome Lilio, Maryknoll — scored 25 points in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Chansen Liulama-Smith, Farrington — Scored 25 points in a win over Waipahu 

Caleb Mesa, Kapolei — Scored 22 points in a win over Kalani 

Noah Park, Aiea — Scored 20 points in a win over Castle 

Everest Rodriguez, Farrington — Scored 24 points in a win over Waipahu and scored 20 points in a loss to Kaiser 

Shane Salvador, Kamehameha — Scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Punahou 

Kai Shively, Maui Prep — Scored 43 points in a loss to Molokai 

Keahi Sjostrand, Seabury Hall — Scored 21 points in a win over Kihei Charter

Kukia Tagabi, Honokaa — Scored 37 points in a win over St. Joseph 

Kaizen Torres-Umi Napoleon, Molokai — Scored 28 points in a win over Maui Prep 

Yoshua Vernes, Hanalani — Scored 24 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Island Pacific 

Zion White, Punahou — Scored 25 points in a win over University Lab 

Tyree Wilson, Leilehua — Scored 20 points in a win over Nanakuli 

Nixis Yamauchi, Maryknoll — Scored 38 points in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Kiai Yasso, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 19 points in a win over Hawaii Prep 

For Nihoa Dunn and the Kamehameha girls basketball team, Saturday night's coronation was the culmination of years of hard work and determination. 

Dunn, a 6-foot junior center, was at the forefront of the Warriors' run to their 10th state championship and first since 2013 at last week's Pacific Century Fund Team Aloha/HHSAA Division I State Championships. 

The third-year starter earned Most Outstanding Player honors after she averaged 19 points and 10.3 rebounds in Kamehameha's three state tournament games. 

"I think what impressed me most about her and our whole team was the level of focus that we had toward that end goal," said Warriors coach Pua Straight, whose team ran the table in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. 

Kamehameha went 11-0 in the private-school league to claim its first ILH title in 12 years. It finished the year with an overall record of 23-1. 

"Our mindset going into the ILH playoffs was to win the next game one possession at a time and just trying to focus in on those little things and they were just laser-focused the whole time," Straight said. 

That's why when the Warriors trailed rival and five-time defending champion Iolani, 22-19, at halftime of Saturday's state final, Straight remained optimistic and confident in her crew. 

"I did not feel one sense of doubt from them. They were still laser-focused on the end goal and committed to doing all the little things to make sure that happened," Straight said. 

Kamehameha turned the tide after the break. It outscored Iolani in the third quarter, 11 to 5, to take a 30-27 lead into the final period. Dunn scored eight of her team's 10 teams in the fourth quarter. 

"Outside of her vocal leadership, one thing that doesn't show up on the stats is how teams play her. She attracts so much attention that even if she's not involved in a play or didn't touch the ball, a lot of times because of the attention she attracts from the defense it opens things up and she's a really high-IQ player, she sees the game really well, so she's had a huge improvement in her assist-to-turnover ratio, but just her presence on the court opens things up for her teammates and us as coaches try to take advantage of that as we plan our motions and movements and actions for our team," Straight explained. 

Dunn shot 7 of 13 from the field against the Raiders. One day prior, in the Warriors' semifinal victory over Campbell, Dunn scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds; She also tallied two assists and three steals. In Thursday's quarterfinal rout of Moanalua, Dunn was an efficient 7 of 11 on field goals and finished with 15 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals. 

While Dunn's stats speak for themself, her growth goes far beyond the numbers, Straight pointed out. 

"I've seen a lot of growth in her intangibles. She came in as a very talented player obviously, but the hard work, resiliency, mental toughness — we've seen huge growth in that — and true confidence comes in preparation. Beyond the physical preparation was the mental preparation of it all and she's worked hard at all of it. Leadership, body language, all of that — she's really bought into that," Straight said. "She's very relationship driven so I think she truly wants to play hard for her teammates and her teammates truly want her to get the ball and do well for this team, so I think that always pushes her to always give effort in practice and games is that love she has for her teammates."

One area where Dunn has worked to better herself is at the free throw line. She shot 51.3 percent from the line as a freshman, upped that average to 62.3 percent the following year and bettered it once again with her 66.2-percent clip this season. 

"The only way to improve shooting is through repetition, but she's worked on every facet of her game — developing her perimeter skills, getting reps at her midrange and even 3-point shooting — so she's definitely improved on all of those fronts," Straight said. 

Straight also praised Dunn for her leadership despite the fact that she is not one of the team's five senior captains. 

"She's actually grown a lot. Her leadership skill — she's one of our biggest vocal leaders this year. Her voice is heard first, I would say 99 percent of the time. We always let them speak after games, at halftime, in timeouts and she's usually one of the first, if not the first ones to speak, so she's definitely grown a lot in that regard. In team discussions it's a balance of some emotional leadership and some basketball IQ stuff, so she does a good job," Straight said. 

In terms of production, Dunn's contributions have always been substantial. She has led the Warriors in scoring in each of her three seasons and is a two-time All-ILH First Team selection. 

As a freshman she averaged 11.9 points per game and helped her team to a third-place finish at the state tournament. Last year Dunn improved that mark to 14.9 points per game. Kamehameha reached the state final last season and Dunn recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but it lost in overtime to Iolani by a single point. 

"Obviously for her, she's been an integral part of the team for three years. She's had a lot of weight on her shoulders for all three years and I think this junior year she had not just the talent and the skillset, but she's put in the hard work for three years and she had the experience of being able to hold that weight and all of the expectations of her this year having played in the state final the year before and that experience definitely helped, along with all the other things she did to prepare," Straight said. 

Ultimately, for Dunn and her teammates the driving force behind finishing the job was narrowly losing to Iolani in the 2024 title game. 

"I think for our whole that was the main motivating thing. As soon as it was done, they wanted to get back into that game and work for a good result. I think that was 100 percent the main motivating factor for our team. Just being so close and feeling like we were getting closer and closer and closer and it was right in our grasp there in overtime and just not being able to walk away with that and they understood that working through adversity together will get them to places they wouldn't have gotten to in any other way," Straight expressed. 

With the season a few days behind her, Straight was able to look back and reflect upon the journey her team took together. 

"I'm just so impressed by their unselfishness, their unselfish play. They don't care how much they score — Nihoa included. She knows she has a big responsibility, that we need her to score, but she would be fine if she didn't score any points and we win."

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Cyani Bagaoisan-Rita, Waimea — Scored 16 points with seven rebounds and one assist in a win over Damien 

Naiara Bal, Maui — Scored 15 points with one rebound and one steal in a loss to Campbell 

Shailan Benevides, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 33 points, including eight 3-pointers, with six assists, four steals and one rebound in a win over Castle 

Hallie Chock, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 22 points with six steals, two rebounds and one assist in a win over Molokai 

Cristazia Joy Cristobal, Damien — Scored 20 points with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in a loss to Waimea 

Destinee Dupree, Lanai — Scored 17 points with seven rebounds, four steals two assists and one block in a loss to Kohala 

Myah Galdeira, Kailua — Scored 23 points with five steals and three rebounds in a loss to Moanalua Leila Hooper-Phifer, Molokai — Scored 19 points with nine rebounds and two assists in a loss to Hawaii Baptist 

Lauae Kamakana, Kaiser — Scored 19 points with eight rebounds and three steals in a loss to Lanai 

Justice Kekauoha, Iolani — Scored 23 points with five rebounds, three assists and one steal in a win over Kahuku and scored 22 points with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a win over Konawaena 

Ellana Klemp, Hanalani — Scored 26 points with six rebounds, four steals and two assists in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii, scored 17 points with eight rebounds, five steals, three assists and one block in a win over Kohala and scored 33 points with 15 rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Sienna Lamblack, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 20 points with four rebounds, three steals and one assist in a win over Kapolei 

Kalia Marquez, Kohala — Scored 15 points with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over Lanai 

Brielle Nueku, Damien — Scored 16 points with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a win over Pahoa 

Princess-Kirra Pagba-Pimenta, Castle — Scored 15 points with 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Aubrey Pak, Konawaena — Scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, with two rebounds in a loss to Iolani 

Cayden Parado, Campbell — Scored 16 points with two rebounds in a loss to Kamehameha 

Kamai Lei Ringor, Campbell — Scored 11 points with 13 rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in a win over Waiakea 

Jaynalyn Sotelo, Campbell — Scored 15 points with six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in a win over Waiakea and scored 11 with 10 rebounds and five steals in a win over Maui 

Serenity Tacgere, Moanalua — Scored 16 points with 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a win over Kailua 

Lilyanah-Tiare Tavale, Kapolei — Scored 13 points with 18 rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a loss to Hawaii Baptist and scored 17 points in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Melony Urbina, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kapolei 

Posia Wily, Kahuku — Scored 17 points with 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal in a loss to Iolani 

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