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Keahi Ah Sui

Nanakuli football  •   #15    

What a difference a week makes.

Just eight days after it lost to Pearl City by a single point, 14-13, the Nanakuli football team got back in the win column with a 70-26 thumping of McKinley Saturday night. Instrumental to the Golden Hawks' victory was the play of senior quarterback Keahi Ah Sui, who factored into a half-dozen touchdowns. 

Ah Sui, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound southpaw, threw for 137 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-15 passing without an interception. He also ran for 131 yards and three more scores on 11 carries. 

"He put up some good numbers, but it was really just the offense just taking what we got," said Nanakuli fifth-year coach Kili Watson. 

Watson explained that McKinley's defensive look allowed for a lot of success — so long as Ah Sui would made the right choices. 

"If you were there, you would have seen that the defense we were facing — I mean, we just took what we got. We ran a lot of zone-reads in that game and he had a lot of keeps, so he was able to gain a lot of yardage on the ground and then as far as the passing game, it was just throwing the ball in the flats and letting the receivers do their thing," Watson said. 

Despite the 44-point margin of victory, it was actually the Tigers who led early on with a short touchdown pass to open the game, but special teams jump-started Nanakuli on the ensuing kickoff, which was returned 75 yards for a touchdown by David Kalili. 

"It was a huge factor. McKinley came out and scored on their first drive, but us being able to score on our first kick return really helped halt that momentum shift, so that definitely helps and then the defense had three takeaways and we scored on another kick return, so it definitely helps with alleviating the pressure on offense," Watson said. 

Not that the offense needed much alleviating Saturday night. 

Nanakuli finished with 465 yards of total offense, including 328 rushing — both season-high marks. Ah Sui was only his team's second-leading rusher behind Christian Asinsin, who ran for 186 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. 

The Golden Hawks average nearly 240 passing yards and just under 434 net yards per game. 

"Right now it's really just taking what we get every week. We want a balanced attack, but we're really just looking at the numbers — whether its in the box, or the receivers — and really just attacking numbers and letting the guys attack the grass and Keahi's role is delivering the ball where it needs to be, or wherever it's best to attack," Watson said.

Ah Sui scored on a 4-yard run that was part of a 36-point first quarter for Nanakuli and on a pair of 1-yard runs after halftime. Through the air, he tossed first-quarter touchdown passes of 25 and 20 yards to Allen Mahoe III and Kalili, respectively, and added a 10-yard scoring strike to Joseph Lewis IV in the second stanza. 

"I think he did a great job that night of just spreading the ball around. As far as the touches for the receivers, I think it was pretty even," Watson said. 

The numbers affirm his sentiment. In addition to Lewis IV (3 catches for 26 yards), Mahoe III (2 for 38) and Kalili (2 for 26), Ah Sui also completed passes to Asinsin (2 for 2) and Hansen Salausa-Kaawa (3 for 45).

"Not one guy was dominant, so he's spreading the ball around and allowing the playmakers to do what they can and then at the same time, our running back (Asinsin) was able to put up over a hundred yards (rushing) as well, so it was just a balanced attack and I think Keahi embraces that and he understands that he's surrounded by a lot of athletes and weapons around him. He's got great receivers and a good running back behind him, so I think that just makes his job easier," Watson said. 

Ah Sui fractured his tibia a few years back, which ended his freshman season, but he came back the following season as the starting quarterback for the JV team his sophomore year. But with the 2020 season falling victim to the pandemic, Ah Sui lost out on his junior campaign. 

Watson said despite the lack of varsity experience Ah Sui had prior to this fall, he brought a lot of intangibles to the position. 

"I think, if anything, just his leadership. He's real driven, the offense rallies around him, so I mean, whatever direction he's headed to, along with the rest of the leadership, the rest of the team will usually follow as well," Watson said. 

"He's a confident kid and he really has a lot of football smarts — he understands defensive coverages — there's still some things we gotta work on, but as of right now, I think that's one of his strengths," he added. 

But it's not just with his leadership and confidence that Ah Sui stands out. There's also his ability between the lines. 

"I think Keahi is probably one of the more accurate quarterbacks we've coached, so that's definitely a huge plus and with his baseball background that definitely helps," Watson said. "Then, of course, being a lefty it's already a wrench in some defense's gears."

Watson has also been impressed with the way Ah Sui carries himself off the field. 

"I think a lot of kids gravitate toward him and I think that it's just because of his natural leadership. He's really a no-nonsense kind of kid. He'll tell you straight and from what I've seen, he doesn't lie, he's an honest kid, he has integrity and I think that's what people can respect about him a lot. He'll be straightforward with you and I respect that," Watson said. 

The win was pivotal for Nanakuli's postseason hopes. It kept them in sole possession of second place in the nine-team Division II race in the Oahu Interscholastic Association. Only the top two teams in the standings after the eight-game regular season will qualify for the league championship game. 

"This win was good boost after playing a good Pearl City team. What was good, too, about the McKinley game is McKinley came out tough and they played tough the entire game. I don't think the score really reflects how good McKinley is and how good they can be, but for us, it was definitely a confidence booster coming off a loss," Watson said.

Now Ah Sui and the Golden Hawks (3-1) turn their sights to their next big test in the form of first-place Kaiser, which brings a 5-0 record into Friday's showdown in ‘the Valley.'

"The theme has been taking one day at a time and making sure every day we're one-and-oh," Watson said. "We don't want to look ahead to the game too soon and trip over the details in front of us, so the emphasis is one day at a time and one-and-oh at the end of every day. It should be a good game. Kaiser is a well-coached team, an athletic team, they have good players and we're just excited to compete against a good team."

Kickoff Friday is scheduled for approximately 7 p.m. 

Kilinahe Andrade

Kapolei volleyball  •   #7  S/OP  Senior

It's safe to say that Kilinahe Andrade has come out of her shell during her time on the Kapolei girls volleyball team. 

After all, it wasn't that long ago that the now-senior — along with her twin sister, Kailana — were a couple of soft-spoken freshmen.

"When we first met she wouldn't talk to me — her and the sister," Hurricanes coach Naida Gamurot said. "They were both shy — Kili was more shy than Kai — but not anymore."

Gamurot said that it was just the other day that she was taken aback by a relatively outspoken comment that came out of Andrade's mouth during a practice session. 

"She actually yelled over to somebody, ‘You will not be doing that again,' and we all just kind of looked at her," Gamurot laughed. "Before she would never say anything to anybody. When you talked to her, she would just nod her head — you wouldn't even get a ‘yes' most of the time — that's how shy and quiet she was."

Andrade's coming out party has, of course, been a process in the making. Setter is not even her natural position, Gamurot disclosed. 

"She was the backup setter two years ago and then she didn't set at all because in club they had her playing outside, so she came back, but we had no setter, so it was like, ‘Uh, it's you,' she had to learn really fast, but she was really cool about it because she wanted to hit and she's a really good hitter, but she's got the best hands and it's like, ‘It's gotta be you,' " she said.

Gamurot noted how the setter position, well, requires one to provide some vocal leadership, but Andrade, so far, has been up to the task. 

"She's a very quiet person. Two years ago I couldn't even get her to talk, you could have a whispering conversation with her, so she's learning it as she's going along and she's just taken to it. The learning curve has been really steep, but she's pushing it and getting along and the girls are really supporting her," said the longtime ‘Canes coach. 

As a sophomore two years ago, Andrade was the No. 2 setter behind standout Alexis Kepa. 

"She hadn't had that leadership role before because she was on the second team as the backup setter, so she's making that transition over and she's more vocal now and she's comfortable now running the offense and the girls are comfortable talking with her and whatever decision Kili makes they're going with it, so she's leading them, whereas in the beginning some of the veteran girls were leading her and now that's been switched," Gamurot said. 

In a sweep of previously-unbeaten Mililani back on Nov. 1, Andrade tallied 32 assists, along with six digs, three block assists, one solo block and a kill. Last Wednesday, she recorded 21 assists, five digs, three kills, one block assist and an ace in a three-set win at then-No. 9 Waianae. 

"She did a good job. What stuck out to me the most about Kili during that Waianae game was her ability to focus. It's also a major reason why she's been able to improve so quickly through the course of the season," Gamurot said of Andrade's performance against the Seariders, who brought an unblemished 7-0 record into the contest. 

"With all the distractions of that night — the noise, the match of the undefeateds, the fact that it was their senior night — none of those things fazed her. She just stayed focused on what she needed to do and she executed," Gamurot added. 

Six different players recorded at least two kills for the Hurricanes that night, led by Kailana Andrade's six. Maya Saole-Sue put down five kills and the duo of Marley Hartley and Azariah Nunuha added four kills piece. 

Gamurot was pleased with the set distribution from Kilinahe Andrade against Waianae. 

"She was pretty consistent on that and I think it's that consistency that we're trying to get with her to stay even-keel for the entire match. In the beginning we had some of the roller coaster, some frustrations because she didn't know all this stuff, but she understands it now," she said. "She knows how to look for who to set, so she's picking up all this knowledge and picking it up real fast."

Andrade has naturally gained confidence with more experience. 

"In the beginning she wasn't confident in her ability, but she had a lot to learn this season and she has a high expectation of herself," Gamurot said. 

For the season, the 5-foot-10 Andrade has racked up 258 assists (9.2 per set) through Kapolei's first nine matches. She also has 51 digs, 10 digs, 10 blocks and 12 service aces on the year. 

"She also plays opposite, so she's got a good hit — and a good block," Gamurot said. 

Gamurot was also keen to point out the contributions of sophomore libero Myah Feliciano, who recorded a team-high 15 digs and five aces against the Seariders. 

"She's been putting up some really nice passes, especially on serve-receive," Gamurot said. 

The win over Waianae put Kapolei into sole possession of first place atop the Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division standings, but the result was no more important than any other match, Gamurot said. 

"We just kind of take it in stride, we're kind of like that. We kind of stay pretty even-keel, just look at every game as it comes," she said. "Everybody knew it was important, everybody knew they were seven-and-oh, but we're a team that looks at it and we respect that, but we focus on doing what we need to do more than anything else and just supporting each other and working together as a team, but yes, we would have been terribly disappointed if we lost that."

Kapolei improved to 9-0 with its sweep of Campbell Monday night and moved up one spot to No. 6 in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings. 

Andrade and the Hurricanes (9-0) will look to wrap up a perfect regular season Wednesday night, when they host Radford at 7 p.m. 

The OIA playoffs get underway next week and conclude with the championship match on Dec. 2. The HHSAA State Championships will take place Dec. 6-11. 

FOOTBALL

Leonard Ah You, Kahuku — Recorded five tackles, including two sacks, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass in a win over Mililani

Isaiah Akiu, Kalaheo — Caught five passes for 114 yards in a loss to Waialua

Keoki Alani, Konawaena — Threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns on 18-of-28 passing with one interception and ran for another score in a win over Waiakea

Christian Asinsin, Nanakuli — Ran for 186 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in a win over McKinley

Jayce Bareng, Moanalua — Caught eight passes for 160 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kailua

Rowen-Ray Bucao, Campbell — Ran for 108 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and also caught a 40-yard TD pass in a win over Leilehua

Andy Canencia, Moanalua — Caught six passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kailua

Kainoa "Kaikai" Carvalho, Kahuku — Caught 10 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, returned four kickoffs for 90 yards, returned a punt for 16 yards, made a pair of field goals from 35 and 27 yards and was 5 of 6 on extra points in a win over Mililani

Josiah Chaffin, Farrington — Scored on an 81-yard kickoff return in a loss to Waianae

Waika Crawford, Kahuku — Threw for 174 yards and five touchdowns on 11-of-16 passing without an interception in a win over Mililani

Ayzen Cummings, Kealakehe — Caught four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown and recorded four tackles and an interception in a loss to Hilo

Zach Dando, Maui — Caught a touchdown pass, scored on a 36-yard fumble return for TD and also scored on a 73-yard kickoff return for TD in a win over Baldwin

Kala Estacado-Mathews, Castle — Intercepted two passes and returned one 37 yards for a touchdown in a loss to Aiea 

Brock Fonoimoana, Kahuku — Intercepted two passes and made two sacks, including one for a loss in a win over Mililani

Chayce Gomes, Waianae — Caught seven passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Farrington

Syracuse Kahakai, Farrington — Had 8 1/2 tackles and a fumble recovery in a loss to Waianae

Kawelu Kaiawe, Konawaena — Ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in a win over Waiakea

Justin Kanekoa, Kaiser — Caught six passes for 103 yards in a win over Pearl City

Kruze Keanu, Kahuku — Caught a touchdown pass on offense and intercepted a pass on defense in a win over Mililani

Kaikoa Kelii, Konawaena — Had seven tackles, including six for losses and one sack in a win over Waiakea

Shayne Kuboyama-Hayashi, Campbell — Threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns on 12-of-25 passing with one interception in a win over Leilehua

Jalin LeGrand, Radford — Had three tackles and scored on a 43-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Kalani

Blazen Lono-Wong, Kailua — Recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and recorded a sack in a loss to Moanalua 

Kamakana Mahiko, Kaiser — Caught nine passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in a win over Pearl City

Taylor "Koa" Malloe, Moanalua — Threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing without an interception and ran for another score in a win over Kailua

Makanalea Meyer, Mililani — Recorded 10 total tackles, including nine solo stops, broke up a pass and had four kickoff returns for 135 yards in a loss to Kahuku

Sheynen-Wyatt Nahale, Kealakehe — Threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-24 passing without an interception in a loss to Hilo

Tamatelee Nakoa, Waianae — Had eight tackles, including five for losses and three sacks in a win over Farrington

Garic Pahinui, Kailua — Had 2 1/2 sacks in a loss to Moanalua

Michael Papa, McKinley — Caught six passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Nanakuli

Jayden Pasco, Hilo — Ran for 153 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in a win over KEalakehe

Christian Payton, Radford — Ran for 110 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and also caught a TD pass in a win over Kalani

Tysic Puni, Campbell — Had two tackles for losses, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in a win over Leilehua

Alvin "Kolu" Quisquirin-Sabagala, Waianae — Ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and caught three passes for 49 yards in a win over Farrington

Kamaehu Roman, Mililani — Had 4 1/2 total tackles, including 2 1/2 for losses and two sacks in a loss to Kahuku

Brantztyn Reyes, Nanakuli — Scored on a 55-yard kickoff return in a win over McKinley

Roo Satta-Ellis, Konawaena — Caught seven passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Waiakea

Coby Tanioka, Castle — Caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown and also scored on an 84-yard kickoff return in a loss to Aiea

Seti Taualupe, Kalani — Registered two tackles for losses and recorded two interceptions in a loss to Radford

Kaulana Tihada, Lahainaluna — Ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Trez Uemoto, Konawaena — Had 3 1/2 tackles, including three for losses with one sack and forced two fumbles in a win over Waiakea

Geronimo Ulgaran, Aiea — Caught seven passes for 166 yards and a touchdown in a win over Castle

Riis Weber, Kalaheo — Threw for 221 yards on 15-of-29 passing with one interception and ran for 51 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a loss to Waialua

Elward Westbrook Jr., Nanakuli — Recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in a win over McKinley

Robert Young, Maui — Caught a touchdown pass and also scored on a 35-yard interception return for TD in a win over Baldwin

James Zara, Waialua — Scored on a 65-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over Kalaheo

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Milan Ah Yat, University Lab — Had 13 kills, 13 digs, three assists, one solo block, one block assist and an ace in a three-set win over Damien and had nine kills, 12 digs and one block assist in a three-set loss to Le Jardin

Pii Carvalho, University Lab — Had 18 digs, eight kills, one solo block, a block assist and an ace in a three-set win over Damien and had 10 kills, seven digs, four block assists, one solo block and an ace in a three-set loss to Le Jardin

Jacie Chaviera, Aiea — Had 23 assists, seven digs, one kill and an ace in a four-set loss to Waipahu

Reese Diersbock, Le Jardin — Had 17 kills, seven digs and two block assists in a three-set win over University Lab

Myah Feliciano, Kapolei — Had 15 digs and five aces in a three-set win over Waianae

Gennezia Hawkins, Le Jardin — Had 27 assists, five digs and two kills in a three-set win over University Lab

Shae Hazzard, Kalaheo — Had 21 assists in a three-set loss to Kaiser

Ryli Kalahiki, Le Jardin — Had 11 digs, three block assists, two kills and an ace in a three-set win over University Lab

Maiah Kalima-Izumi, University Lab — Had 15 digs and one assists in a three-set win over Damien and had 18 digs and three assists in a three-set loss to Le Jardin

Ana Lii, Aiea — Had 28 digs, 13 kills, seven aces and one block assist in a four-set loss to Radford

Hailee Naone, Le Jardin — Had 12 digs and six assists in a three-set win over University Lab

Jazzahlei Satele, Kalaheo — Had 12 kills, two assists and one ace in a three-set loss to Kaiser

Makena Tong, University Lab — Had 42 assists, five kills, four digs and two block assists in a three-set win over Damien and had 29 assists, nine digs, four kills and one ace in a three-set loss to Le Jardin

Shereya Ufuti, Kaiser — Had 11 kills, 13 assists, two block assists and one solo block in a three-set win over Kalaheo

Sydnee Walker, Le Jardin — Had 21 digs, eight kills and two assists in a three-set win over University Lab

Alexander Ver, Aiea — Had 16 digs and two assists in a four-set loss to Radford and had 21 digs and an ace in a four-set loss to Waipahu