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Despite defeat, Ching did it all for Knights; Tatupu's positivity shining light for Mules




Daunte Ching

Castle football  •   #4    

Daunte Ching was a busy guy Saturday night. 

The Castle quarterback had a hand in all five of the Knights' touchdowns in a 52-35 loss to Aiea. It was a performance that left his coach, Junior Pale, at a loss for words even a few days later. 

"He did everything. That night, he was just, like, in another universe," Pale said of Ching, a 5-foot-7, 155-pound senior. "He really was possessed."

The statistics back Pale's opinion. 

Ching passed for 214 yards and a couple of touchdowns, ran for another 120 yards and two more scores and even caught a TD pass. 

"Aiea's defense couldn't really stop him. After every play, when he sees something, he says, ‘Coach, we gotta run this,' " Pale recalled. "So I'll call it and he picks up an extra 15, 20 yards on the play, or even score a touchdown, so he's really like another coach out there."

After Aiea took an early lead, Ching and senior wide receiver Coby Tanioka hooked up for a 96-yard touchdown pass to tie it with two minutes and 24 seconds left in the first quarter. 

Na Alii capitalized on a couple of takeaways and took command with 21 points in only 41 seconds, including a pick-six off of Ching's lone interception of the night. 

Ching and Tanioka connected once more for a 12-yard TD pass late in the second quarter. Only this time, their roles were reversed. 

On the scoring play, Ching pitched the ball backward to Tanioka, who initially ran with it, but then threw it back across the field to Ching, who walked in for the short touchdown. 

"The way he sold that was unreal," Pale reflected. "He pitched it and just stood there watching Coby running and all of a sudden he flew out and he sold it so perfect that there was nobody within 10 yards of him."

Aiea held a 35-14 lead at halftime and extended it to 45-14 with about a minute left in the third quarter, but Ching "snuck" into the end zone with his 54-yard TD run seconds before the end of the period. 

"That's what really stood out to me," Pale said of Ching's longest TD run of the season. 

"The two defensive tackles were shifted outside the (offensive) guards, the safety tried to come down and make the tackle, but he spun and he was just gone; He was just amazing that night," Pale said. 

Ching averaged 8.0 yards per carry and completed 14 of his 24 pass attempts against Na Alii. 

During a timeout for injury, Pale noted that his counterpart across the field — longtime Aiea coach Wendell Say — couldn't help but ask about Ching. 

"He said, ‘Who is number four? He's giving (defensive coordinator) Mika (Liilii) a headache. He was doing amazing stuff. Couple times after he scored, me and (offensive coordinator) Kip (Botelho) looking at each other, like, what the heck, who is this guy tonight?' He was so focused that night that he pretty much took control of every scenario of the game and when you have somebody like that, with that kind of confidence, you're gonna ride with that. It's like, ‘Just go.' He was focused, he was on a mission, it was like, ‘OK, go get ‘em, Daunte. This is your team, go get ‘em,' " Pale said. 

Ching's 19-yard TD run a few minutes into the fourth quarter pulled the Knights to within 45-28. 

"For our team to come back and respond like that, we could have just sat down like we did against Waipahu, but the kids on the sideline stayed positive, our defense stepped up a little bit and we didn't get the win, but we it gave them a chance and I'm proud of them that they never gave up," Pale said. "I'm happy for them, I'm happy for Daunte. The o-line did a hell of a job. They gave him time to play, they stuck with their blocks, so it really was a team effort coming back, but Daunte was above and beyond. After the game, I told him, ‘You were a winner tonight in my eyes.' "

Ching and Tanioka linked up once more in the closing minutes with their 4-yard scoring strike. Tanioka finished with 10 catches for 184 yards in the loss. 

"Daunte and Coby are like the 1-2 punch for this team," said Pale, whose team dropped to 1-7 on the season (1-4 OIA Division I). 

"This season was rough, but I'm proud of the boys. We've been struggling, but they come to practice every week and give us 100 percent and that's all we can ask. We've got a long way to go to change the culture, but hopefully it's going in the right direction with the underclassmen coming up," Pale added. 

Ching and the Knights wrap up their season Friday, 7:30 p.m. against Radford. 

 
FOOTBALL

Rusten Abang, Campbell — Caught four passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Waianae 

Emilio Aguilar, Aiea — Made three tackles, recovered a fumble and scored on a 33-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Castle 

Kilinahe Aki, Farrington — Had two sacks in a win over Roosevelt 

Alika Amasiu, Kalaheo — Passed for 122 yards, ran for a touchdown and had 2 1/2 tackles and a fumble recovery in a loss to Kaimuki 

Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, Konawaena — Caught 12 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown and recovered a fumble in a win over Hilo

Bobby Best, Pearl City — Ran 23 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Waialua 

Rowen Bucao, Campbell — Caught seven passes for 110 yards in a win over Waianae 

Jheremie Carpal, Aiea — Caught 11 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Castle 

Jayden Chanel, Aiea — Caught six passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in a win over Castle 

Waika Crawford, Kahuku — Threw for 128 yards and five touchdowns on 11-of-17 passing in a win over Moanalua 

Piercen Evans, Maui — Ran 19 times for 109 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kekaulike

Ryan Figueroa, Castle — Made 10 tackles in a loss to Aiea 

Kekahi Graham, Saint Louis — Threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-30 passing with one interception in a loss to Punahou 

Astin Hange, Punahou — Caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Saint Louis 

Micah Hoomanawanui, Iolani — Threw for 198 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-20 passing without an interception in a win over Damien 

Isaiah Iosefa, Mililani — Had one interception, one sack and a pass break-up in a win over Kapolei 

Kamuela Kaaihue, Roosevelt — Had one sack, recovered a fumble and caught a touchdown pass in a loss to Farrington 

Kawelu Kaiawe, Konawaena — Ran 16 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Hilo 

Kache Kaio, Kahuku — Caught three touchdown passes in a win over Moanalua 

Alvin Kalahiki IV, Waianae — Scored on a 92-yard interception return for touchdown in a loss to Campbell 

Kaeo Kawaakoa, Iolani — Ran for three touchdowns in a win over Damien 

Iosefa Letuli, Kaimuki — Threw for 222 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-17 passing without an interception and ran in a touchdown in a win over Kalaheo 

Kayman Lewis, Roosevelt — Threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-46 passing with one interception in a loss to Farrington 

Keagan Lime, Kaiser — Caught six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns and had 3 1/2 tackles and a pass break-up in a win over Kalani

James Lukela-Kobatake, Lahainaluna — Ran eight times for 108 yards in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Allen Mahoe III, Nanakuli — Ran eight times for 126 yards and three touchdowns in a win over McKinley 

Aizik Mahuka, Aiea — Made nine tackles and intercepted a pass in a win over Castle 

Kynan McCartney, Kalani — Threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-49 passing without an interception and ran 17 times for 89 yards in a loss to Kaiser 

Kini McMillan, Mililani — Threw for 305 yards and five touchdowns on 20-of-28 passing with one interception and ran for a touchdown in a win over Kapolei 

Kingston Miles, Farrington — Ran 17 times for 109 yards and a touchdown in a win over Roosevelt 

Jayden Montgomery-Gaopoa, Roosevelt — Caught six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Farrington 

Brayden Morioka, Iolani — Scored on an 81-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Damien 

Mason Muaau, Campbell — Caught six passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Waianae 

Nainoa Nagum, Waianae — Scored on a 94-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a loss to Campbell 

Shaun Niu Jr., Kahuku — Had two interceptions and a pass break-up in a win over Moanalua 

Preston Note, McKinley — Caught four passes for 170 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Nanakuli 

Elijah Nua, Mililani — Had three sacks in a win over Kapolei 

Nalu Nuuhiwa-Santos, Kaiser — Had six tackles, including three sacks, in a win over Kalani 

Ezekiel Olie, Aiea — Threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns on 28-of-34 passing without an interception in a win over Castle 

Christopher Paulo, Nanakuli — Scored on a 66-yard punt return for touchdown and a scored on a 65-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over McKinley

Dante Peltier, Kaimuki — Caught two passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kalaheo 

Michael Perry, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Threw for 232 yards and five touchdowns on 11-of-16 passing without an interception in a win over Kau 

Jacob Poouahi, Kekaulike — Scored on a 24-yard fumble return in a loss to Maui 

Iona Purcell, Saint Louis — Had 4 1/2 tackles and forced two fumbles in a loss to Punahou 

Jaron Sagapolutele, Campbell — Threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns on 27-of-36 passing without an interception in a win over Waianae 

John-Keawe Sagapolutele, Punahou — Threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns on 24-of-33 passing with one interception in a win over Saint Louis 

Onosai Salanoa, Mililani — Caught four passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kapolei 

Yosei Takahashi, Saint Louis — Caught five passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Punahou 

Avin Tanioka, Kaimuki — Ran five times for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kalaheo 

Coby Tanioka, Castle — Caught 10 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a touchdown pass in a loss to Aiea 

Anieli Teleaai, Waipahu — Ran 21 times for 139 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kailua 

Aiden Trinidad, Kalani — Made nine tackles, including 2 1/2 for losses, in a loss to Kaiser 

Pennsylvania Tuaopepe, Kapolei — Had one sack, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in a loss to Mililani 

Jonah Viernes, Kalani — Caught 12 passes for 111 yards and made 4 1/2 tackles in a loss to Kaiser 

Ty Watterson, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Caught four passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kau 

Jeremiah White, Kaimuki — Had 3 1/2 tackles and scored on a 52-yard fumble return for touchdown in a win over Kalaheo 

Alai Williams, Punahou — Ran 17 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Saint Louis 

James Zara, Waialua — Had two interceptions in a loss to Pearl City 




Trinity Tatupu

Leilehua volleyball  •   #12  MB/OH  Senior

Leilehua senior Trinity Tatupu is most certainly a glass-half-full kind of person.

Just ask her volleyball coach. 

"She's the spark plug, I guess you could say," Mules coach Jerry Keola said of Tatupu, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter. 

Tatupu's positivity is one constant that her teammates and Keola can always count on. 

"She always tries to keep her teammates up and you don't find that often, that when things aren't going well, she doesn't get mad. Her demeanor toward her teammates is, ‘Don't worry about this. Let's go. We can do this,' " he said. 

As the most experienced player on the team — Tatupu was called up to the varsity squad after her freshman season of JV ball — not only has she embraced her leadership role, but she's done so with a lot of compassion, Keola describes. 

"I guess you can say she's the ‘big sister.' We have some other seniors on there, but she's like the ‘big sister' that these girls look up to and feed off of," he said. "She's never down. She worries that she's not performing at her potential for the team, but other than that, win or lose, she's happy. Even if we lose a game, she'll say, ‘Don't worry, we'll come back. Let's focus on what we need to do.' "

At least part of that motherly instinct almost surely stems from Tatupu's own upbringing as the fifth of sixth siblings in the household. 

"She's got four older brothers and one more girl that's younger than her," Keola said. 

According to Keola, a whole lot of Trinity's volleyball skill can be credited to her brothers. 

"Growing up, being a part of a volleyball family, her older brothers trained her along the way and helped her understanding of the game. They go over film with her and that's helped her a lot. She's amazing. She reads things really, really good. She reads hitters, even in the backcourt, it's like, wow, she's amazing," Keola described. 

That growth process hasn't always been easy for Trinity, as her brothers had a heavy hand in her development. 

"Her brothers literally rounded balls at her and her older brother, Tupu, was always on her about her playing, but she's not only a hard worker on the court, but also a hard worker in class and in school, too. She's just an amazing young lady and how she controls everything and how she conducts herself on and off the court is amazing."

Tatupu's all-around abilities keeps her off the bench and on the court for all six rotations. 

"She plays all the way around and the reason we don't take her out is because she is that leader. She's the one talking with the girls, no matter if they're down, she's always talking," Keola said. 

In addition to her communication skills, Tatupu's versatility has served her and the Mules well the past few years. She played middle blocker last season and started out this fall at outside hitter, but because of a team need, Tatupu shifted back to the middle. 

"When we went back to Trinity in the middle, that's fired up the girls a little more because she brings the energy," Keola said. 

As a junior in 2021, Tatupu earned All-OIA West First Team recognition and led Leilehua to a 9-3 league record and OIA Division II championship, the first for the Mules in program history. 

"She's an amazing athlete. She doesn't let things bother her. It probably does bother her, but she doesn't show it. Like most athletes, they'll show it, but she has a good way of win or lose, taking it with pride," Keola said. 

This season the Mules reeled off a string of five straight wins before a heart-breaking loss in five sets to then-undefeated Mililani. On senior night, no less. 

Yet, it took Tatupu mere minutes after the conclusion of the match to turn her focus forward. 

"After the game Trinity talked to some of our young girls on the team who kind of got rattled and she said, ‘Win or lose, it was a good game and hats off to (the Trojans) because they ddi fight and they wanted it more than us. We know we were supposed to have taken it, but we just gotta move forward from here and the road ahead of us and we can still come back and finish second (in the West),' so that was the goal," Keola said. 

Tatupu's words proved to be prophetic as the Mules went on to defeat both Kapolei and Waianae on their way to a second-place finish and a first-round bye in this week's OIA D1 tournament. 

Tatupu played a pivotal part in Leilehua's five-set road win at Waianae Thursday night. She put down 10 kills and tallied 11 blocks to help the Mules to a 17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 15-7 victory. 

"She rose to the challenge. She knew what she wanted and she went after it. She just did amazing work for us — it was the same thing in the Kapolei game and it was the same thing in the Mililani game as well. I think, more or less, when you can produce like how she did against Waianae, constantly blocking balls left and right, it frustrates an offense and things start changing where they're rolling, or dinking, and they're just frustrated because they're getting blocked so much. She was just on fire," Keola expressed. 

Tatupu has verbally committed to play at the University of Alaska, Anchorage next year. 

"If she didn't get a scholarship for volleyball, she would have gotten an academic one," Keola interjected. 

Tatupu and the Mules (8-2) will play the winner of the first-round game between West sixth-seed Campbell and East third-seed Farrington in Thursday's quarterfinal round, 5:30 p.m. at Kahuku. 

 
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Higa Agbayani, Kaiser — Had 17 assists, three digs and two aces in a five-set win over Kalaheo and had 17 assists and two digs in a five-set loss to Farrington 

Jamilyn Amina, Campbell — Had 12 kills, five digs and a solo block in a four-set loss to Mililani 

Jaelah Auwae, Waianae — Had 19 digs and nine assists in a five-set loss to Radford 

Vaalele Avegallo, Radford — Had 13 kills and an assist in a five-set win over Waianae 

Aierlyn Cabanlet, Pearl City — Had 24 assists, one kill and an ace in a five-set loss to Aiea 

Makalani Carey, Seabury Hall — Had 10 kills in a three-set win over Lanai

Jacie Chaviera, Aiea — Had 28 assists, 13 digs and three aces in a five-set win over Pearl City and had 15 assists, eight digs and a block assist in a three-set loss to Nanakuli 

Emma Chun, Nanakuli — Had 15 assists and three digs in a three-set win over Aiea 

Haylee DePonte, Moanalua — Had 20 assists and two digs in a three-set win over Kalani 

Kamaluhia Garcia, Moanalua — Had 17 kills, seven digs, six aces and four block assists in a three-set win over Kalani 

Marley Hartley, Kapolei — Had 12 digs, two aces, one kill and a solo block in a three-set win over Campbell 

Piilani Hirahara, Roosevelt — Had 15 assists and one dig in a three-set loss to Kalani 

Larryn-Alexis Joseph-Rodrigues, Waianae — Had 10 kills, six aces, two digs, three block assists, two assists and one solo block in a five-set loss to Radford 

Taelyn Kanoa-Tilton, Castle — Had 11 kills, 13 digs, 14 assists, two aces and a block assist in a five-set loss to Kailua 

Lehiwa Kapu, Castle — Had 21 assists, nine digs, two kills, two aces and a solo block in a five-set loss to Kailua 

Kawena Kapu, Castle — Had 29 digs, one ace and an assist in a five-set loss to Kailua 

Kaitlin Kiko, Kapolei — Had 12 digs and two aces in a three-set win over Campbell 

Leleapaoo Krug, Waianae — Had 24 kills, nine digs, three solo blocks and an ace in a five-set loss to Radford 

Shayla Lacamiento, Kapolei — Had 26 assists and four digs in a three-set win over Campbell 

Ana Liilii, Aiea — Had 18 digs, nine kills, four aces and an assist in a five-set win over Pearl City 

Sierra Long, Pearl City — Had 16 kills and two aces in a five-set loss to Aiea 

Raymie Lum, Kalani — Had 19 kills, three digs and three aces in a three-set win over Roosevelt and had 15 kills, six digs and one assist in a three-set loss to Moanalua 

Haylee Lyons, Kalani — Had 13 kills, four digs, one assist and an ace in a three-set win over Roosevelt and had 11 kills, three digs and two block assists in a three-set loss to Moanalua 

Marlayina Masani, Campbell — Had 11 digs, 10 assists, six kills and three aces in a four-set loss to Mililani and had 11 digs, eight assists and five kills in a three-set loss to Kapolei 

Amanda Naipo, Baldwin — Had 10 kills, five digs, three aces and a block assist in a three-set win over Lahainaluna 

Ariana Naipo, Baldwin — Had 10 kills, seven digs and two aces in a three-set win over Lahainaluna 

Lilinoe Paschoal, Baldwin — Had 30 assists, two kills and a block assist in a three-set win over Lahainaluna 

Angelique Mia Pichay, Campbell — Had 13 digs in a four-set loss to Mililani 

Jasmine Pei, Aiea — Had 12 kills, two digs, one block assist and an ace in a five-set win over Pearl City 

Scarlet Ray, Kalaheo — Had 10 kills, two digs, two block assists and one solo block in a five-set loss to Kaiser 

Kekua Richards, Seabury Hall — Had 14 kills in a three-set win over Lanai 

Jazzahlei Satele, Kalaheo — Had 17 assists, six digs, five aces and four kills in a five-set loss to Kaiser 

Valo Sopoaga, Kaiser — Had 18 kills, seven digs, three block assists, two aces and two assists in a five-set win over Kalaheo 

Aleejah Sunia, Farrington — Had 13 kills, six digs, one block assist and an ace in a five-set win over Kaiser 

Ayre Takamoto, Kalani — Had 29 assists, four kills, one dig and a block assist in a three-set win over Roosevelt and had 21 assists, two digs and one block assist in a three-set loss to Moanalua 

Lemao Taualii, Castle — Had 12 kills, three digs and two aces in a five-set loss to Kailua 

Haiti Tautuaa, Waianae — Had 42 assists, seven kills, three solo blocks, one block assist and an ace in a five-set loss to Radford 

Shereya Ufuti, Kaiser — Had 12 kills, 16 assists, five digs, four aces and three block assists in a five-set win over Kalaheo and had 11 assists, eight kills, nine digs, five block assists and two aces in a five-set loss to Farrington 

Jorja Williams, Farrington — Had 17 kills, 21 digs and five aces in a five-set win over Kaiser 

Tehani Yamashita, Aiea — Had 14 digs and a kill in a five-set win over Pearl City and had 11 digs and two assists in a three-set loss to Nanakuli 



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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