It is rare that two — let alone three — players with the same primary sport at the same school in the same year pass muster to be admitted into the esteemed ranks of the Hawaii High School Hall of Honor.
On Sunday, an 11-person committee of current and former sportswriters, athletic directors and coaches decided that a trio of Kahuku football’s outgoing stars merited such consideration. Linebackers Leonard Ah You and Liona Lefau and safety Brock Fonoimoana headlined the class of 12 seniors for the 2023 hall class announced Monday morning.
The three, bound for Power Five schools in Texas (Lefau), Utah (Fonoimoana) and Oregon State (Ah You) were defensive linchpins for the Red Raiders in securing a second straight state Open Division championship. But they were talented and versatile enough to appear on offense and special teams when necessary, too.
They are the first trio of football teammates to be inducted to the Hall in the same season. Only one other group of three in any sport — Iolani basketball's Brian Ah Yat, Todd King and Adam Wong — happened in 1994.
"It’s well deserved," Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho told Spectrum News of that distinction. "It’s not by chance or coincidence that those three were nominated and selected.
“I know how much hard work they put to accomplish the things that they have achieved thus far,” he continued. “I know they are just as better young men off the field too. Within the community, giving service, always willing to help out their teammates. That’s why I’m not surprised. They are not just student-athletes, but they are mentors; they are pillars within the community in which they serve. They serve the young, the old, their teammates. They are authentic young men.”
Kamehameha placed two in the class with girls’ soccer/volleyball standout Marley Roe and track and field sensation Tatum Moku.
Nine members of the class hailed from Oahu while Kauai, Lanai and Hawaii Island each gained one. There were seven girls and five boys. Seven hailed from public schools, four from private schools and one from a public charter school.
Each inductee receives a $2,000 scholarship from the HHSAA and Enterprise Holdings. They will be honored at a June 4 banquet at the Ala Moana Hotel, the first such in-person event since 2019.
The full list of inductees:
Milan Ah Yat, University Lab/Pac-Five softball/volleyball/baseball
Ah Yat, bound for Loyola Marymount to play softball, had the go-ahead grand slam and seven RBIs in the Division II state softball championship for Pac-Five over Waimea, 13-12, on May 5. She led the state at any division with 12 homers. She was also the state tournament MVP for University Lab in its five-set Division II girls’ volleyball title win over Le Jardin her junior year.
Leonard Ah You, Kahuku football/basketball/volleyball/track and field
Ah You, a standout Red Raiders linebacker, was a team captain in just about any sport he played. The Oregon State-bound standout garnered multiple Defensive Player of the Year honors in helping Kahuku to its back-to-back championships — capped with a fumble recovery to preserve the 20-0 shutout of Punahou for the 2022 Open Division title. He also founded the Leonard Ah You Foundation to help keiki receive athletic training.
Elijah Dinkel, Kamehameha-Hawaii soccer/football/track and field
Dinkel won state tournament MVP his junior and senior years in the Warriors’ back-to-back Division II boys soccer championships, leading all players in tournament scoring both years. He was a two-time all-state first-teamer, capped with a senior season in which he scored multiple goals in 10 of 12 games. He was also a two-time all-state kicker/punter in football.
Brock Fonoimoana, Kahuku football/basketball/volleyball/track and field
Though known primarily as a safety, Fonoimoana was an essential contributor in all three phases for the Red Raiders, particularly as a senior when talented utility teammate Kainoa Carvalho missed most of the season with an injury. The University of Utah-bound star of the secondary also contributed as a starting guard hoops and outside hitter in volleyball and was lauded for his community service.
Taryn Irimata, Campbell softball
The unquestioned best pitcher in the state capped her career in strong fashion, retiring the last 17 batters she faced against Kamehameha to win the 2023 Division I championship, 4-3. Irimata, bound for Nevada on a softball scholarship, had a 12.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio through an unbeaten workhorse run as a senior.
Liona Lefau, Kahuku football
The Gatorade Hawaii Football Player of the Year was an all-around menace to opponents over the last two years. As a senior, he totaled 52.5 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Like his teammates in this Hall class, Lefau, who is already enrolled at Texas, had credibility in the community. He founded the Liona Lefau Football Camp in December and plans to resume it in May 2024.
Solomone Malafu, Kapaa football/basketball/volleyball
Malafu was a two-way warrior for the Warriors, particularly his junior season, when he carried them to a lopsided win over Kamehameha-Maui for the football Division II state title with four touchdowns on four carries. He helped Kapaa to a KIF basketball championship as a junior before graduating early to enroll at UCLA, where he will play football.
Tatum Moku, Kamehameha track and field
Moku set the state meet record in pole vault at 13 feet, 1 inch as a junior, and defended her title as a senior. She also dominated in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump as a junior and senior. To boot, she was third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 100 dash. Moku will continue her track career at Washington State with the goal of becoming the first Native Hawaiian to compete in pole vault in the Olympics.
Keala Montgomery, Lanai softball/basketball/volleyball
Montgomery, a three-sport standout who received Maui Interscholastic League all-league honors in all three, became the first Pine Lass to join the Hall and second athlete ever from Lanai after Naighel Calderon in 2019. She helped the Lasses to the Division II state tournament in all three sports as a senior. She is headed to Kenyon College to further her softball career.
Raya Nakao, Punahou golf
Nakao, in her only two years she was able to compete in state golf due to the pandemic, was historically good. She had the two lowest single rounds in HHSAA girls history, a 64 as a junior and 67 as a senior, in repeating as individual champion and helping the Buffanblu to the 2022 team title. The Oregon State-bound Nakao is one of two players to be unbeaten in state tournaments in a prep career.
Zola O’Donnell, Mililani cross country/track and field/swimming
A dominant distance runner, O’Donnell claimed the state cross country title in the fall with a time of 19:07 — earning Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year — and followed it up with the 1500- and 3000-meter titles in the spring. She broke the OIA 1500 and 3000 OIA records. O’Donnell will continue her career in track and cross country at UH Manoa.
Marley Roe, Kamehameha soccer/volleyball
A two-time state soccer and one-time state volleyball champion, Roe was a force in both, particularly between the posts for soccer as a starter since her freshman year. She came within a match of winning another soccer title as a senior, falling to Punahou in the championship. Roe will attend Utah Tech to play Division I volleyball.
Note: This story was updated Monday night with Carvalho's interview and information on each inductee. (May 22, 2023)
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.