The Kahuku football team has newfound respect following its landmark 30-23 upset of national No. 3 St. John Bosco on the North Shore on Saturday night.

The Red Raiders, who built a sizable early lead over the Bellflower, Calif., powerhouse, fell behind, then scored in the final minute, were accorded a No. 9 rank in the MaxPreps.com weekly poll Monday, up 46 spots from their previous spot at No. 55. Bosco dropped to No. 10.

In the NFL Play Football America 300 national rankings, Kahuku went from No. 52 to No. 5, with Bosco now at No. 6.

The game drew widespread attention on social media, both for the notable upset and the manner of its finish; St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro disagreed with some key late penalty calls that went in Kahuku’s favor, extending a drive so that quarterback Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa could run in the game-winner with 23 seconds left.

On the final play of the game, a Bosco pass over the middle, Kahuku was initially flagged for a hit on a defenseless receiver, but after the play, a Bosco staffer attempted to confront one of the officials on the field and was flagged as well. After conferring, the local officiating crew called the game over and defending national champion Bosco (4-1) lost to an out-of-state opponent for the first time since 2017.

Kahuku (5-1) has lost only to national No. 1 Mater Dei, a 55-8 mainland thumping on Sept. 9 that helped inspire the team a week later.

Bosco, formerly at No. 3, was the highest-ranked opponent to be beaten by a Hawaii high school football team. After the win, Red Raiders coach Sterling Carvalho told Spectrum News that the win was for all of Hawaii.

"I know we represented the 808," Carvalho said. "They’re ballers across the islands, in the whole state. So what you saw tonight is not just Kahuku, but all the 808 ballers out there that are able to play at this level."

The Red Raiders head to Nanakuli on Saturday for a cross-divisional Oahu Interscholastic Association matchup.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.