Sixteen of the 48 high school varsity football teams in Hawaii have state tournament dreams intact heading into the weekend.
By Sunday, that number will be down to 10.
The 25th edition of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA championships get underway Friday and Saturday in all three tiers of competition — the Open Division, Division I and Division II — at various campus sites.
The Open semifinals promise plenty of fireworks.
Friday’s 4 p.m. matchup at Mililani is a rematch of last year’s Open final between Kahuku and Mililani, won 21-19 by the Red Raiders. Both teams have imported talent from the continent in recent weeks — quarterback Matai Fuiava and offensive lineman Jacob Maiava for Kahuku, receiver Brandon Gaea for Mililani. Kahuku thumped Mililani 35-6 in the OIA semifinals two weeks ago, but Trojans quarterback Kini McMillan finally has his legs under him coming off an injury that cost him most of the season.
And the 7:30 nightcap between ILH champ Saint Louis and potent Campbell is a battle of two teams with plenty to prove, as the storied Crusaders make their first state appearance since 2021 and the Sabers, the consensus No. 1 team until a loss to Kahuku in the OIA final, seek redemption and a first title at the highest tier of competition. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, state’s all-time passing yardage leader, will have to outpoint Saint Louis’ offense led by running back Titan Lacaden.
The winners advance to the Nov. 29 Open final at the University of Hawaii’s Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
In Division I, defending champion Waipahu moved up to the Open this year and did not qualify for states.
In the six-team D-I field, only top seed Konawaena, the 2022 champion out of the BIIF, knows what it is like to raise a state trophy in the post-COVID era. Lahainaluna and Kapaa seek their first titles at the HHSAA's middle classification, while OIA champ Leilehua looks to achieve a throwback to its only championship in 2007. Kailua and Damien are in the hunt for their first title, period.
Lahainaluna, just a little over a year removed from the wildfire that engulfed historic Lahaina town, has proved remarkably resilient and is making its 17th straight state appearance. The Lunas eked out a 7-3 win over Baldwin in a playoff for the MIL title and are in pursuit of their fifth state crown. They get to host Leilehua on Maui on Saturday night. Something to watch: Leilehua has won at least one game in all eight previous appearances in states.
In the other first-round game, Kailua heads to Kauai to face Kapaa at the Baptiste Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.
In Division II, two-time defending state champ Waimea was knocked out by Kauai High in the KIF.
There is a strong chance for a first-time champion. The six-team field has combined for only one state championship — Kaiser in 2013. Kamehameha-Maui, Kauai, Roosevelt, Pac-Five and Kamehameha-Hawaii have never been the last team standing.
The Neighbor Islands will have a strong say in the outcome as top seed KS-Maui and No. 2 Kauai will host the first-round winners (KS-Hawaii at Roosevelt, Kaiser versus Pac-Five) in the two semifinals.
The D-I and D-II championships will be held at Mililani on Nov. 30.
Spectrum News presents a look at the teams in each field and their history in the past 24 editions of the state tournament.
Games: No. 1 Kahuku at Mililani, 4 p.m. Friday; No. 2 Saint Louis versus Campbell, 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Mililani
KAHUKU (8-4)
State titles: 11 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023)
State tournament appearances: 20
State tournament record: 32-9
Last state appearance: 2023
MILILANI (9-2)
State titles: 2 (2014, 2016)
State tournament appearances: 15
State tournament record: 10-13
Last state appearance: 2023
SAINT LOUIS (7-3)
State titles: 7 (1999, 2002, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
State tournament appearances: 14
State tournament record: 26-7
Last state appearance: 2021
CAMPBELL (9-1)
State titles: 1 (2004)
State tournament appearances: 8
State tournament record: 4-7
Last state appearance: 2023
Games: No. 5 Leilehua at No. 4 Lahainaluna, 7 p.m. Saturday; Kailua at No. 3 Kapaa, 2 p.m. Saturday; Leilehua/Lahainaluna winner at No. 1 Konawaena, 7 p.m. Nov. 22; Kailua/Kapaa winner versus No. 2 Damien, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22, at Farrington
LEILEHUA (9-3)
State titles: 1 (2007)
State tournament appearances: 8
State tournament record: 11-7
Last state appearance: 2019
LAHAINALUNA (6-4)
State titles: 4 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
State tournament appearances: 19
State tournament record: 17-15
Last state appearance: 2023
KAILUA (6-6)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 4
State tournament record: 1-4
Last state appearance: 2003
KAPAA (6-2)
State titles: 1 (2021)
State tournament appearances: 9
State tournament record: 9-8
Last state appearance: 2023
KONAWAENA (9-2)
State titles: 1 (2022)
State tournament appearances: 11
State tournament record: 5-10
Last state appearance: 2023
DAMIEN (8-1)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 5
State tournament record: 4-5
Last state appearance: 2023
Games: No. 5 Kamehameha-Hawaii at No. 4 Roosevelt, 6:30 p.m. Saturday; Kaiser versus Pac-Five, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, at Farrington; Roosevelt/KS-Hawaii winner at No. 1 Kamehameha-Maui, 7 p.m. Nov. 22; Pac-Five/Kaiser winner at No. 2 Kauai, 2 p.m. Nov. 22
KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAII (11-1)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 8
State tournament record: 1-8
Last state appearance: 2023
ROOSEVELT (9-2)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 4
State tournament record: 3-4
Last state appearance: 2023
KAISER (8-2)
State titles: 1 (2013)
State tournament appearances: 3
State tournament record: 3-2
Last state appearance: 2022
PAC-FIVE (6-1)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 3
State tournament record: 1-3
Last state appearance: 2023
KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI (7-3)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 3
State tournament record: 3-3
Last state appearance: 2023
KAUAI (3-5)
State titles: 0
State tournament appearances: 11
State tournament record: 7-11
Last state appearance: 2017
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.