Kahuku and St. Louis (Honolulu) have met twice in the past four years in the state championship game of Hawaii's HHSAA Open Division with each program winning a state title. Kahuku won in a 49-14 blowout in 2021 to hoist the first trophy awarded after the 2020 season was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then, last fall, St. Louis managed to end Kahuku's three-year run at the top with a 17-10 victory in the championship game. Those two contests were bookended around Kahuku's other two title runs that came against Punahou (Honolulu) (20-0) in 2022 and Mililani in 2023 (21-19).
That's four different teams taking a shot at the title over the past four years, but with the wealth of riches that Kahuku and St. Louis possess from a talent perspective, it wouldn't surprise anybody if we get a third championship edition of the Red Raiders-Crusaders' rivalry this fall.
The regular-season matchup between those two programs is the most noteworthy in-state clash in 2025.
Kahuku gets another chance to play spoiler in 2025
But the two biggest games on the Hawaii prep schedule this fall will again feature Kahuku taking on a couple of major national powers – both of them consensus Top 3 national programs.
Those games come in back-to-back weeks, starting with a game against Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) in the islands on August 30. A week later, Kahuku will pack its bags and fly to California to take on the nation's No. 1 team in the Mater Dei (Santa, Ana) Monarchs.
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It's the same duo the Red Raiders faced a year ago, and it didn't go so well then. They lost at Bishop Gorman, 33-7, on August 16 and were routed at home by Mater Dei a month later by a tally of 38-7. The visit to Mater Dei still feels out of Kahuku's reach again this fall. If there's an upset in the offing, look to the home game against Bishop Gorman. It's unlikely, but so was Kahuku's 30-23 stunner at home over perennial California powerhouse St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) two years ago.
If there's a surprise champion waiting in the wings in Hawaii's Open Division this fall, then the two most likely candidates would be Mililani or Campbell (Ewa Beach), both of whom beat Kahuku in the regular season last year. Those two programs also proved to be tough outs in the Open Division semifinals with Kahuku winning an 8-6 scrap against Mililani in the rematch while Campbell dropped a close 27-24 decision to St. Louis.
Hawaiian preps will play 12 interstate matchups this year with eight of those featuring teams from the Golden State. But it's two games featuring Mililani against teams from Nevada that may give Hawaii the best chances to make a statement against notable out-of-state foes if Kahuku can't deliver against Bishop Gorman or Mater Dei. First, the Trojans will visit Las Vegas on August 22 to take on Arbor View. The Aggies are coming off a solid 10-2 campaign as Nevada's NIAA Class 5A Division I state runner-up to Bishop Gorman.
A week later, Mililani will be back at home to host Coronado (Henderson, NV) – a team that lost to Arbor View in the NIAA Class 5A Division I semifinals in 2024.
St. Louis will visit consensus national Top 3 St. John Bosco (CA) on September 19, and Punahou's visit to California's Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) – ranked No. 21 in MaxPreps preseason rankings – gives the Aloha State another big shot at national glory. Kapolei, meanwhile, would certainly turn some heads with a good showing at St. John's of Washington, D.C., on September 20.
Intrastate battles will shape HHSAA postseason picture
While Hawaii's matchups with out-of-state foes will draw attention to the quality of Aloha State football outside the islands, it's the intrastate battles that will determine the playoff picture. Some of the top games beyond the season-opening duel between Kahuku and St. Louis include:
- Sept. 6 — St. Louis (Honolulu) at Mililani
- Sept. 19 — Camptbell (Ewa Beach) at Kahuku
- Sept. 27 —Mililani at Campbell (Ewa Beach)
- Oct. 10 — Mililani at Kahuku
Kapa'a, Kamehameha Maui set to defend titles in Hawaii's lower divisions
Kapa'a won Hawaii's Division I championship a year ago, slipping past a stubborn Konawaena squad in the title game with a 10-7 win. The Warriors finished 9-2 and figure to be in the mix yet again.
Kamehameha Maui took the trophy in the Division II championship game, cruising to a 37-14 win over Kaiser to put the capper on an 8-3 season.