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THE HIGH SCHOOL TOP 10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

GIRLS BASKETBALL
RK TEAM W L PTS LW
1. ‘Iolani (10) 14 1 100 1
2. Konawaena 12 3 86 2
3. Kamehameha 10 5 80 3
4. Waiakea 10 1 73 4
5. Punahou 11 4 61 5
6. Maryknoll 9 4 50 6
7. Hilo 4 4 38 7
8. Kahuku 8 7 29 8
9. Lahainaluna 4 5 17 10
10. Maui 8 3 7 NR
FIND EXCLUSIVE HIGH SCHOOL CONTENT AT ALSO: Mid-Pacific 3, King Kekaulike 2,
Mililani 2, Seabury Hall 2.
HawaiiPrepWorld.com Voted on by coaches and media statewide. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, etc.
BOYS BASKETBALL GIRLS
RK TEAM W L PTS LW DOMINIQUE PACHECO
1. Maryknoll (10) 16 0 100 — Kamehameha-Hawaii basketball
2. Kamehameha 13 4 79 — The senior guard poured in 40
points as the Warriors outlasted
3. Damien 8 6 76 — Honokaa 59-53. The Warriors are
4. Punahou 9 6 67 — 7-1 overall and 4-0 in BIIF play.
5. Kalaheo 11 7 58 —
6. Mid-Pacific 12 5 45 — BOYS
7. Moanalua 6 7 36 — JACK LEMONDS
Kalaheo soccer
8. Kailua 12 3 24 —
The junior’s hat trick sparked the
t9. Kaiser 9 5 15 — Mustangs over Kailua on Saturday
t9. Leilehua 6 5 15 — in a key OIA East matchup. Kala-
ALSO: Waiakea 12, ‘Iolani 10, Kapolei 5, heo is 5-0 and in first place.
Mililani 4, Hilo 2, Lahainaluna 2.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE STAR-ADVERTISER’S HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

All-Decade football team

THE DEFENSE 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

TACKLE TACKLE END END LINEBACKER LINEBACKER LINEBACKER CORNERBACK CORNERBACK SAFETY SAFETY
Kennedy Faatui Christian DeForest Nick Miki Jordan Kekaula Stokes Kawe Keala
Tulimasealii: Tuitele: Mejia: Buckner: Herbig: Ah You: Botelho: Kaniho: Nihipali- Johnson: Santiago:
Waianae Saint Louis Kailua Punahou Saint Louis Kahuku Saint Louis Kahuku Botelho: Kahuku Kahuku
2010-12 2016-18 2014-16 2010-12 2017-19 2016-18 2017-19 2014-16 Kahuku 2010-12 2013-15
2014-16

Tuitele helped re-ignite Saint Louis’ state-title domination

By Paul Honda crown for Tua Tagovailoa? Tui- athletes who were tough
phonda@staradvertiser.com tele filled a major void for coach run-stoppers and excellent cov-
No easy task picking an All-Decade team

O
Cal Lee and staff when he be- erage defenders. (They later
ne Star-Advertiser came eligible (by the ILH rule of showed that athleticism in Ka- This is never easy, picking among the best football single-season perfor-
staffer says it should the time) to play varsity football huku’s full-court press during mances in the state.
be Kawe Johnson. as a sophomore. basketball season.) Then bump that up several notches when it is time to put an All-Decade
Another says Ken- Johnson was a rare athlete Johnson was also a valuable team together. In Hawaii? Where, per capita, there may be more football
nedy Tulimasealii. and student of the game, a piece on offense, stepping in as talent and work ethic than anywhere else in the nation?
But Faatui Tuitele was part of menace for all quarterbacks an option quarterback, and one Unlike the All-State selections that were made by coaches and media,
a renaissance at Saint Louis, and offensive coordinators of the top kick returners in the published on Dec. 22 in the Star-Advertiser, we undertake this All-Decade
putting the weight of a legacy facing the Kahuku Red Raid- state. task with in-house writers and editors, Paul Honda, Billy Hull and Jerry
upon his shoulders for not one, ers. He had eight interceptions Tulimasealii was unique, a Campany. Each position group could be a chapter unto itself in a series,
not two, but three state champi- as a senior, but he was a de 300-pound, quick-twitch athlete really. But we try anyway. Listed below are the All-Decade first-team picks,
onships in his three years on facto quarterback of the her- who dominated the A and B with their high school measurables. Today, we run the defense and special
the varsity. alded, self-named “Sharks” gaps. His motor was unlike al- teams. Wednesday, we run the offense.
Without Tuitele, it’s quite pos- secondary. most any defensive lineman of ———
sible Saint Louis doesn’t return That group was essentially a his time, from opening kickoff to Star-Advertiser staff
to the throne in 2016. No state crew of superbly switchable the final seconds.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES MIKI AH YOU CORNERBACKS was arguably the finest in state history, allowing just
53 points in 13 games. Santiago signed with Hawaii,
>> Kahuku (2016-18), 6-1, 220 then transferred to Utah after his freshman season.
KENNEDY TULIMASEALII >> Two-time All-State first team KEKAULA KANIHO Others: Among the many elite safeties who had
outstanding prep careers: Charles Moku Watson of
>> Waianae (2010-12), 6-1, 300 JORDAN BOTELHO >> Kahuku (2014-16), 6-0, 170 Leilehua, Solomon Matautia, Campbell.
>> Three-time All-State first team >> Two-time All-State first team
>> Saint Louis (2017-19), 6-2, 220 >> 2016 Defensive Player of the Year
FAATUI TUITELE >> Two-time All-State first team
PLACE-KICKER
Linebacker is always a loaded position in the islands. STOKES NIHIPALI-BOTELHO
>> Saint Louis (2016-18), 6-4, 299 Kana‘i Mauga (Waianae, 2015-17) triggered some
>> Two-time All-State first team debate because he was as much a rover as he was a >> Kahuku (2014-16), 5-10, 180
>> All-State second team linebacker as a senior. Sometimes he lined up on the >> Two-time All-State first team
JET TONER
>> 2018 Defensive Player of Year edge. Occasionally elsewhere. More often at ’backer. Kaniho was one of the aces on defense during Ka- >> Punahou (2013-15), 6-3,
The top three were Tulimasealii, Tuitele and Mililani’s He did whatever his team needed. It’s difficult to dis- huku’s state-title run in ’15. He was also a rarity as a 180
Rex Manu. The latter was a two-time first-teamer and pute Ah You, Herbig and Botelho as dominant LBs. DPOY and two-time first-teamer. Nihipali-Botelho also >> Two All-State first team
Defensive Player of the Year in ’14. Herbig and Botelho were cornerstones of a defensive proved valuable as a corner, returner and placekicker. >> All-State second team
Tuitele was at the apex of Saint Louis’ rebirth as a unit that was among the best in Hawaii prep history, Toner was All-State as a kicker
dynasty, providing leadership, talent and physicality landing in the national rankings in the past two years. SAFETIES as a sophomore and junior,
in the trenches. He received dozens of offers and Ah You, who missed a large part of senior year due All-State as a punter as a senior.
signed with Washington. to a knee injury, signed with Washington. He enrolled He may be the most consistent
Jet
Tulimasealii was a wrecking ball with a big-time motor. in spring of 2019, was rostered, but did not KAWE JOHNSON Toner:
touchback kickoff man in state
Said Star-Advertiser’s Jerry Campany on Tulimasealii: play this fall. history, though. More big legs:
“As an aside, Reggie (Torres) once told me during golf Herbig and Botelho have graduated >> Kahuku (2010-12), 5-9, 170 Punahou Kaimi Fairbairn, also of Punahou
that Kennedy was the only guy EVER who made them early from Saint Louis. Herbig will >> Two-time All-State first team 2013-15 (2010-11 and UCLA, now with
change their offense — almost killing the quarterback be on the campus of Wisconsin in >> All-State second team the Houston Texans, and Ceejay
and chasing Kawe (Johnson) down on a screen on the January. Botelho will begin classes >> 2012 Defensive Player of the Santos of Baldwin (2008-10).
same play probably had something to do with it.” at Notre Dame in January. Year The most clutch: Hilo’s Keanu Keolanui, who was
Tulimasealii signed with Hawaii and played as a true Others: Mauga, the 2017 Defen- 9-for-9 on field-goal tries, including a 47-yarder in
freshman, earning all-academic honorable mention. sive Player of the Year at 6-2 and KEALA SANTIAGO the D-I state final, followed by a 55-yarder to win the
By sophomore year, he started eight games. He 215, is now a 240-pound sopho- game as time expired.
started 12 of 13 games as a junior at DE and ranked more at USC. He moved from out- >> Kahuku (2013-15), Toner signed with Stanford and was named All-
third in the MWC in tackles by defensive linemen. He side to inside LB this fall. He, 6-0, 185 Pac-12 second team in ’18 and honorable mention
was named all-conference. In the following summer, too, finished high school a >> Two-time All-State in ’17. He set a single-season school record for FG
he was dismissed from the team for violating the UH semester early and was first team percentage in ’18 (.933, 14-for-15). This season, he
student-athlete conduct code. In ’17, he did not meet at USC by spring of >> 2015 Defensive was 12-for-16 with a long of 51 yards.
academic requirements. ’18. He played in Player of the Year
He played a final season at Eastern New Mexico Johnson was a
throwback par excel- PUNTER
all 12 games as
(2018). a freshman. As a
sophomore, Mau- lence, navigating the
defensive secondary,
DEFENSIVE ENDS ga had 61 total
aka the Sharks, and ADAM STACK
tackles, including
seven for loss making pivotal plays >> Kamehameha (2014-16),
— eight picks as a
CHRISTIAN MEJIA and two sacks, one
senior — with his
6-2, 170
>> All-State first team
forced fumble and
>> Kailua (2014-16), 6-4, 219 one interception. cerebral approach. >> All-State third team
>> Two-time All-State first team Isaac Savaiinaea He also had part-time Stack got the nod over Wailoa
(Punahou, 2011-13, duty at QB when the Manuel, ‘Iolani’s impressive
DEFOREST BUCKNER 6-3, 230, two-time Red Raiders ran the multi-position standout. Manuel
All-State first team), option. Johnson signed will be a senior next year.
>> Punahou (2010-12), 6-7, 235 with New Mexico Adam Stack’s booming punts and
went by Isaako at Stack:
>> All-State first team State and played three versatility were rare enough. He
UCLA, where he
>> All-State second team seasons before retiring Kamehameha signed with Oregon and be-
finished his career
Buckner was highly successful in two sports — due to injury. 2014-16 came the punter as a freshman.
in 2016. In 43
football and basketball — during his Buffanblu years. Santiago also sparked He was limited to field goals
games, he had
He was the state Player of the Year as a senior as his team to a state cham- due to injury as a sophomore. He announced plans to
104 total tack-
Punahou won a basketball state title. He then signed pionship. He was the transfer in September.
les and one
with Oregon and steadily grew into a 300-pound transformative playmaker
interception.
3-technique now with the San Francisco 49ers. for a defensive unit that
Mejia was a throwback to a rangy, long-armed
RETURNER
ball-hawker like Ted Hendricks. Though he wasn’t
thick physically, he was still a specimen who domi- SHEPHERD KEKAHUNA
nated his side of the line. He signed with Washington
State and just completed his redshirt freshman >> Roosevelt/St. Francis
season as a 270-pound DL. Saint Louis (2016-19), 5-10, 195
Others: Another memorable game-changer: Kelii defensive tackle >> All-State first team
Padello of Mililani, the 2013 DPOY. Faatui Tuitele Five kick returns for touchdowns
was a force and as a Roosevelt senior, all while
LINEBACKERS kick-started the playing linebacker (converted
from safety) full-time and offense
Crusaders’ latest Shepherd part-time.
NICK HERBIG run of state titles in Kekahuna:
the Open Division. Roosevelt/ WEDNESDAY:
>> Saint Louis (2017-19), 6-2, 201
>> Two-time All-State first team
>> 2019 Defensive Player of the Year
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL
/ 2017
St. Francis
2016-19 THE OFFENSE