Kamehameha defeated Punahou 25-27, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21 in the HHSAA Division I boys volleyball championship game Saturday night at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
With this win, the Warriors won their first state title since 2011. Since then, with the exception of the 2020 and 2021 tournaments, which were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 tournament, in which Kamehameha led Boufan Bleu 2-0 but was unable to win, has All 12 years, including the set final, were held in Punahou. finish the job.
All the latest sports news hawaii sports station
Kamehameha was led by the play of University of Hawaii commit Kainoa Wade, who had a double-double with a match-high 34 kills and 11 digs.
“To be honest, I'm still speechless,” Wade said after the game. “It's been a really long time, but I'm so proud of these boys. I'm so proud of them all.”
On Saturday, the Warriors led 16-12 in the first set before Bouffant Bleu made a comeback and took the set.
Undeterred, the Warriors won the next three sets to claim the school's first state title in 13 years.
Kamehameha head coach Sava Agpoon said after the game, “It's like all the stress is there all year long, but this job is rewarding.” “I can't say last year wasn't worth it either. But it's a lesson every year.”
“We had a big lead in that first set. To be honest, we should have been out of here within three minutes,” Wade added. “We knew it was going to be a few points here and there. We made mistakes, we made mistakes, but all it took was a few digs and a few blocks and that's what we did and we came up with it. is.”
Agpoon, who won his first state title as a head coach, praised his staff after the game, including former University of Hawaii outside hitter Philip Hamler.
The last time Kamehameha won a state title, the Warriors were led by setter Mika Christenson, who is scheduled to make her third Olympic appearance this summer. Agpoon has raved about Wade's talent and potential, and now both have state titles on their resumes.
Agpoon believed the key to Saturday's victory was the passing of Wade and the rest of the Warriors. He hopes Saturday's championship will help the Warriors win more state titles in the future.
“I always wanted to work on creating a legacy, rather than making this a one-off thing,” he said. “We want to try to win again and again like the (Punahou) program and (Kamehameha girls coach) Chris Blake are doing with the girls program.”
Kainoa Wade participated in his final warm-up game despite being a high school senior. In January, he will enroll at the University of Manoa and play for his father, Charlie.
On Saturday night, with the Warriors one win away from winning the state title, Wade wanted the ball set for him and got his wish, hitting a kill and ending his high school career on top.
“I 100% knew this was coming to me,” Wade said of match point. “There was no way it wasn't. It was amazing. I'm speechless. The whole team played a great game.
“This is huge. We just built a legend at Kamehameha. We're going to go down as one of the best to ever do it at this school. It's unbelievable. .
