High school all-stars
Kahuku sweeps top honors on all-state football team

KELENA HO'OKANO Kamehameha Running back		JASON RIVERS St. Louis Wide receiver		FERRON FONOIMOANA Kahuku Wide receiver
ROSS DICKERSON St. Louis Wide receiver		ENOKA LUCAS Kamehameha Offensive line		KALAVI BLANCHARD Kahuku Offensive line
SAMSON SATELE Kailua Offensive line		TROY ESERA St. Louis Offensive line		SULIASI LAUTAHA Kahuku Offensive line
NOLAN MIRANDA Castle Kicker		CHESLEY BARBA Waimea Offensive all-purpose		BRYAN TUCKER-SALAS 'Aiea Defensive all-purpose
SOLA SOLIAI Kahuku Defensive back		KEKOA REYES Wai'anae Defensive back		TOLIFILI LIUFAU St. Louis Defensive line
DONNY MATEAKI Iolani Defensive line		BRANDON ALA Kamehameha Defensive line		ABU MA'AFALA Kamehameha Defensive line
DARRELL TACHIBANA Kahuku Defensive line		TAUALAI FONOTI St. Louis Linebacker		TIMO PAEPULE St. Louis Linebacker
JONAH LAKATANI St. Louis Defensive back

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kahuku proved to be the class of the state. The Red Raiders won their second consecutive state football title and then swept the top awards on The Advertiser's All-State football team. The top honorees are, clockwise from bottom, Siuaki Livai, Coach of the Year; running back Mulivai Pula, Offensive co-Player of the Year; lineman Jonathan Mapu, Defensive Player of the Year; and quarterback Inoke Funaki, Offensive co-Player of the Year. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Red Raiders quarterback Inoke Funaki and running back Mulivai Pula are Offensive Co-Players of the Year and end Jonathan Mapu is the Defensive Player of the Year.

Siuaki Livai is the Coach of the Year.

Eight Red Raiders lead the cast of 25 selected by The Advertiser, which consulted with coaches.

It is a perfect ending to a perfect season. Kahuku extended its winning streak spanning two seasons to 23 games and ended the year at 14-0. It marked the first time since 1981 that an O'ahu Interscholastic Association team went wire-to-wire, from preseason to postseason, undefeated and untied.

It was a toss-up between Funaki and Pula. Each posed a threat in his own way. Funaki could beat a team with his passing and running.

"He was the trigger man for everything," 'Aiea coach Wendell Say said. "But take nothing away from Pula. We haven't seen that kind of running back in a long time."

Livai shared the same sentiment of Pula.

"He's the kind of guy that comes around every 10 years," he said.

Eleven years ago, Kahuku had that kind of guy. Mark Atuaia still holds the state single-game and single-season rushing marks at 350 yards and 2,025 yards.

Unlike Atuaia, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior Pula did not come close to breaking any records. He just broke open games for the Red Raiders with astonishing efforts in which he would out-run the defense. His speed allowed him to defy angles defenders took to track him down.

"You give him an opening, he can take it all the way," St. Louis coach Cal Lee said. "That's what happened (against us)."

He was referring to Pula's 81-yard touchdown run in the state championship when Kahuku beat St. Louis, 21-14.

Pula rushed for 1,481 yards and 20 touchdowns. This is the second consecutive year he has made the All-State team.

Funaki (6-0, 180) was equally lethal. He passed for 2,446 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 540 yards and eight TDs. He had two TD runs against the Crusaders in the state final, including a 77-yarder.

"He's probably the best quarterback in the state," Kamehameha coach Kanani Souza said. "He can do so many things."

Added Mililani coach James Millwood: "He's so versatile. It was hard for us to stop him."

Livai said Funaki, also a second-year selection, is quiet by nature, but led the team through example.

"He always cares about other people and he's very humble." Livai said. "He's supposed to be the main captain, but he doesn't like the spotlight. When hell breaks loose (on the field), he'll find a way to get (to the end zone)."

Tough choice

The choice for Defensive Player was a little tougher. Defensive line was heavy in talent, as evidenced by the six first-team selections. Three of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu representatives on the first team — St. Louis' Tolifili Liufau, Iolani's Donny Mateaki and Kamehameha's Brandon Ala — were mentioned by at least one coach who wasn't his own.

But Mapu, another second-year all-state pick, had slightly more support.

"He's the total package," Waimea coach Jon Kobayashi said. "He has size, speed. He's strong inside and quick outside."

Mapu (6-3, 250) drew double-team blocks, but managed to contain his side of the line of scrimmage.

"There's no more valuable guy than him on defense," Livai said.

Mapu, Mateaki, Ma'afala and Ala — all seniors — are being heavily recruited by Division I programs. Liufau, a junior, is expected to be highly sought next year.

Joining Funaki and Pula on offense from the Red Raiders are linemen Kalavi Blanchard and Suliasi Lautaha, and receiver Ferron Fonoimoana, who also is a dangerous return specialist.

Other Red Raiders on defense are lineman Darrell Tachibana and defensive back Sola Soliai.

All of Kahuku's all-stars are seniors. Blanchard has verbally committed to play for the University of Hawai'i.

State runner-up St. Louis School placed six on the first team. On the offense are receivers Jason Rivers and Ross Dickerson and lineman Troy Esera.

Crusaders on defense are lineman Liufau, the ILH's Defensive Player of the Year, linebackers Taualai Fonoti and Timo Paepule and defensive back Jonah Lakatani.

Dickerson and Fonoti are being recruited by Division I programs; Rivers is expected to get calls next season.

Kamehameha had the third most representatives on the first team in offensive lineman Enoka Lucas and defensive linemen Albert Ma'afala and Ala. Lucas also is being heavily recruited.

Best of rest

Also selected on offense are lineman Samson Satele of Kailua and kicker Nolan Miranda of Castle. Miranda, who had five field goals during the regular season, consistently put his kickoffs into the end zone for automatic touchbacks.

"He was a weapon for us," Castle coach Nelson Maeda said of Miranda, who also played receiver.

Satele was one of the first players to verbally commit to UH.

Also picked on defense were Iolani's Mateaki on the line and Wai'anae's Kekoa Reyes, also a repeat selection in the secondary.

Selected as all-purpose players were Waimea's Chesley Barba, a running back, defensive back and return specialist, and 'Aiea's Bryan Tucker-Salas, a defensive back, receiver and return specialist. He was the O'ahu Interscholastic Association White Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Say said teams tried to stay away from Tucker-Salas' side of the field.

Livai is the Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year after guiding the Red Raiders to their second state crown. At times, Livai has been candid, but honest in his assessments.

"He did what he said he was going to do," 'Aiea's Say said.

Others considered were St. Louis' Lee, Castle's Maeda and Waimea's Kobayashi. Their peers felt they had well-thought out game plans and were good motivators.