MILILANI, Hawaii — There might've been a moment that Darren Johnson allowed himself to think the title window was bolted shut with the loss of a transcendent player. His plucky Campbell Sabers refused to believe it, and good thing, too — now they are within one good game of winning the whole thing.
In an all-time prep football stunner, Campbell came from behind to defeat top-seeded Kahuku 15-12 in the final seconds of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Open Division semifinals at John Kauinana Stadium on Friday night.
Oahu Interscholastic Association standard-bearer Kahuku, an 11-time state champion from Oahu's North Shore accustomed to getting its way in annual matchups with its little brother from Ewa Beach, claimed a 6-0 halftime lead but yielded two second-half touchdowns to Sabers star senior athlete Tainoa Lave, including the dramatic winner with 2 seconds left.
TAINOA LAVE TO THE RIGHT PYLON 2 SECONDS LEFT. TOUCHDOWN CAMPBELL, 2PT IS GOOD. CAMPBELL LEADS KAHUKU 15-12 @OC16Sports pic.twitter.com/Xizx62R3gi
— Brian McInnis (@Brian_McInnis) November 22, 2025
"Of all the teams I have, this team really believed that they was gonna win," said the man known in the prep circuit as "D.J."
"They were giving me that belief all week. I seen good practices. They stayed the course and they followed it."
The bombshell of an outcome only added to a chaotic year in Hawaii prep football. Defending state Open champion Saint Louis was knocked out in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play on a dramatic upset by Punahou, giving Kamehameha the ILH title. Friday marked the first time that the No. 1 Open seed failed to make the championship game since the division was added at the state level in 2016.
Campbell (8-3) will face second-seeded Kamehameha (5-4), which defeated Kapolei 31-10 in Friday's second semifinal, at the University of Hawaii’s Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Dec. 5.
Johnson went into the day 0-5 in state semifinals with Campbell, and 0-7 including his time leading Kailua and Kaimuki. The Sabers were considered a true contender last year with star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, but the Hawaii high school career passing yardage record-holder and future Cal starting signal-caller was injured in a semifinal battle with Saint Louis. The distraught Sabers couldn't recover in the moment.
Was there hope that the next year could bring something better? Somehow, yes.
"Of course a window passes every time he leaves. It's something great for somebody," Johnson said of Sagapolutele. "But I think the kids believed in themselves that they could win and they could do great things, just like Jaron playing (at Cal) as a true freshman. You just gotta believe."
Johnson stoked some fire in his players during the week by telling them that Kahuku already had the Dec. 5 championship game arrangements booked on its calendar, according to Lave.
"We took that to the heart and came out and did Campbell football," Lave said. "We're the underdogs always, so we play with a chip on our shoulder."
Campbell’s lone state football championship came in 2004 in Division II under Tumoana Kenessey. Not only have the Sabers not won at the top level, but this year's team had to make do with all road games this season, as their home stadium is under extensive renovation.
On the game’s decisive drive with the Sabers trailing 12-7, Campbell quarterback Brayden Medeiros found Zayne Pasion on a pass to the left flat to get into the red zone, causing nearby Kapolei players, waiting their turn for the field, to smile and cheer. After the Sabers burned their final timeout, Brystin Sansano took a handoff and also went around the left edge. He advanced it to the 2 and the seconds ticked down.
The Sabers spiked it on third down with 10 seconds left.
Johnson was all too aware of what happened to Kapolei against Kahuku in the OIA final. The Hurricanes got within inches of the winning touchdown but the game clock expired when a run was stuffed at the goal line.
"All that stuff haunts you," Johnson said. "We finished it right, with Tainoa running the option play. If we got him to the corner we knew he could beat their guys to it."
Lave took the direct snap and bolted to the right on an option play. He was just able to beat the Red Raiders to the pylon with a final leap, and the Sabers sideline and stands erupted. Sansano added a successful 2-point run to make it a three-point game.
"I just trusted my speed and beat the defense to the corner of the end zone," Lave said. "I think I could've run faster, but all praise and glory to God for getting us that close to punch it in."
Said senior quarterback Brayden Medeiros, "He's been here four years, he's started all four years. He's a dog. He's one of the best players in the state and he's truly a leader out there."
Medeiros was thrust into an unexpected role last year when Sagapolutele got hurt, and went through some growing pains early this season, his first as a starter.
"This means a lot to me," said Medeiros, who was 11-for-14 passing for 87 yards. "Through all the adversity we faced this year, plenty people doubted us, doubted we would be here. ... But we just trusted each other, trusted the team, trusted our players and coaches. We work hard and we push through adversity every day."
Kahuku tried a handful of laterals on the ensuing short kickoff by Campbell but couldn’t advance past midfield. After some chaos, fumbling for the ball and some premature celebration, penalty flags flew and it appeared the Red Raiders (8-4) might get an untimed down. But the officials conferred and the game was called over.
More wild celebration ensued.
Kahuku interim coach Nihoa Pule, a defensive coordinator who accepted the head job on an interim basis once Sterling Carvalho was fired by the school in the preseason, calmly led the Red Raiders in the handshake line once emotions had settled. He greeted Johnson with a congratulatory hug.
"Just take it in stride, right?" Pule said of how he managed the season. "Keeping the main thing the main thing, which is these kids, and keeping them happy. A lot of them, they came out of their shells this year."
Red Raiders senior Troy Mariteragi, who replaced Matai Fuiava as the starting quarterback at midseason and led the Red Raiders to their 31st OIA title, found Kea Lerner for a 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Toa Sam scored Kahuku’s other touchdown on a 20-yard run with 5:22 to play in the game.
Kahuku, known for its reliable kicking game this season with Campbell transfer Jadyn Parker, had a botched field goal hold, leading to a shanked kick, and also missed an extra point try. Its 2-point conversion try on its second touchdown was stuffed.
Pule said he and his staff were well aware of Lave's capabilities.
"He's a dynamic kid. Dynamic," Pule said. "And we knew he's going to get in the game, and we tried to do some things, but it's a little too late."
Campbell overcame a couple of costly penalties in the first half — an encroachment that kept a stalled Kahuku drive alive, and a false start that prevented the Sabers from going for it from just inside Kahuku territory.
"We just had to flush it," Lave said of the mistakes. "Don't worry about it and get to the next play, and that's what we did."
Campbell lost 24-6 to Kahuku in the OIA semifinals but rallied to defeat Mililani 14-10 in the league’s third-place game to claim the OIA’s third and final state berth.
It is the first time since 2018 that Kahuku failed to reach a state championship game. The last time neither Saint Louis nor Kahuku were in the state's top-tier championship game was in 2014, when Mililani beat Punahou in Division I.
Note: This story has been updated with details and quotes.
covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at .
808-207-8558
Service Areas
