With upset victory, Kahuku’s Red Raiders soar to 9th best high school football team in US

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Red Raiders are making history. The boys from up north have now moved to No. 9 in the MaxPreps National Rankings.

It’s the first time a Hawaii team has cracked the top-10 since Saint Louis School did it in 2019.

The major accomplishment comes after an upset victory against defending national champion St. John Bosco.

The Braves were ranked No. 3 in the nation heading into Saturday’s game while Kahuku was ranked No. 52.

The Red Raiders took on the challenge though and put on an impressive display of both offense and defense. Led by quarterback Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa and star wide receiver Kaimana Carvahlo, Kahuku was able to navigate their way through St. John Bosco’s stingy defense.

They started out strong in the first half putting up 22 points, however the Braves stormed back in the fourth quarter taking the lead 23-22.

It would be Tagovailoa-Amosa though who would win the game with a last minute run into the end zone, making the final score 30-23.

“Playing this number three team in the nation is something we really look forward to and going throughout the week we told ourselves we can beat them and the outcome of tonight shows what Kahuku football is,” said Kaimana Carvahlo. “Oh, this crowd helps us a lot. Without them I feel like we can’t really do anything.”

Once the clock struck zero, the Kahuku anthem began to play and fireworks lit up the night sky.

The Red Raiders turned what was believed to be an impossible task into a major victory for both the school and the state.

Kahuku will now head West to play Nanakuli on Saturday.

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