This year, they really jammed in the holidays and high school football together like no other year in Hawaii.
It was unavoidable. COVID-19 caused many delays and so organizers did a grand job in just getting a full season in.
With so much going on, Bedrock Sports Hawaii did not name a player of the week after the Open and Division I championship games on Dec. 23. The original plan was to name just one player of the week (for both weeks) after the Dec. 30 Division II title game.
But as it turns out, there are two deserving of the honor, so we’ve decided to name one Christmas Player of the Week and one New Year’s Player of the Week.
Solomone Malafu, a two-way player for the Kapaa Warriors and only a junior, is the New Year’s player of the week.
Malafu made his presence felt early and often in the Warriors’ 61-7 victory over Kamehameha-Maui in the Division II state championship game. The newly won koa trophy represents the school’s and the island of Kauai’s first-ever state football title.
On Kapaa’s first play from scrimmage, Malafu took off for a 98-yard touchdown run. He was basically untouched the whole way, going through a gaping hole made by his huge offensive line.
Malafu finished with four rushing touchdowns and 152 yards — on just four carries.
More amazing, in a way, is that he was never stopped on six 2-point conversion carries.
Think about it. Malafu was LITERALLY unstoppable, never going down on his 10 offensive touches. He also contributed defensively, with an interception, five tackles including three for losses, and a pass breakup.
The only time Malafu was tackled came after his interception.
Kapaa’s Solomone Malafu could not be caught in the D-II state title game. (Image credit: Manny Henriques)
After the game, Malafu said: “First and foremost, I want to thank God. I also want to thank the entire team because they came out and put everything in it. Winning this means a lot to our team, our school, and especially the community because you know they’re always there for us and support us when we’re in need.”
Kahuku’s Kau Lana Kaluna is Bedrock’s Christmas player of the week. The link to that story is below.
Bedrock Sports Names Christmas (And New Year’s) Football Players Of The Week
