Mason Hunt’s clutch field goal as time expired lifted Hawaii Preparatory Academy to a 3-0 victory over Kamehameha-Hawaii on Saturday, sending Ka Makani into the Division II bracket of the upcoming First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships.
A still shot of Ari Bernstein’s video shows the ball heading toward the uprights for what turned out to be Mason Hunt’s game-winning 32-yard field goal. The kick gave Hawaii Prep a 3-0 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii for the BIIF Division II championship and a spot in the upcoming state tournament.
Teammates celebrated exultantly after the kick that also made HPA the Big Island Interscholastic Federation D-II champion. Ka Makani is back at states for the first time since 2009. The team’s semifinal opponent on Wednesday, Dec. 22, at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium won’t determined until Saturday.
“I was pretty nervous before the kick, but my coaches and teammates were super helpful with keeping me calm,” Hunt told Bedrock Sports Hawaii on Monday. “The line did great in stopping the Warriors from blocking the kick, Tain (Lawson) had a great snap, and Tre (Walker), the holder, positioned the ball perfectly for me.”
Video of Hunt’s kick by HPA teacher Ari Bernstein is below.
A close game was expected. Earlier in the year Ka Makani edged the Warriors 14-10.
“It was an even match throughout,” Hunt said. “Our coaches got us fired up before the game. Both our offense and defense played fantastic and Kamehameha-Hawaii was very tough competition as we both resorted to punting the ball back and forth for three and a half quarters. Then on our last drive downfield with only four minutes left, our whole team stepped up and ran the ball really well to get me situated for the kick. Tain (Lawson), Kamu (Gaughen), and Braeden (Samura) were huge in getting me there as they executed the wildcat offense great and put me on the right hash, which was ideal for the strong winds.”
Ka Makani have compiled a 7-0 mark this year and they’re all pumped up to be going to states.
Hawaii Preparatory Academy running back Kamuela Gaughen finds a big hole (above) and Ka Makani quarterback Tre Walker throws a long ball in Saturday’s win over Kamehameha-Hawaii. (Photos by Patrick O’Leary/HPA).
“The celebration (Saturday) was super hectic,” Hunt added. “There was 20 sweaty boys all piled on top of me. We were absolutely thrilled to win the game because it had been over a decade since Ka Makani had won a BIIF championship and we have a really special group of people that have all done their parts.”
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Hunt, an experienced soccer, basketball and track and field athlete for HPA, is in his first year as a football player.
In the school’s most recent trip to the state tournament in 2009, Hawaii Prep defeated Moanalua 17-14 in the D-II first round before losing to Kauai 28-14 in the semifinals.
After some lean years, the HPA program experienced immediate success with a 6-3 record in 2019 in head coach Kaluka Maiava’s first year at the helm. Maiava is a former hard-hitting linebacker in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders, in college for USC and in high school for Baldwin on Maui.
