The last time the King Kekaulike High School Na Ali‘i boys soccer team won the Maui Interscholastic League championship, in 2022, they took it all the way to the only outright boys Division I state title in MIL history.

Now, Na Ali‘i are headed back to the Hele/HHSAA boys Division I state tournament as MIL champions for first time since that state title run four years ago. It is the ninth straight time the Upcountry school has been to the state tournament as either MIL champion or runner-up.

This season, they have a better league record than in 2022 — after their hard-fought 4-1 win over a scrappy Maui High team on Saturday, Na Ali‘i are 10-0-0 in MIL play with two matches to go this season. In 2022, they went to the state tournament with a 7-1-2 MIL record.

The 2022 state champions were led by MIL Player of the Year Bailey Hofmann, a sophomore who was also named the state tournament’s most valuable player that season. 

Soon after his sophomore year at King Kekaulike, Hofmann went to Germany to play for a Bundesliga academy there for 2 1/2 months before joining the Houston Dynamo Academy. He was the first MIL player ever to turn professional before graduating from high school.

The 2026 King Kekaulike boys are led by a similar talent in Lorenzo Gonzalez, who has 18 goals in 12 matches this season after scoring twice against Maui High on Saturday. Gonzalez scored three goals in two non-league matches and now has 15 goals in 10 league contests.

Gonzalez was not pleased with his team’s showing after they were tied with 0-10-0 Sabers 1-1 at halftime.

“We came out super flat and they definitely surprised us,” Gonzalez said. “It was probably our worst game of the season. But we pushed through. We got it done, but it definitely wasn’t pretty soccer.”

King Kekaulike co-head coach Aaron Hamamura said the scrappy Sabers gave his team a wake-up call on Saturday on Maui High’s senior day. King Kekaulike has outscored 10 MIL opponents 45-5. Their previous two wins over Maui High were 7-0 and 5-0.

“There are no easy games in the MIL,” Hamamura said. “We played a little flat today, but big credit to them. They played really hard today.”

Maui High head coach Timmy Akina Jr. said Na Ali‘i can do well at the state tournament and hopes that they do.

“Very talented. A lot of leadership,” Akina said. “Hopefully they represent Maui very well. They’re humble. Very humble. And they’re respectful.”

Akina was also impressed with his eight seniors on Saturday.

“I’m very pleased with the seniors, the leadership that we have right now,” Akina said.

Hamamura said that the key for his team is to be peaking right as the state tournament rolls around. Na Ali‘i know they will be seeded into the quarterfinals for the event that runs Feb. 2 for first-round play and Feb. 5-7 for the quarterfinals, semifinals and final at Waipi‘o Peninsula Soccer Complex on O‘ahu.

“We are hoping that we are still on the way up and not peaking yet,” Hamamura said. “We want to be just about hitting that peak once we hit that first one in the state quarerfinals.” 

Na Ali‘i also got goals from Koakai Antonmattei and Nico Santin. Maui High’s goal was scored by Noah Johannes.

“Overall, you know, I thought the backline did fairly well,” Hamamura said. “We just need to simplify our game and be able to connect more passes.”

King Kekaulike finishes its MIL season with matches against Lahainaluna on Wednesday and Kamehameha Maui on Saturday.

Hamamura is happy to have a player like Gonzalez leading the way.

“I think he’s definitely at Bailey’s level,” Hamamura said. “He can be the best player on the field every time out. He just has to stay focused and not get frustrated, whether things are going his way or the team’s way.” 

Hamamura added, “I think the world of him. I’m sure he will definitely be leading us, hopefully, to a state title.”

Gonzalez, a senior striker, agreed with his coach that the Sabers gave Na Ali‘i all they could handle.

“This was definitely a wake-up call — it’s not over,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of us think it’s over. We already won the MIL, but the season’s not done. So we’ve got to bounce back and lock in.”

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GIRLS SOCCER: Baldwin wins first MIL championship since 2017 after 0-0 draw with Kamehameha Maui

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The Baldwin High School girls soccer team has returned to the top of the Maui Interscholastic League, a spot it has been in for several stints over the years. 

The Bears won Division I state titles in 2000 and 2001 — the only Division I state girls soccer titles ever for the MIL — and were runners-up in 2002. Since those glory days, the Bears have won three straight MIL titles from 2010-12 and 2015-17.

On Saturday, after a 0-0 draw with Kamehameha Maui at Keōpūolani Park, Baldwin returned to the top of the league. Both teams finished with 9-1-2 records, but Baldwin prevailed on the strength of a 1-0-2 record against Kamehameha Maui, the first tiebreaker. The teams also tied 1-1 on Dec. 3 and Baldwin beat Kamehameha Maui 1-0 on Dec. 23.

“Everything is for the girls,” first-year Baldwin head coach Ron Kapaku Jr. said after the physical, hard-fought match on Saturday. “They deserve it. They earned it.”

Kapaku added, “They worked so hard for it. It does put some extra relief that you don’t have to play that Monday match to get into the state tournament, so to speak.”

Kapaku noted that current Baldwin teacher Tia Medeiros was the last coach to lead the Bears to an MIL championship, in 2017. Medeiros could hardly watch as she stayed about 50 feet away from the field on Saturday.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Kapaku said. “Coach Tia, who’s on our staff now, I think she was the last one to win an MIL title here at Baldwin.”

The Bears will be in the state quarterfinals on Jan. 29 at Waipi‘o Peninsula Soccer Complex. The semifinals are Jan. 30 and the state championship match is Jan. 31.

Kamehameha Maui was the three-time defending MIL girls soccer champions coming into the season, but head coach Eli Joaquin said he will relish the chance to host a first-round match on Jan. 26 at Kanai‘aupuni Stadium against a team from the O‘ahu Interscholastic Association with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals. 

Last season, Kamehameha Maui lost 5-1 to eventual state champion Punahou in the state quarterfinals. The Interscholastic League of Honolulu has won 16 of the last 18 state titles in Division I girls soccer — Punahou is a member of the ILH.

“It could have been us, but kudos to coach Ronnie — he did a great job first year,” Joaquin said. “There’s good things ahead for Maui soccer. …  I’m gonna be honest, it’s kind of fun because every year I go to O‘ahu and I get the ILH team. I’m tired of getting ILH. I want to play an OIA team.”

“Monday Morning Maui Sports” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.