Hawaii High School Football: Week-by-Week Guide to the Biggest Games of the 2026 Season

Hawaii's 2026 high school football season begins this week, and it opens with the islands' biggest rivalry.

Kahuku will visit St. Louis in a game between the top two teams in the preseason edition of High School on SI's Elite 12 rankings. The host Crusaders get the nod at home, but the game will be an early measuring stick for whether the two teams are lined up in the right order out of the gate, with St. Louis entering the bout in the top spot.

However, while it will at least temporarily settle the order between them, it won't necessarily be the definitive statement on who should truly be No. 1. The defending Open Division champion Campbell enters the season at No. 3, and the Sabers are still the reigning champs until somebody wrests the title away from them. Campbell has a notable contest of its own at No. 11 Waipahu, and the outcome of that game could impact the next edition of the Elite 12 rankings.

It's an exciting start to the 2026 season and the first chapter in the season-long gauntlet the teams from the Aloha State have to run in order to win a state championship. Campbell's 26-23 overtime victory over Kamehameha Kapalama in the Open Division title game last year marked the first time in 11 years that a team other than Kahuku or St. Louis had won the championship in Hawaii's top division.

Teams Appearing in the Most Big Games

St. Louis (7)
Kahuku (6)
Campbell (5)
Mililani (5)
Kamehameha Kapalama (4)

Division I, meanwhile, has been a game of musical chairs in recent years, with six different teams winning a title over the past six seasons. Kailua was the latest team to hoist the trophy at that level, knocking off a Kapa'a squad that was seeking to become the first team to repeat since 2011-12, when Kahuku was still a member of the division.

The following is a week-by-week guide to the games that will have the biggest impact on the season and help determine which teams lift the state championship trophies in December.

Week 1 — Aug. 6-8

7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 — Campbell at Waipahu
8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 — Kahuku at St. Louis

As noted above, these two games will feature the state's preseason top three in early action, including the big battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2 when Kahuku visits St. Louis.

Week 2 — Aug. 13-15

6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 — San Clemente (Calif.) at Kapa'a
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 — Liberty (Nev.) at Mililani
6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 — Orem (Utah) at Kamehameha Kapalama

These three interstate battles are the top offerings on the schedule with last year's Division I runner-up Kapa'a kicking off on a Thursday night against highly-regarded San Clemente from California, which finished 9-5 a year ago.

Mililani is a trendy pick to possibly follow Campbell's lead and win its own Open Division title. They'll get the 2026 campaign started against a Liberty team from Henderson, Nev., that was a semifinalist in the Silver State's Open Division playoffs in 2025.

Finally, Hawaii's Open Division finalists from Kamehameha Kapalama will host Orem, the defending Class 5A state champions from Utah.

Week 3 — Aug. 20-22

7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 — Waipahu at Kapolei
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 — Kamehameha Kapalama at Kahuku
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 — St. Louis at Mililani

Things really start to heat up in Week 3 with a Friday night meeting between two Division I squads ranked in the preseason when Waipahu visits Kapolei.

Then the attention turns back to the Open Division on Saturday evening when Kahuku hosts Kamehameha Kapalama while Mililani entertains St. Louis in a couple of pairings that look like a potential preview of the division semifinals in November.

Week 4 — Aug. 27-29

7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 — McClymonds (Calif.) at Mililani
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29 — Punahou at Kahuku

It's another visitor from the mainland on tap for Mililani as they host McClymonds of Oakland, Calif., but it's also a good week to check in on the Buffanblu of Punahou. They'll play their last tune-up against Open Division competition at Kahuku before heading into ILH play two weeks later.

Week 5 — Sept. 3-5

3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 — St. Louis vs. IMG Academy (Fla.)
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 — Kamehameha Kapalama at Campbell
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 — Mililani at Foothill (Nev.)

It's statement week for two of the islands' top programs as St. Louis travels to the mainland to take on IMG Academy – the nation's No. 1 team in the High School on SI Preseason Power 25 rankings.

Later that evening, Mililani will visit Foothill, another semifinalist from Nevada's Open Division while the defending champions from Campbell host Kamehameha Kapalama in a rematch of last year's state championship thriller.

Week 6 — Sept. 10-12

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 — St. Louis at Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11 — Kahuku at St. John Bosco (Calif.)

For the second straight week, two of the islands' powerhouses fly to the mainland to test themselves against a couple of the nation's best teams from California. On Thursday night, it's St. Louis taking on national preseason Top 15 Sierra Canyon while Kahuku steps it up a notch on Friday night against the national preseason Top 5 St. John Bosco.

Week 7 — Sept. 17-19

7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 — Kahuku at Mililani
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 — Campbell at Kailua
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 — St. John Bosco (Calif.) at St. Louis

This might be the best weekend of the entire Hawaii prep season, starting with a Friday night tussle between Kahuku and Mililani with the winner likely taking over the OIA pole position heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

Then on Saturday evening, it's a battle between the defending state champions in Hawaii's top two divisions when the reigning Open Division kings from Campbell pay a visit to the defending Division I titlists from Kailua.

Finally, St. Louis wraps up what might be the toughest three-week stretch of the season for any program in the entire country when they host St. John Bosco.

Week 8 — Sept. 24-26

3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 — Kamehameha Kapalama at St. Louis
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 — Campbell at Mililani

League play in both the OIA and the ILH starts to heat up in the Open Division as the state runner-up Kamehameha Kapalama pays a visit to St. Louis while the reigning champions from Campbell visit Mililani.

Week 9 — Oct. 1-3

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 — Mililani at Kailua
6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 — Kahuku at Kapolei

It's a week filled with upset potential as the two likely frontrunners in the OIA Open Division hit the road to take on a couple of potential Division I upstarts. On Friday night, it's Mililani looking to avoid a trap when they visit the reigning Division I champions from Kailua followed by Kahuku's Saturday evening trek to Kapolei.

Week 10 — Oct. 8-10

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 — Campbell at Kahuku
TBA Saturday, Oct. 10 — Mililani at Kapolei

With the season winding toward its conclusion, the outcome of Campbell's trip to Kahuku on Friday night could become an elimination game for the postseason.

And if Mililani is still in the mix, they'll have to avoid an upset bid from Kapolei the following evening.

Week 11 — Oct. 15-17

7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 — St. Louis at Kamehameha Kapalama
6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 — Kailua at Kahuku

Attention turns back to the ILH when St. Louis pays a visit to Kamehameha Kapalama that could have playoff implications. And Division 1 Kailua's visit the following evening to Kahuku could be disastrous for the hosts if they stumble at home on the North Shore.

Week 12 — Oct. 22-24

3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 — St. Louis at Punahou

Punahou was reduced to playing the spoiler role a year ago in their season-ending contest with St. Louis, but the Buffanblu's dramatic 33-28 win eliminated the Crusaders from postseason consideration. The season-ending rematch in 2026 could carry significant playoff ramifications once again in a league with only three teams.

Of course, the schedule rarely unfolds exactly as expected. Every season produces unexpected contenders, dramatic upsets and breakout stars, but these matchups appear most likely to shape Hawaii's playoff races and determine which programs are still standing when championship trophies are awarded in December.

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