Kahuku Takes Over at No. 1 in the Hawaii Elite 12 State Rankings After an Opening Week of Upsets

Hawaii's defending state champions in the Open and Division I classifications were both upset during a chaotic opening weekend of high school football on the Islands. The upheaval reshaped the High School On SI Hawaii Elite 12 rankings.

Stunners Mark the Opening Week

The first stunner came Friday night when the defending Open Division champion No. 3 Campbell Sabers were routed, 40-17, by the No. 11 Waipahu Marauders. The win was Waipahu's first in the battle for the Cane Knife since a 28-27 victory in 2004.

Then Saturday night, it was the No. 6 Kailua Surfriders' turn to wear the target as the defending Division I champions, and they were blown out by an almost identical score in a 41-18 loss to the unranked Moanalua Menehune.

Kahuku Claims the Top Spot

That same evening, in the opening weekend's premier event, the No. 2 Kahuku Red Raiders also knocked off the preseason No. 1 St. Louis Crusaders. Suffice it to say, the High School on SI Hawaii Elite 12 rankings look a little different heading into Week 2.

Mililani Climbs Without Playing

The main beneficiaries of all the opening-week chaos are Mililani, Waipahu and Moanalua. Mililani was ranked No. 4 a week ago and jumps two spots thanks to the losses by No. 1 St. Louis and No. 3 Campbell ahead of them. Waipahu makes the biggest move, going from No. 11 to No. 5, while Moanalua inherits the No. 11 position after being unranked in the preseason edition.

1. Kahuku

Record: 1-0

Last Week: No. 2 Kahuku 20, No. 1 St. Louis 12

Kahuku moves up a notch, turning the tables on St. Louis one year after losing to the Crusaders, 20-0, in the 2025 season opener. Perhaps the most encouraging sign for the Red Raiders was the play of new starting quarterback Lucky Suguturaga, who accounted for two touchdowns — a 30-yard touchdown pass to Bodhi Kaanga and a 32-yard touchdown run. Next up is a Saturday evening visit to Oahu's west shore to face the Wai'anae Sharks, a 22-16 winner over the Kamehameha Hawaii Warriors.

2. Mililani

Record: 0-0

Last Week: IDLE

Mililani moves up two spots despite being idle after losses by St. Louis and Campbell created movement at the top of the rankings. Thanks to the losses by previous No. 1 St. Louis and No. 3 Campbell, they move up two spots despite sitting out the first week of action. They'll get underway Friday against the Liberty Patriots of Henderson, Nevada, a semifinalist in last year's Nevada Open Division playoffs. That will be their only prep before facing No. 3 St. Louis next weekend.

3. St. Louis

Record: 0-1

Last Week: Kahuku 20, St. Louis 12

St. Louis played hard at Kahuku, and a trip to the North Shore is never a walk on the beach. It's too early to panic, but the loss was also a disappointing result for a storied program on a quest to return to the Open Division playoffs one year after missing the Open Division playoffs. Their next four games might be the hardest four-week stretch in the entire country, with three opponents from the mainland ranked in High School on SI's preseason Power 25 in the form of No. 4 IMG Academy (Florida), No. 14 Sierra Canyon (California) and No. 4 St. John Bosco (California). That's after a game against current Hawaii No. 2 Mililani. Fortunately for St. Louis, it gets a week off to prepare for that game before entering that gauntlet of national powers.

4. Kamehameha Kapalama

Record: 1-0

Last Week: Kamehameha Kapalama 65, Farrington 0

The defending Open Division runner-up Kamehameha Kapalama was one of the few preseason front-runners to live up to its ranking in a 65-0 thrashing of an overmatched Farrington Governors squad. Bigger challenges await, including this coming Saturday's visit by Utah's defending Class 5A state champion Orem Tigers, who enter the contest on an 11-game winning streak.

5. Waipahu

Record: 1-0

Last Week: Waipahu 40, Campbell 17

Waipahu couldn't have written a better opening chapter to the 2026 season, and the Marauders make the biggest move of the week, from No. 11 to No. 5, after crushing the defending Open Division champions from Campbell. The Marauders announced themselves as legitimate Division I title contenders with the most impressive victory of Week 1. They get another big test this weekend against the No. 8 Kapolei Hurricanes.

6. Kapa'a

Record: 0-0

Last Week: IDLE

Kapa'a sat out the opening week but still inches up a spot by virtue of the losses by previous No. 3 Campbell and No. 6 Kailua. The Warriors will see their first action Thursday night against the San Clemente Tritons from California, who are coming off a 9-5 season in which they advanced to the California Southern Section Division 2 championship game. The Tritons' season ended there in a 33-20 loss to the Los Alamitos Griffins, and they could be a handful for Kapa'a.

7. Kapolei

Record: 0-0

Last Week: IDLE

Kapolei was also idle in Week 1, but the Hurricanes move up a spot heading into their season opener at No. 5 Waipahu. One thing's for sure: They won't be caught sleeping after Waipahu's big win over Campbell, and a Category 1 version of these 'Canes might not be enough to overcome the group of Marauders set to storm the Second City on Thursday evening.

8. Konawaena

Record: 0-0

Last Week: IDLE

Konawaena will kick off its 2026 campaign Saturday night against the 'Aiea Na Alii, who opened their season with a 39-31 win over the Damien Monarchs. The Wildcats are up one spot thanks to the upsets above them in the rankings, and the Na Alii from Oahu should provide a good measuring stick when they visit the boys from the Big Island.

9. Punahou

Record: 1-0

Last Week: Punahou 70, Roosevelt 0

Punahou's 70-0 romp past the Roosevelt Rough Riders was a strong opening statement, but the Buffanblu could face more resistance on a Saturday evening visit to a Moanalua team fresh off a 41-18 upset of the previous No. 6 Kailua.

10. Campbell

Record: 0-1

Last Week: Waipahu 40, Campbell 17

The defending Open Division champions tumble seven spots after an uncharacteristically lopsided loss to Waipahu. They get a week off to break down what went wrong in that game before paying a visit next weekend to the Moanalua Menehune, who join the Elite 12 after authoring last weekend's other big upset in a 41-18 takedown of the defending Division I champion Kailua Surfriders.

11. Moanalua

Record: 1-0

Last Week: Moanalua 41, Kailua 18

Moanalua's unexpected rout of Kailua powers the Menehune into the Elite 12 this week, taking the place of the Surfriders, whom they dominated in the season opener. There's little time to enjoy that win, however, as they host Punahou of the Open Division, coming off a 70-0 rout of Roosevelt.

12. Kamehameha Maui

Record: 0-0

Last Week: IDLE

Kamehameha Maui was off last weekend, and it's still a week away from its season opener Aug. 22 against the Kulanihakoi Rays. In the meantime, Hawaii's defending Division II state champions maintain their position at No. 12 for another week.

If the opening weekend taught us anything, it's that we could be in for a wild ride throughout the 2026 season. With Kahuku taking over the No. 1 spot, Mililani waiting in the wings, and Waipahu and Moanalua riding the momentum of statement victories, the picture at the top of the Elite 12 is already beginning to take shape. Several intriguing matchups are on tap this week, and it wouldn't be surprising if there's some more significant reshuffling when the final games wrap up late Saturday night.

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