Kamehameha Maui celebrates after winning the HHSAA Division II state football championship. Courtesy photo/Rylee Sparling

Maui’s Kamehameha Warriors held Kaiser High School to 14 points while running up five touchdowns to gain the school’s first-ever Hawaii High Athletic Association Division II state football championship.

The Warriors scored 37 points including 17 unanswered in the third and fourth quarters at John Kauinana Stadium in Mililani on Saturday before a crowd of 1,375 people. At the same time, the Warriors defense held Kaiser to 47 net rushing yards.

Warriors coach Ulima Afoa said the defense has been strong this year and team-tackling the opposing runners.

“That’s really the sign of a good defense,” Afoa said.

Another good sign is when the offensive players on the line open up lanes for running backs, as did the Warriors offense for junior Zedekiah Campbell, who rushed for 239 yards in 18 attempts Saturday while averaging more than 13 yards a carry. Campbell credited his teammates for creating lanes through the defense.

Afoa also said Campbell did a nice job once he got into the secondary defense, making people miss tackles, being physical when necessary and carrying defensive linemen who tried to bring him down.

“It’s just the way he runs,” Afoa said. “He makes people miss.”

Warriors quarterback Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira completed 8 of 15 passing attempts, and the team’s running backs rushed for 257 net yards.

Kamehameha Maui quarterback Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira takes a snap in the HHSAA Division II state championship football game on Saturday. Courtesy photo/Rylee Sparling

Kamehameha converted four out of five opportunities to score when entering Kaiser’s red zone, and the Warriors defense kept Kaiser’s offense in check.

The Cougars scored 14 points in the second quarter with quarterback Jesse Shinagawa completing passes of 27 yards and 36 yards to Caleb Hamasaki.

Kaiser had one opportunity to get into the Warriors’ redzone but was unable to convert it into a score.

Kamehameha Maui wide receiver Tevyn Apo prepares to catch a pass in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s Division II state championship game against Kaiser on Saturday afternoon at Mililani High School. The Warriors won 37-14 to secure the title. Courtesy photo/Rylee Sparling

The state championship comes after the Warriors came close to winning last year’s state title, losing 31-28 to Waimea High School. Afoa noted that some of the team members who were juniors returned as seniors this year.

“We’d been here before, and we had some unfinished business,” he said.

Next year’s team could be interesting, too.

“We’ve been working on building the program,” Afoa said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”

Kamehameha Maui poses for a team photo after winning the HHSAA Division II state football championship. Courtesy photo/Rylee Sparling