In a season unlike any other in Maui Interscholastic League football, LJ Morikawa and Makana Kamaka-Brayce led their Lahainaluna High School and Kamehameha Schools Maui programs to places neither had ever been.

The Lunas swooped unbeaten into the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I state final for the first time in school history.

While their 38-0 loss to Iolani in the championship game was not what the Lunas had in mind, Morikawa, a junior, will be back to help lead them again in 2022.

When Morikawa heard the news of his selection by league coaches as The Maui News MIL Defensive Player of the Year from his father Lance, a Lunas assistant coach, it was a special moment.

“It felt really good, it felt like all the training that we put in during the year as a team and during the offseason with COVID, it feels good that it went to something,” said Morikawa, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound defense lineman. “It was a good run this year. The experiences we had — it was a really young team, so it’s good that we all got to go through the experience together.”

Morikawa had seven tackles, 1.5 for loss, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries in the Lunas’ 30-7 win over Konawaena in the state semifinals when they had 10 takeaways. In the final, he was the team’s leading tackler with seven and had one tackle for loss.

During a 6-0 MIL run, Morikawa was a key cog on a defense that led the league with 194.2 yards per game allowed. Lahainaluna’s defense allowed just 10.6 points per game.

“I’m pretty excited because we have a lot of people coming back and our team is very young, so we have a lot of improvement that we can do,” Morikawa said.

Morikawa is a disciple of the Lahainaluna program’s game plan. He knows how valuable the offseason conditioning and weightlifting they do is a key to their success.

That work paid off in a state final appearance in their first year at the Division I level. The Lunas won four straight D-II state titles from 2016-19 before the 2020 season was wiped out by COVID-19 concerns.

“One thing that we learned, definitely, was that our offseason weightlifting and stuff, that helped a whole lot,” Morikawa said. “Our past teams that won state championships, that was a big part of our team, that weightlifting program with strength and conditioning. That plays a big part for our team.”

When access was limited to the school’s weight room due to the pandemic, several Lunas took it upon themselves to organize workouts wherever they could find space and time.

“Working together as a team builds a trust and bond, instead of working out on your own,” Morikawa said. “You can work out on your own as an extra thing, but working with the team is a main way to bond.”

Morikawa is joined on the MIL defensive first team by Lahainaluna teammates Keawe Kane-Keahi (defensive line), Noah Arase (linebacker) and Christian Clarion (defensive back); Baldwin’s B.A. Oto (defensive line), Ezra Laga (linebacker) and Jonathan Bacos (linebacker); Maui High’s Loko Lakalaka (defensive line) and Robert Young (defensive back); King Kekaulike’s Tysyn Estrella (linebacker); and Kamehameha Maui’s Keegan Gantala (defensive back) and Kaonohi Casco (utility).

Kamaka-Brayce, a sophomore quarterback, emerged as the leader of the Warriors’ offense that finished second in the MIL to the Lunas, with 338.4 yards per game.

Kamaka-Brayce led the league in passing yards (1,370) and touchdown passes (16) — both numbers were double the next-best totals — while throwing just four interceptions.

“It sounds great, that was actually one of my biggest goals coming into this season, just trying to push myself to be the best,” Kamaka-Brayce said of the MIL Offensive Player of the Year nod.

His first season of MIL football was all he could have asked for.

“It was super fun, definitely not what I expected just because it’s been a while since playing,” Kamaka-Brayce said. “It was definitely fun and we made it really far and I’m just looking forward to next year.”

In a 48-24 win over Kaiser in the D-II state semifinals, he was never better: 20 of 29 for 369 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

In Kamehameha Maui’s first-ever state football final, the Warriors were missing seven players — six starters — due to COVID-19 protocols and lost 61-7 to an impressive Kapaa team.

Kamaka-Brayce was under pressure all night, finishing 7 for 26 for 98 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

That memory will drive him going forward, he said.

“We were kind of beat up that game and it wasn’t how we really wanted it to end, but I think it’s a good building block for us to just get better next year,” he said. “I think the seniors helped a lot to just lead us to that point and, yeah, a lot to look forward to.”

Kamaka-Brayce is joined on the offensive first team by teammates McKay Pali (running back), Frank Abreu (wide receiver), Po’okela Aiu (wide receiver) and Kale Spencer (offensive line); Lahainaluna’s Ian-Jay Cabanilla (running back), Jaysen Akahi-Vida (offensive line) and Morgan “Bula” Montgomery (offensive line); Maui High’s Zach Dando (wide receiver) and Viliami Vakalahi (offensive line); and Baldwin’s Ivan Elf (offensive line) and Oto (utility), the only player to make both first teams.

Abreu and Aiu are set to return to the KSM roster in 2022.

“Totally looking forward to it, I think this offseason we just need to get back to rebuilding that chemistry since it’s been a minute,” Kamaka-Brayce said. “Since we’re going to be with each other for a few more years, just make sure that everything is on point.”

Kamehameha Maui’s Ulima Afoa is the unanimous choice of his peers as MIL Coach of the Year.

“Those postseason honors are good, but it’s an indication of how good our players are and how good our staff is and the success that they’ve had on the field,” Afoa said. “So, it’s an honor to be named that, but again, you gotta have players and you gotta have coaches.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com