Members of the Waimea High School girls football team arrived home on Sunday from the 2025 Hawaii Dental Service Hawaii High School Athletic Association Girls Flag Football State Championships that wrapped up Saturday night on Oahu, where the Campbell Sabers edged Leleihua, 6-0, for the first state championship since the program inaugurated.
The Menehune, under head coach Jason Caldeira, received the No. 5 seed to the state tournament after clinching the Central Pacific Bank Kauai Interscholastic Federation by a single point, 7-6 over a powerful Red Raider squad.
Waimea ran head-on against Punahou that shut out the West Side girls, 20-0, sending the Menehune to the consolation bracket where they faced Hilo in the first match in that bracket play.
“The girls were good,” said a Waimea fan who accompanied the team from Kauai. “They always had the largest fan base. Every family and relatives living on Oahu must’ve come out to support the girls!”
Moving through the consolation bracket, Waimea shut down the Hilo Vikings 19-0 to stay alive in the double elimination tournament. They continued on the ladder with a 19-13 victory over the Hawaii Preparatory Academy before being shut down, 25-0, by Waianae High School on Saturday.
“The girls were strong,” said the Kauai fan who came home Saturday night. “Against two schools, they looked like a big school. People were surprised they came from a small school on Kauai’s West Side.”
Included in the crowd greeting the first-ever Kauai girls football team, Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami came with his construction hardhat emblazoned with a “W” and Council Chair Mel Rapozo, and Councilmember Fern Holland blended in with the armload of lei and posters.
“These girls have played their hearts out and deserve to be recognized for their incredible win on Kauai,” said Therilynn Martin-Haumea with the Office of Economic Development. “Whether they win or lose on Oahu, they will always be the first Kauai champions!”
Kawakami presented Caldeira with a proclamation that read in part, “2025 marks the historic launch of Girls’ Flag Football as an official sport in the Kauai Interscholastic Federation (and the HHSAA), offering a new and meaningful opportunity for young women to showcase their athleticism, leadership and team spirit.”
“The Waimea High School Girls’ Flag Football Team has made history by becoming the inaugural KIF Girls’ Flag Football Kauai Island Champions, representing excellence on and off the field,” Kawakami said.
The proclamation said the team was a source of inspiration for what can be accomplished when women are given equal opportunities to compete and excel in sports.
“This historic achievement marks a significant step forward in the growth of girls’ sports on Kauai, fostering a spirit of inclusivity, empowerment and leadership for women in our community and in the world of athletics,” the proclamation read.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
