KAMUELA — In the span of a year, Kealakehe boys golf nearly reached the mountaintop.
After the final round of the 2025 David Ishii/HHSAA Boys Golf State Tournament wrapped up Friday afternoon, the Waveriders were awarded the second-place trophy after carding a cumulative +43 (619) across 36 holes at Mauna Lani North Course. Kealakehe finished just three strokes behind champion Punahou.
Finishing as the second-best team in the state — on top of being the first west-side school to win the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) title just weeks earlier — 2025 was officially the most successful season in the program’s history.
“I think the boys really came together as a team this year — challenging each other and making each other better every day,” head coach Justin Lee told West Hawaii Today at Friday’s awards ceremony. “And the camaraderie and grit they had to train with each other every week. I think that’s what made them BIIF champions, and that’s what’s ultimately going to make you state champions.”
Kealakehe has come a long way from last season. In 2024, the ‘Riders did not place as a team at states, nor did they have an individual golfer place in the top 30. But the tides drastically turned this time around, as Kealakehe had three golfers place in the top 20 — junior Noah Okazaki in 10th (151), junior Malakai Akeo in 12th (152) and junior Ulukoa Kailiwai in 15th (153). Teammates Xander Broderson (163) and Tristan LaFlamme (179) also comfortably placed in the top 80 to round out the rest of the ‘Riders rotation.
Kealakehe was in fourth place after Thursday’s Round 1, but shot up the leaderboard Friday after Okazaki shot three strokes better and Kailiwai nine strokes better. Kailiwai shot par in the final round, which was the best score of the day. He credited his short game for helping him bounce back to finish the tournament strong.
“First day was rough, but I was able to come back on the second day,” he said. “Short game has been saving me, long game has been killing me.
“But I’m proud of what this team did (this season). I played with these guys for the past few years, and I’m proud of them all.”
Okazaki, who was the blue and white’s most consistent golfer all season with multiple top-five finishes across the BIIF slate, added that staying mentally sharp was key for his second-round improvement.
“The only way to come back (from playing below your standards) is to keep shooting through it, and that’s what I did,” he said.
Despite making such a big leap forward this season, Kealakehe believes it could have played even better at states. With the ‘Riders’ top-three golfers being just juniors, the team plans to use the second-place finish as fuel for 2026 — firmly believing they have the squad to go all the way.
“This definitely put a fire under them for next year,” Lee said. “Losing by three strokes and knowing we could have played better definitely keeps them hungry.”
But Kealakehe still has much to be proud of. Lee pointed to Akeo’s massive individual leap from last season as one of the main driving factors in the ‘Riders’ team success in 2025. Picking up the game for the first time just three years ago, Akeo has steadily improved each year — hitting the course before and after school to mold his weaknesses. Although he did not qualify for the 2024 state tournament, Lee sat down with Akeo after his sophomore season to work out a structured plan to make a jump as an upperclassman.
Safe to say, the plan worked.
“I sat down with (Akeo) at the end of last season, and I told him he was going to practice differently,” Lee said. “All of the drills I threw at him, he just rattled it. He perfected it, saw the value in it, and drilled it every day. I was not surprised to see him improve this much.”
“It came down to being disciplined in how I practiced, and I just kept practicing and practicing,” Akeo added.
Akeo kept pace with individual champion Tyler Loree of Seabury Hall for much of the opening round, but struggled towards the end of the back nine. Lee believes the tournament was a great first-time learning experience for Akeo, who he thinks will come back with a vengeance for his senior season.
“He felt the pressure, but I think it’s a good lesson learned for him,” Lee said. “From now on, he won’t get as nervous for the next challenge.”
Lee also credited past mentorship for the overall improvement within the team. During the reopening of Hualalai Golf Hale after the pandemic, Lee — who was just beginning his coaching tenure at Kealakehe — took bits and pieces from the well-respected Brady Higgs, who is a top-100 coach. Higgs orchestrated a seminar that had several notable guest speakers — former and current pro instructors Rick Sessinghaus, Parker McLachlin, Preston Comb, Terry Rowles, Mike Adams, Julie Brooks, John Leary and Brandel Chamblee — that spoke and instructed on a variety of topics, including practicing efficiently and staying even-keeled mentally.
The seminar even held a junior clinic day, in which Lee’s students attended. Lee additionally coaches grade-school golfers, who also partook in the seminar’s activities. He claims the events completely transformed the direction of not only Kealakehe’s program, but the entire youth golf community on the Kona side.
“My kids took notes from every talk-story seminar and at the clinic,” he said. “I also took the best information from all of these coaches, which I thought was the best thing for the program.
“Through all of these expert instructors, it opened my eyes to a whole new world of golf and how competitive golf needs to be coached. This is why I believe the Kona golf community has built the most progressive junior program in the last four years.”
Lee also believes that the ‘Riders’ 2025 season will set the standard for west-side youth golf, inspiring the younger generation to keep honing their crafts as they approach high school.
“You just have to continue keeping your mind in the right place, and you can get good at this game really fast,” he said. “You just gotta know how to practice smartly and efficiently. We take a lot of notes on our own statistics, and we match it with our drills. So that’s where the program is going.”
Needless to say, keep your eye out for Kealakehe and west-side golf going forward, as they are here to stay.
Other BIIF boys finishers
Waiakea boys golf, who had won the previous two state championships, placed third in the state after Friday’s final round. The Warriors posted a collective +44, finishing just one stroke behind the Waveriders.
Leading Waiakea was the island’s top youth golfer Jake Otani, who placed third overall after shooting 146 across two rounds. Otani shot a 71 in Round 1 and 75 in Round 2. He finished one stroke behind second-place finisher Lucas Summerhays of Island School and seven behind Loree, who won the individual title for the second straight year.
Otani’s teammate, Noah Miyazono, placed 13th overall after carding 152 across the two days. Warrior Kysen Taniguchi placed 30th after shooting 160 (+16). Waiakea’s Skyler Miyashiro placed 47th once he carded 163 (+19).
Hawaii Prep’s Matty Inaba placed 13th overall after carding 153, while Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Kaha‘i Helm shot 154, placing 17th. Tyler Maag of Hilo additionally placed 29th after posting 159, while teammate Aidan Puleo shot +18 (162) to place 37th.
To read the full list of results, see the HHSAA website.
Waiakea headlines girls tourney
Waiakea placed eighth overall in the girls state tourney, which was held Tuesday and Wednesday at Mauna Lani. The Lady Warriors shot 82-over par as a team.
Madelyn Awaya led Waiakea by placing 17th overall, shooting 79 in both rounds to card 14-over par. Teammate Jordyn Kawachi placed 37th with a +26 (170).
Khloe Nakagawa of HPA was the field’s highest finisher from the Big Island, shooting a 157 over two rounds to place 15th overall. Kealakehe’s Kaylee Palakiko placed 26th after carding a 162 (+18).
Hilo’s Lauren Kozohara (+27) and Nalei Ramos (+34) placed 39th and 50th, respectively. KSH’s Addison Arbles carded 179 (+35), placing 52nd.
Like the boys team, Punahou girls also placed first overall in the team competition, carding +14 (446). The Buffanblu’s top finisher was Alexa Takai, who carded 144 (E).
Kahuku’s Ava Cepeda won the individual competition after posting -3 through both rounds (141), including shooting a 69 in the final 18.
To read the full list of results, see the HHSAA website.
