Waiakea boys golf reclaimed island glory after Monday’s BIIF match at Mauna Lani Resort.
Shooting 295 (+7) collectively, the Warrior boys beat second-place finisher Kealakehe by 30 strokes. The win was enough to crown Waiakea champions for the first time since 2024.
The Warriors have been on a mission of redemption in 2026. A year ago, they finished second to Kealakehe in the BIIF and third overall at states — which was a considerable step back from 2023 and 2024, when Waiakea won back-to-back state titles.
But the Warriors’ first step to getting back on top was clinching the conference, which they were able to do before the regular season concluded. Waiakea has won all five BIIF matches thus far, beating out second place by an average of 19 strokes.
“I don’t want them to be satisfied with just being BIIF champs,” Warriors head coach Alika Toledo told the paper. “(Winning the team title) was satisfying, but we’re really looking towards the big picture. We want to remain focused on the main prize, which is getting back to the top of the state once again.”
Luckily for Waiakea, experience is everything in the state tournament, and the Warriors will have three previous state champions in their corner at the 2026 David Ishii Golf State Championships next month on Oahu. Jake Otani, the squad’s No. 1 golfer, is one of the three — as the senior shot 4-under par (68), placing third in the boys individual contest at Mauna Lani. Across the season, Otani has placed in the top three four times, including two outright wins.
Noah Miyazono is the team’s No. 2 golfer, and he ended up being the top Warrior on Monday — shooting 5-under par (67) to place second in the field. The third state champ on Waiakea is Skyler Miyashiro, who shot 6-over (78) to tie with Ehunui’s Mokulani Johnson for sixth. Both players have consistently placed in the top 10 each match.
While Toledo noted that the Warriors’ top three are hungry for another state championship, he explained that the supporting players around the trio will ultimately decide how Waiakea finishes at states.
“You can tell that those three really want (the state title) back,” Toledo said of Otani, Miyazono and Miyashiro. “I can see it in the way they practice; they want something that they couldn’t get last year.
“Those four and five spots will be key for us becoming state champions again.”
The last two or three players to join the Warriors at states will be decided after the conference season concludes. The decision will be made based on season stroke average. Waiakea automatically gets five of the 18 available BIIF spots at the tournament, but the Warriors will be able to bring an extra player if their sixth-ranked golfer falls within the top 18.
A few candidates for the four-through-six state spots for Waiakea are Kysen Taniguchi, Olin Sakamoto and Cole Aragaki.
Other top Mauna Lani finishers
Winning the boys individual contest outright was St. Joseph freshman Leo Saito, who earned his first win of the year after placing in the top three at every match he has competed in this season. Saito shot 7-under par (-7), a season high.
Malakai Akeo led second-place finisher Kealakehe, placing fourth after carding 71 (-1). Hilo, which placed third as a team, was led by Iakona Manuia in fourth — who shot 3-over (75).
Kamehameha-Hawaii, which placed fourth overall in the boys field, was heralded by Kaleb Gardner, who placed eighth overall after shooting 7-over (79).
In the girls competition, Waiakea won by 10 strokes (+30), led by Jordyn Kawachi, who carded 2-over (74). It was Kawachi’s third first-place finish in 2026.
Kawchi’s teammate, Madelyn Awaya, finished fifth overall after carding 12-over (84).
Kealakehe, which placed second in the field, was led by Kaylee Palakiko, who shot 4-over (76) to place second individually. Hawaii Prep’s Khloe Nakagawa and Hilo’s Nalei Ramos tied for third after carding 7-over (79).
To see the full slate of results, see today’s Scoreboard. The last team match of the BIIF season will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Waikoloa Village.
