‘United and together’: Lahainaluna football team symbolizes resilience of a town destroyed by fire

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Training camp is hardly ever a pleasant experience. A time when rosters are filled out and players go from summer break to the fall grind.

But, at Lahainaluna, the pain and fatigue of football is a welcome escape.

Last season, the Lunas fielded 85 players between its varsity and JV teams and over half were directly impacted by the wildfires.

The destruction of that day still so raw.

“My mom walked in and she said, pack everything, we’re leaving,” said Lahainaluna offensive and defensive lineman Simione Olakauatu. “We were watching from the bypass and all we could hear was explosions. We couldn’t even see the sun or clouds, it was just all black everywhere.”

The fires also affected practically the entire Lunas coaching staff.

SPECIAL SECTION: MAUI WILDFIRES DISASTER

Head coach Dean Rickard lost his childhood home and at one point, he was living with more than 30 of his relatives in Wailuku.

Two days after the blaze, Rickard figured football was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Then, he bumped into two of his players during a supply run.

“There were two seniors that I saw, they lost their freshman year to COVID,” Rickard explained. “They had a shortened modified season in their sophomore year, so they didn’t have a full season. Their only full season was in their junior year and now in their senior year, this fire and the potential that maybe they have a chance to play, they couldn’t imagine not being able to compete.”

Wanting to play is one thing, but making it happen was another.

Students, many living across the island, temporarily attended school at Kulanihakoi High and practiced in Kihei while the Maui Interscholastic League approved a condensed five-game schedule.

They played half of the season at Kahului’s War Memorial Stadium.

And their return is not just a redemption story.

The Lunas swept the conference going undefeated until the state championship, extending a stretch of 44-straight regular season wins against Maui opponents.

“That streak dates back to 2016 for goodness sake,” said longtime Maui sports writer Robert Collias. “Remarkable, just remarkable and I do truly think that season helped this community immensely to recover a little bit.”

Most of the team is still living with family in other districts or in temporary housing.

Olakauatu stayed in a hotel for months before relocating in April.

“We walk by faith, not by fear,” Olakauatu said. “Kind of just have faith everything will come back together.”

For junior Nash Aguiran, the heartache is still so fresh.

“I’m still kind of troubled that I don’t really have the comfort of having a proper house and like, how do I say this, having the people that you want to cheer you on the field are not here anymore,” Aguiran said.

While this team and the community it represents continue to make sense of the tragedy, it’s clear playing on helps the healing process and strengthens the Lunas unbreakable connection with this town.

“You would never want any other program or any other community to go through it, but at the same time, what these kids went through and what they represented, we told them, you guys serve as this beacon of hope that we can move beyond this tragedy,” Rickard said. “We can do ‘em united and together.”

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.