TEMPE – It was the best feeling of Isaiah Iosefa’s life.
As a senior at Mililani High School in Hawaii, he had yet to experience a regular season win over his rival high school Kahuku. Watching his rivals win three consecutive open state championships while his team kept losing in the playoffs set a fire in Iosefa.
Now, as a sophomore linebacker for Arizona State, he lists beating his rivals as a senior in high school as one of his favorite prep moments.
“I hate them,” Iosefa said. “I do not like Kahuku. I was 0-5 before winning that game against them. That was a memorable moment.”
Standing next to Iosefa as he bragged about the victory was freshman offensive lineman Filiva’a “Suka” Lokotui, who attended Kahuku.
“We’re just going to forget about that,” Lokotui said.
Lokotui may have had the last laugh. His team took home three state titles during his time in high school.
With ASU’s game against Hawaii Saturday at Mountain America Stadium looming, Lokotui and Iosefa took the opportunity to reflect on their time growing up in Hawaii, the sport’s evolution on the island state and the ties that bind them.
The two are not the only Sun Devils with Hawaiian roots. Sophomore offensive lineman Manamo’ui Muti, fifth-year defensive lineman Blazen Lono-Wong and running backs coach Shaun Aguano are also Hawaiian.
With four Hawaiian players in the ASU locker room, exchanges like the one Iosefa and Lokotui had are common.
“Each high school that you went to, you represent them as your last name,” Lokotui said. “All of us in the locker room talk trash to each other for each high school that we went to.”
All five also understand the importance that the University of Hawaii holds in the football community and in the state.
ASU’s Hawaiian players grew up hearing about early-2000s Hawaii teams led by current Hawaii coach Timmy Chang and the late Colt Brennan, the quarterback who reinvigorated his football career at Hawaii.
The Rainbow Warriors went on an impressive run in the early 2000s, posting winning seasons in six of seven years, capturing two WAC championships and making a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2007 after finishing the regular season undefeated with Brennan, a Heisman finalist.
Aguano was an assistant coach at Chandler High School during that time, but he has a connection with Chang, along with other members of the Hawaii coaching staff, who he complimented ahead of Saturday’s game between ASU (2-2, 1-1 Big 12) and Hawaii (1-4, 0-3 Mountain West).
“They do a fantastic job of building Hawaii,” Aguano said. “When they’re not playing up for us, I’m rooting for them. Timmy knows because I text him and call him after games when they have big wins.”
Despite his friendship with Chang, who has coached Hawaii since 2022, Aguano doesn’t plan to engage in his usual discourse across the field.
“That’s a whole different ball game,” Aguano said. “No texting and calling after this game. I might give him a hug after the game, but that’s it.”
As they prepare for the matchup, the experience ASU’s Hawaiians gained from their home state may even help inform them on what to expect from visiting fans. Hawaiians treat high school football games the way fans from the continental 48 states treat college and professional games.
When Iosefa casts his mind back to the stands at his high school games, he remembers stadiums packed with fans.
“Us Polynesians, we have big families,” Iosefa said. “Imagine every high school game, each player, 12 to 15 family members each. It fills up stadiums for sure.”
Despite its lack of coverage in the rest of the U.S., high school football means the world to Hawaiians. The biggest difference, Aguano said, is that interest in sports in Hawaii isn’t shared between football, basketball, baseball and other sports that grab attention on the continent. It’s all football once the middle of the summer hits.
Children often begin playing flag football as young as 5 and stick with the sport until they graduate high school, some even taking it to college and beyond.
Iosefa remembers how his experience facing teams from the mainland helped his development. While their schedules are primarily built by playing local teams, Hawaiian high school teams will occasionally face a top team from the contiguous 48 states, an opportunity they do not take lightly.
“Everyone pours everything into it,” he said. “It’s different because, having that chip on our shoulders, being from the island, challenging other mainland teams, it gives us confidence that we can hang with anyone. That’s the biggest thing about our culture. We’re not scared to go against any competition.”
That mindset gives ASU a glimpse of what it will be up against Saturday.
Hawaii may be 1-4, coming off of losses to Wyoming and San Jose State, but the Sun Devils’ Hawaiians insist the Rainbow Warriors are a team that does not give up. Each season since taking over, Chang has improved Hawaii’s record, finishing 2025 at 9-4 with a victory over California in the Hawaii Bowl.
Chang has brought that same mindset from his time playing at Hawaii. A four-year starter in college, across five seasons due to an injury as a sophomore, Chang threw for a then-FBS-record 1,388 completions on 2,436 attempts for 17,072 yards and 117 touchdowns.
“They’re going to come with a lot of pride,” Aguano said. “They’re going to come with a lot of fight and there’s not going to be any giving up. They’re going to play until the last whistle. That’s how coach Timmy coaches.”
Hawaii’s record might lead a different power conference program to view a matchup with the Rainbow Warriors as a free win. ASU’s players from the island know differently. The game is as meaningful as any other, possibly more for those who grew up following the Rainbow Warriors.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Iosefa said. “Growing up, that was kind of where I wanted to go, stay as close to home as possible. Being in this completely different environment in Tempe, having the chance to play our hometown university, it means a lot. We’re definitely not going to treat them as pushovers. We’re going to prepare for them like we do every other team.”
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