{"id":54,"date":"2026-05-14T19:05:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T19:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=54"},"modified":"2026-05-14T19:05:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T19:05:50","slug":"champs-ka-makani-lacrosse-wins-2nd-founders-cup-in-3-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=54","title":{"rendered":"Champs! Ka Makani lacrosse wins 2nd Founder\u2019s Cup in 3 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hawaii Preparatory Academy lacrosse did it again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hawaii Preparatory Academy lacrosse did it again.<\/p>\n

For the second time in three years, Ka Makani hoisted the esteemed Founder\u2019s Cup Trophy, which is the unofficial state championship for Hawaii club lacrosse. But this time around, HPA won in a unique way on May 2 at Kalaheo High School.<\/p>\n

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Ka Makani took on Konawaena in the finals after beating Windward 12-2 in the semis \u2014 setting up an all-Big Island championship. Up 9-7 with a minute left, the Wildcats swiftly scored with 50 seconds on the clock, making it just a one-point game.<\/p>\n

Kona won the faceoff following the goal, but goalie Conor Cavens and HPA\u2019s defense held up in the closing seconds to escape with the 9-8 win \u2014 and the Founder\u2019s Cup in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got real nervous towards the end,\u201d Ka Makani coach Will Zucker told the paper in a recent phone interview. \u201cFor a second I thought we could be heading to overtime.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was magical for us. I\u2019ve never been part of a team \u2014 player or coach \u2014 where we went undefeated.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the state title, Ka Makani claimed its first undefeated season in program history \u2014 a perfect 7-0. It was a goal that HPA set its sights on when the season began in early April.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis championship means a lot to us, knowing what our hard work could lead to,\u201d senior Kingdon Simmons said. \u201cWe had a goal at the beginning of the season to stay undefeated, and we did that by showing up everyday ready to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simmons, Taiga Moriyama, Landon Wilson, Avery Lit, Dylan Huang and Makoto Lattin all scored in the finals.<\/p>\n

HPA credited Konawaena for pushing them throughout the season. In addition to the nailbiter championship match, the two teams battled in the season opener \u2014 which ended up an overtime thriller. Zucker believed the close win set the tone for the rest of HPA\u2019s season \u2014 enstilling the belief that anything was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was one of the best games that I\u2019ve been apart of, at any level,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWe had big ball movement, smart play and we came out on top. It really helped our vision and mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cHPA and Konawaena have done this for (over a decade), and for us to both be in the finals was special. If Konawaena won, I would be almost as happy. We don\u2019t exist without each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wildcats, last year\u2019s Founders\u2019s Cup champions, held their heads high following the loss. Being a mature group that has won before, head coach Dan Curran is confident Kona will get back to the big stage.<\/p>\n

The Wildcats dealt with some midseason adversity following the mid-March Kona low storm, where their practice field was flooded. Nonetheless, Curran believed the circumstances ultimately made the team stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a very talented group, and even though we didn\u2019t get the result we wanted,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of how they responded to adversity \u2014 especially with the flooding of their school and having to transition to distance learning midway through the season. They showed resilience, character and heart all season. It\u2019s a special group of kids, and I\u2019ll miss our seniors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience will fuel us, and we\u2019ll come back stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since lacrosse is a non-HHSAA sport, HPA\u2019s roster is a unique cast of characters. Some are first-time players like Simmons, others have been on the team since middle school. There are also a few girls on the team.<\/p>\n

Zucker and his staff make one thing clear \u2014 if you want to learn the game, you can play on the team.<\/p>\n

Simmons, typically a football and basketball player, enjoyed every minute of his first season with the sport. While his time with lacrosse was short, lifelong memories were made almost instantly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSomething I\u2019ll remember the most about this team was how close we got in the short amount of time we had,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll remember and cherish this team forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the players come from different athletic backgrounds and circumstances, Zucker claimed he\u2019s never been part of a group that came together so closely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t had a group of kids that were this bonded,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was such a tight team. They were so committed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christian Hunt, who has played for HPA since his middle school years, grew not only as a player, but also as a person. As a freshman player, Hunt asked to be named team captain \u2014 a prestigious honor that typically only upperclassmen take on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said the trophy wasn\u2019t nice, but I think the most important thing is the effort you put in,\u201d Hunt said. \u201cBecause to me, that\u2019s an award in itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember walking onto the field this year and seeing so many people there that we actually ran out of gear for everyone, which never happens. Even though we had to get more, it showed how special this season was. More than anything, this has been the best lacrosse season because of the amazing teammates I got to share it with and the work we all put in together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another player, Brooke Hamilton, is one of the girls on the team who saw plenty of game action. While playing a sport with mostly boys can be daunting, Hamilton felt welcomed and supported by everyone involved with the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people on the team had never played before, so it was a learning curve for many,\u201d she said. \u201cI will remember how the girls were supported and encouraged by our teammates and coaches to play, even though it is a predominantly male team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel so lucky to be a part of a team that truly loves one another through everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie Chen, who hails from China, is a four-year defenseman on the squad.<\/p>\n

Zucker also gave credit to his assistant coaches \u2014 Willie Quayle and Jasen Trautwein \u2014 for helping develop the program to what it is today.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Quayle) has been with me on the staff almost the entire time (of the program\u2019s existence),\u201d Zucker said. \u201cHe started at Konawaena, and then moved to Waimea to become an integral part of HPA \u2014 both as a teacher and coach.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Trautwein) has been great at developing the scheme that we ran this year and bringing some focus to the team, which I think was really important. This doesn\u2019t happen without Willie and Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n

The win wasn\u2019t just for the HPA community, though \u2014 it was a win for the entire Big Island lacrosse scene. With the sport in its infancy across the Pacific islands, only five teams currently exist in Hawaii: HPA, Konawaena, Punahou, Town and Windward. Zucker and Ka Makani hope that other Big Island athletes see that you don\u2019t have to play an HHSAA sport to become a champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost every football player that\u2019s played for us and then gone to do another spring sport has come up to me and said they wished they played lacrosse all four years,\u201d Zucker said. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty standard response for players who don\u2019t join us until their senior year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would love to help grow programs at other high schools, if they\u2019re willing to talk with us and see what\u2019s possible. I think if some kids came and watched us play, they\u2019d adopt an interest. It\u2019s an expensive sport, but we can overcome that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Read more Waimea man killed on Kawaihae Road while changing a tire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Champs! Ka Makani lacrosse wins 2nd Founder\u2019s Cup in 3 years – Sports | Hawaii Tribune-Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nChamps! Ka Makani lacrosse wins 2nd Founder\u2019s Cup in 3 years - Moving to Hawaii Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=54\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Champs! 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