HPA seniors Kukila Lincoln, left, and Conor Hunt recently signed their letters of intent.
A turnaround season for HPA on the football field led to college opportunities for a pair of promising Ka Makani athletes. Seniors Conor Hunt and Kukila Lincoln inked their letters of intent on Feb. 5, in Castle Gymnasium to extend their careers as student-athletes. Hunt has signed on to kick and punt at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Lincoln—a lineman—will be heading to Montana.
The duo were both All-BIIF selections during their senior seasons, helping guide HPA’s football program back to prominence. After just one league victory in three seasons, Ka Makani finished as the BIIF runner-up in Division II, reeling off a 6-3 record. “Knowing where I’m going for college takes a whole bunch of stress off my plate,” Lincoln says. “None of this would be possible without my coaches, the school, and all the support I got along the way.” Hunt echoed those sentiments from his teammate, saying: “There was a big concern in my mind that I would not even be playing athletics in college. I’m glad all the hard work paid off. I want to thank my parents for setting me up and putting me in this great school.”
Lincoln played on both the offensive and defensive line during his time with Ka Makani. He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, and has more of room to grow as he joins Montana, a Division I FCS team in the Big Sky Conference. Last year, the Grizzlies finished 10-4, seeing their season end in the FCS Championship quarterfinals. “When I went up there, it reminded me of home. It was chilly, but nothing I can’t handle,” Lincoln explained with a grin. “The coaches were nice, the people were nice, the players were nice. I can’t wait to go up there and ball out.”
Hunt has long had the dream of playing college football, taking up kicking as a New Year’s resolution in 2016. Four years and lots of hard work later, Hunt now has the opportunity to suit up for the Hoyas—a Division I FCS squad that plays out of the Patriot League. But football isn’t the only thing that caught Hunt’s eye when it came to Georgetown, a prestigious university founded in 1789. “It’s a school with a great tradition, as well as great athletics and academics,” says Hunt. “There’s a lot of pride and tradition at Georgetown, and it felt like a big ‘ohana over there.”
While Hunt is great at booming punts and putting the ball through the uprights, he also excels on the soccer field as a Ka Makani captain. Hunt helped Ka Makani captured the boys soccer state title his senior year, garnering Most Outstanding Player honors at the tournament. But despite earning a reputation as one of the best goal-scorers in the state, Hunt said his soccer days will be behind him once he graduates from HPA. “No soccer for me,” says Hunt. “Maybe you can catch me playing Sunday league when I’m like 40.”
The wins and losses are fun and all, but the real payment for me is to see my guys sign, and then go out there and experience things.”
— HPA head football coach Kaluka Maiava
Smiling watching the signing ceremony was HPA head coach Kaluka Maiava, who took over the program in 2019. Maiava, a former standout at Baldwin on Maui, played his college football at USC under Pete Carroll. He played alongside Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews in a linebacker corps that is mentioned as one of the most talented in college football history. He went on to be drafted in the fourth round, enjoying a six-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders.
Maiava has brought new life to the program, utilizing his experience and instilling his relentless desire to improve within the squad. He says one of his goals is to help his players find life-changing college opportunities through the sport of football. “That’s the real reason I got into this,” says Maiava. “The wins and losses are fun and all, but the real payment for me is to see my guys sign, and then go out there and experience things. They get a free education, get to travel, and meet people through football.”
Both Hunt and Lincoln credited Maiava with guiding them through the process. “He’s the realest coach I’ve had in my career,” says Lincoln. “He knows what he’s doing and prepped me well for this process.” Being a former college athlete himself, Maiava has passed on some essential advice his former players head to the next level. “The main thing I’ve told them is: get ready. It’s a whole new world up there.”