Coming off of a loss to Mililani in the state championship last year, ‘Iolani’s Varsity Boys Soccer team set out on a mission of revenge, hungry to prove that they were worthy of becoming state champions again.
The soccer team had challenged Mililani in the state finals for the last two seasons. They won the 2022-23 championship, however heartbreakingly fell short in the 2023-24 championship, which was their only loss of the season. However, due to their season-long acumen and good chemistry, the team achieved their goal and reclaimed the koa trophy, emerging as state champions once again and finishing the season with 12 wins, zero losses and one tie. This recent accomplishment allowed them to be ranked by MaxPreps as the 30th best team in the nation.
While embodying the One Team philosophy, there were notable players that made this happen, such as junior star Devin Lee ’26. Scoring eight goals alongside fellow teammate Brody Awaya ’26, who scored ten goals throughout the season, this high- scoring team is just what the program needed. After struggling to score in past years, they focused on this weakness and eventually found success. Head Coach Chris Lee says, “It’s always been a struggle for us to score goals, however this year we’ve been able to put more goals in the back of the net.” This was all proven during the state championship match, where Devin was able to pick up the team by tying the game with a penalty kick after being down a point in the second half.
This season, the team welcomed two freshmen, Chase Yamashita ’28 and Reef Kutaka ’28, both of which scored three goals throughout the season. They were a much needed addition as their presence aided in their championship run, with Chase scoring the final penalty kick to win them the state championship. This is acknowledged by Coach Chris as he says, “They perform well, they’ve come in, and they’ve given the team a spark and have been able to grow and learn a lot. We expect them to be some of the first players coming off the bench to help the team.” This confidence in all players, including the pair of freshmen, to live up to the role helped lead them to clinch the state championship.
When asked about what is the most important thing to have in soccer, Coach Chris responds, “I really do think it’s team chemistry, and how well you work with each other. You can’t have a one man team in soccer. Although one man may be really good, you can’t win championships like that. So, if you have a good bunch of guys who really understand each other, although they may not be like the best individual people, I feel like they can get stuff done.”
The Raiders were aided by star athletes: Devin Lee ’26, Brody Awaya ’26, Reef Kutaka ’28, Chase Yamashita ’28 and Dan Arima ’25. This amazing season will end joyfully sending five seniors off on a good note. What made this season especially one-of-a-kind was the fact that it was shared by the father-son duo of Coach Chris and athlete Devin Lee.
Coach Chris has been coaching even before his son was born, and his rich past of soccer is what pushed his son Devin to become a soccer player. Devin’s career started when he was young, and has been growing ever since with the help of his father, a previous ‘Iolani soccer player. “For as long as I can remember, soccer has been everything I know, I’ve dedicated my life into soccer and it has taught me so many life lessons about hard work, dedication, persistence, and I’ve definitely made bonds over soccer and met family through soccer, some of the greatest memories.” Several struggles come with being the coach’s son as well like others’ false ideas about bias, linency, and special treatment. But this made Devin work even harder, becoming a team captain and leader of the team, shining on and off the field. “Being the coach’s son feels good. It’s a little bit awkward at the same time knowing that he’s my dad, but it feels good that he gets to coach me.”
