Le Jardin Academy made history Friday night, capturing their first-ever boys volleyball state title—and doing it under a first-year head coach, no less.
The Bulldogs defeated OIA champion Pearl City in dominant fashion, 25-18, 25-9, 25-21, to claim the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division II State Championship. But the road to the trophy was anything but smooth.
Mother Nature threw everything she had at Oahu on game day, with flash floods and lightning storms sweeping across the island. Le Jardin, based in Kailua, normally needs about 30 minutes to reach BYU-Hawaii's Cannon Activities Center. But when the Kahaluu route became impassable due to flooding, the team faced a much longer journey.
"We were doing film around 2 o'clock, not even done," recalled first-year head coach Makana Wade. "Then one of my players said, 'Coach, Google Maps says it's going to take us 2.5 hours to get there.' We packed our stuff and got in the van. Our amazing facilities lady, Rachel Stout, drove. I wish everybody could've seen that van ride. Three hours. We went H-3, Mililani. I didn't even know some of these roads existed until today."
The HHSAA called to ask if the team could make the 5 p.m. start—or if rescheduling would be better. (The Division I final between Punahou and Moanalua was postponed due to the traffic nightmare.) But Wade wasn't having it.
"I'm looking at my van, guys having fun, getting locked in," he said. "We're just having a blast. No way we're not playing tonight."
The win was especially sweet for the Wade family. Just two weeks earlier, Makana's father, Charlie Wade, led the University of Hawaii to a national title. Now, the Wade ohana has a championship double that may be a first in island volleyball history.
Once on the court, Le Jardin showed zero signs of road fatigue. Seniors Brennan Nakayama and La'akea Kamahele led the charge. Kamahele, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, was nearly unstoppable, racking up 20 kills with just three errors on 31 swings (.548), plus two aces, five digs, and 1.5 blocks. Nakayama, the Bulldogs' setter, dished out 39 assists and added five digs.
Kamahele is headed to Long Island University; Nakayama will play at Arizona Christian. The two have been schoolmates since preschool and have played volleyball together their entire lives.
"It's a surreal moment for us as a team, as a family," Kamahele said. "We've been building on this for years. It feels so good to come out on top in our last game. We have a lot of fun and keep a smile on our faces. Our focus has been the main point all season. We were physically ready last year, but I don't think we were mentally ready. We really dialed it in this year."
Nakayama credited the new coach for the team's growth. "Coach Makana has such a great mind for the game. He's been around it his whole life and he got to share his knowledge with us."