HPA, Konawaena win Big Island flag football titles, DII first ever
“Such a blessing.” HPA’s first BIIF girls flag football title and Konawaena’s repeat crown capped a milestone night at Honokaa High, with Division II history made.
“Such a blessing.” Lauren Prutow-McKenna’s words fit the moment at Honokaa High, where Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Konawaena turned a fast-growing island sport into a new chapter of Big Island history. HPA blanked Honokaa 25-0 to claim the first BIIF girls flag football Division II championship ever awarded, while Konawaena shut out Hilo to secure the Division I title.
The split championship format itself marked how quickly the sport has grown. The BIIF moved from one girls flag football title in 2025 to separate Division I and Division II crowns in 2026, and HPA’s win gave the island its first DII champion. For a Waimea program built on steady development, the shutout was more than a trophy; it was the payoff for a season that ended 12-0 against BIIF opponents, with HPA averaging nearly 32 points per game and allowing just 6.2.
Prutow-McKenna’s team had already shown it could handle pressure. HPA beat Waiakea 31-12 on April 11 at Honokaa High and then edged Honokaa 13-12 on April 14 before delivering a more decisive finish in the championship game. The title was especially sweet after last year’s loss, and it confirmed that the Ka Makani pipeline can produce a contender in a sport that is still defining its place in island athletics.
Konawaena’s run was even more emphatic. The Wildcats finished 13-0 against BIIF competition and allowed fewer than two points per game, a level of defensive control that made them the team nobody on the island could crack. Their victory over Hilo extended a standard set in 2025, when Konawaena won the inaugural BIIF championship by beating HPA 27-0 and finished 9-0 with four shutouts, scoring 34.7 points per game while giving up 4.2.
Senior Ava Shoosmith said the Wildcats were driven by their desire to repeat last year’s championship success, and early-season numbers showed why opponents struggled to keep pace. KHON2 reported that Shoosmith had six interceptions and returned five for touchdowns in four games, a sign of how disruptive Konawaena’s defense had become from the start.
The championships also fed into a larger postseason picture. The Hawaii High School Athletic Association scheduled the 2026 girls flag football state championships for May 11-16, with BIIF earning two Division I berths and three Division II berths. From Honokaa to Waimea to South Kona, girls flag football has moved beyond novelty and into the center of the island’s high school sports identity.
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