HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As the high school football regular season comes to a close, two of Hawaii's best teams meet on Saturday with Kahuku hosting Campbell.

However, in an interesting twist late in the season, the Red Raiders welcomed a transfer from one of the best programs in the country.

Junior quarterback Matai Fuiava joins Laie after already making a name for himself at St. John Bosco.

In his first-ever varsity start, he went all out to score over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns to defeat Florida powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna.

“Matai has done a very good job at St. John Bosco, they are the second largest school in the country. We wish he could have played against Mater Dei and finished the game before we left, but the opportunity wouldn't wait for me for another two weeks,” said Matai's father, Robert Fuiava.

The Fuiava Ohana had to make the difficult decision to relocate to the islands in the middle of Matai's junior year when an opportunity arose for the family, and the move was quick – all within a few days.

“I spoke to him about it on Friday and he said I should pray about it. Saturday morning he woke up and said, 'Dad, something is calling me to the islands,'” Robert Fuiava said.

The Fuiavas are already familiar with the North Shore, having experienced the Big Reds' love of the game when Bosco visited Kahuku last season.

“I've always liked Kahuku since we were here last year and lost. Of course we were bitter because nobody likes to lose, but just seeing that environment. “We went to buy shirts for ourselves and a family went out of their way to buy the shirts for us. It was just a big deal for us,” said Matai’s older brother LoPaki Fuiava.

While it's unclear whether or not he'll see the field on Saturday, Matai has already been working on his connection with star defender and receiver Mana Carvalho.

Either way, he knows playing time has to be earned.

“A lot of people think that he just went there and won the position and that it's his, that's not true, he still has to perform at training this week, we don't do handouts,” said LoPaki Fuiava.

Matai's toughest transition has been learning the playbook – and despite being thrown straight into the mix, he already feels at home.

“These young men are only there for me personally. Just being around them is motivating and extremely admirable for the coaches on the team because these are some really well-mannered young men,” said LoPaki Fuiava.

The Fuiava family tells Hawaii News Now they planned to move to the islands in a few years anyway.

For now, they are looking forward to Matai's first game with the defending champions.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.