At the end of the 2024-2025 Punahou Boys Soccer season, with the team finishing with a 5-5 record, many returning players were hoping for a better season in 25-26.
To several of those players, the hiring of first year head coach Joshua Graham brought hope and stability. Senior defender Blaze Bailey talked about Coach Graham’s prestige coaching reputation not only in the state of Hawai’i, but the western region. Bailey stated, “Hearing the news that Coach Josh was going to be our coach, I knew his presence was going to be felt the second he stepped on campus.”
Originally from Manchester, England, Coach Graham played in various academies growing up before making the move to the US, playing Division 1 soccer at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After his playing career he found his way to the assistant coaching position at HPU.
Before the 25-26 season started, Coach Graham set up the first of many culture meetings with the returning Varsity and JV players. He made it very clear what the upcoming season objectives were. Coach Graham said, “Our main goal for this season isn’t to win games. It’s to extract every last drop of potential from every given day.”
Starting senior defender Neyo Simon talked about how Coach Graham’s season goal inspired him. “When Coach Josh talked about our main goal for the season I was a little skeptical. Obviously as a player you want to win games and compete, however when everyone started to buy into the system, we started to see major steps in our team and individual development. I think his message every day to us changed not only the mindset of myself, but also my teammates. Taking away the message that we have to do the things that we can control, which is our effort, focus and attention to detail every single day.”
However, every season isn’t perfect. Coming out of winter break, the Punahou boys soccer team were ranked #2 in the state on Scoringlive. The following week something unexpected happened that changed the course for the rest of the season. Coach Graham’s working visa expired, meaning…he wasn’t allowed to coach at Punahou nor at HPU.
The message Coach Graham gave the team was, “This is a great opportunity for you boys to mature and grow,” he said. “You guys need leaders to step up and have this team be driven by you guys.”
Junior defender Morgan Kominek commented on the sudden absence of Coach Graham. “Even though Coach Josh not being able to coach us was a setback, it allowed us to uphold and raise the standards that he demanded from us all season long.”
All of the preparation and hard work the team put in all year, showed in some of the biggest games of the season. In an ILH playoff game for a state tournament berth, the Punahou boys were once again in a situation where their backs were against the wall. In a penalty shootout against Kamehameha, the Punahou boys found a way to win, with Junior goalkeeper Ethan Eagle making two huge saves to seal the victory.
The team also made it back to the state tournament. In the tournament they played their best soccer of the season, posting wins against Kapolei, King Kekaulike, and Mililani. Unfortunately the boys came up short in the final against the back to back state champs, the Iolani Raiders, losing 5-2.
Although the final outcome wasn’t ideal for them, some players had positive outlooks. Junior defender Sean Markham reflected on the season and described it as unforgettable. “To think of the obstacles this team has had to overcome from last season to this year is truly astonishing. I am proud to be a part of this team which has a bunch of great individuals who come to work every day.”
While Coach Graham’s future with the team is uncertain, many players feel that he provided them a strong foundation and a season to remember.