The Lahaina Chiefs Peewee Division team won the 2014 Maui Pop Warner Football Association championship.

LAHAINA – There is a new wave of red tide gridiron glory rising here on the West Side of Maui.

The Lahaina Chiefs Peewee Division team has captured the 2014 Maui Pop Warner Football Association championship and will represent the Valley Isle at the prestigious Silver Bowl western region games that will be played at the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Dec. 6.

The Chiefs qualified for the opportunity to travel to the Mainland and compete as a representative of the MPWA by rolling to a 7-2 regular season record to win the league title in the Peewee Division for 8- to 11-year-olds in the 80- to 110-pound weight range.

Along with the Big Boy – the middle school aged and “big” boys not eligible to participate on Pop Warner teams – spring football league representative from Lahaina, the resurgence of the Peewee team signals a bright future for the already high-flying Lahainaluna High School Lunas.

Several familiar names that represent the sterling gridiron tradition forged on the fields of Lahaina stand out on the player and coaching roster of the 2014 Peewee Chiefs. The names of Casco, Tihada, Mataafa, Dudoit and Keahi – along with an ever-growing list of newcomers to join the cause – all represent the rock solid football foundation of the West Side community.

The Chiefs coaching staff is headed up by veteran Lahaina leader Kale Casco, who is assisted by Nori Tihada, Kai Keahi, Cane Casco and Jesse Dudoit.

The player roster includes Isaiah Acia, Neil Agabayani, Koa Arnold, Jake Bell, AJ Bianco, Kai Bookland, Kamana’o Chung, Kai Branum, Christian Clarion, Kadin Dias, Jesse Dudoit, Cyrus Freitas, Keawe Kane Keahi, Kainalu Kapu, Jonah Kirkham, Nainoa Kulukulualani, Matai Mataafa, Tama Palau Agdeppa, Karsyn Pupunu, Devon Sa Chisolm, Kalai Storer, Paea Tasini Lukela, Christopher Theobald, Joshua Tihada, Treven Tihada and Daelisa Westbrooks. Kupono Tihada is the team’s water boy.

The Peewee Chiefs board of directors was led by President Stacy Bookland, Vice President Amy Estes, Secretary Tom Bell, Treasurer Liz Bell and Scholastic Representative Becka Johnston.

“This group of student athletes has been working tirelessly since August in pursuit of their goal to travel to the Mainland and compete in the coveted Silver Bowl at UNLV on December 6. It was confirmed on November 9 that their dream would become a reality, as they beat the Wailuku Rainbows to take the title. We are so excited to take the opportunity of this trip to not only compete but to expand the minds of these talented children. Hence, the team will be taking guided tours of the UNLV campus, the Barrick Museum of Natural History, the famous TAO Restaurant and Hoover Dam,” said Bookland who is the principal at Lahaina Intermediate School.

“In order to get this amazing group of keiki to the Mainland, we are looking to raise $150 per team traveler or approximately $5,000, and we are seeking community support,” she explained. Donations to sponsoring a player or team contributions can be mailed to Liz Bell, Lahaina Chiefs Peewee Division, P.O. Box 12923, Lahaina, HI 96761. Checks should be made out to Lahaina Chiefs Peewee Division; all donations are tax-deductible, and tax information can be sent individually. For information, call Liz Bell at 344-0759 or e-mail kamakibell@gmail.com.