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Late Touchdown Seals Victory For Rainbow Warriors
HONOLULU – The California football team built a big early lead but ultimately fell to Hawai’I 35-31 in the 2025 Sheraton Hawai’I Bowl on Wednesday evening at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
After failing to hold on to a 21-0 second-quarter lead, the Golden Bears (7-6) fell behind 28-24 midway through the fourth period before coming back to go in front 31-28 on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele with 1:57 to play. But the Rainbow Warriors pulled out the victory by scoring a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining.
Wide receiver Jacob De Jesus made history in the defeat, catching nine passes for 137 yards and a touchdown to become Cal’s all-time single-season receptions leader with 108 for the year. That also ties him for second place in history for an ACC receiver.
Sagapolutele, who hails from Ewa Beach, Hawai’I, completed 28-for-39 passes for a career-high 343 yards and a touchdown. Sagapolutele finished his true freshman season with 3,460 passing yards – which ranks No. 6 on the program’s all-time single season list.
Senior Trond Grizzell finished with eight catches for 105 yards.
The Bears played in their third consecutive bowl game Wednesday night and finished with a winning overall record for the first time since 2019.
De Jesus got Cal on the board with a 41-yard touchdown catch from Sagapolutele midway through the first quarter and Kendrick Raphael’s 19-yard scoring run on the first play of the second period put the Bears up 14-0. True freshman Anthony League, who recorded his first career start, also registered his first career touchdown on an 8-yard run with 9:38 to play before halftime to put Cal up 21-0.
The Rainbow Warriors scored 21 unanswered points of their own before a 22-yard field goal by Chase Meyer gave the Bears the lead once again with 8:56 remaining. The teams then traded touchdowns to close out the game, with Hawai’I notching the game-winner in the game’s final seconds.
