Earlier this month, Jonah Kawamura was named 2020-2021 Gatorade soccer player of the year for the state of Hawaii.
The Gatorade Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most elite high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character. The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the state of Hawaii and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
The 5-foot-10, 155-pound senior midfielder and forward was a First Team All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu honoree and an Honorable Mention All-State selection as a junior. He scored eight goals and passed for eight assists in 2020, leading the Raiders to a 7-5 record, and concluded his prep career with 25 goals and 20 assists. Kawamura has maintained a 3.40 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer at the University of Washington this fall. A devoted member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Kawamura has volunteered locally on behalf of his school’s Key Club.
“Jonah has made a big impact on our varsity team since his freshman year because of his size, speed and understanding of the game. He has always accepted playing whatever position the team needed him to play the most, and he’s been a great leader by example on the field.”
Chris Lee Head Coach – ’Iolani coach