Honokaa junior Josyah Napoleon-Umeda has etched his name into island sports lore, earning the 2026 MaxPreps Hawaii Player of the Year award after steering the Dragons through an undefeated, history-making season. The two-way standout powered Honokaa to a flawless 17-0 record, a BIIF championship and the program's first state baseball title, wrapping a year in which he dominated both at the plate and on the mound.
As detailed by MaxPreps, Napoleon-Umeda led the entire state in batting average and home runs while also posting a 0.42 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. The outlet selected him as Hawaii's Player of the Year as part of its national roundup of standout high school seasons.
State final sealed with a complete-game shutout
The storybook finish came at Les Murakami Stadium, where Honokaa blanked Damien 3-0 to clinch the HHSAA Division II crown, according to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. In the official box score, Napoleon-Umeda is credited with the win and a complete-game, three-hit shutout in the championship game.
Small-town run and family legacy
For Napoleon-Umeda, the accolade landed like something bigger than a personal trophy. As reported by Hawaii News Now, he called the honor "it's pretty mind-blowing to achieve something like this, especially coming from Honokaa, representing not just Honokaa but the whole island," and the report notes that his parents were part of the last Dragons BIIF title team in 2008.
MaxPreps explains that its state Player of the Year choices weigh team success alongside individual statistics, and the Hawaii nod pushes Napoleon-Umeda onto national radars that college programs and scouts track closely. The write-up underscores how unusual it is for a player from a small program to top statewide stat charts while anchoring a championship run.
Napoleon-Umeda is slated to take his talents to Allan Hancock College in California next year, the local report adds, while he continues to stand out in two sports back home. His father told Hawaii News Now he worried about his son playing football, saying, "I didn't want him to play football, to be honest," but the cross training paid off for a roster filled with starters who also suit up on the gridiron and helped produce a season the town will be talking about for years.
