The Kahana-Travis twins are stirring up trouble for Mililani opponents

Oct. 24—No matter where he is, Lehiwa Kahana-Travis remembers the stories.

No matter where he is, Lehiwa Kahana-Travis remembers the stories.

His great-grandfather, John Travis, told son Jay Travis one tale after another about life in Waialua. Working daily at the sugar mill. The family later moved to Wahiawa, and during high school, Jay's son, Jason, met Kehau Kahana.

Kehau's family was originally from Laie and Hauula. She was born and raised in Wahiawa.

Nakoa Kahana-Travis knows that chapter pretty well, though he and twin brother Lehiwa weren't quite around just yet.

"I just know the history of my mom them. They're all athletes. My mom and dad both went to Leilehua High School. My dad pretty much begged my mom to go out, " Nakoa said.

Lehiwa recounts a few more details.

"I remember my mom telling me, one time my dad asked her out, and since she was into sports, she wasn't into dating at all. He was a football player. She was All-State in softball and she was into her academics. He was a football player, " Lehiwa said.

Jason Travis is not a quitter.

"The second time he asked her out, she said yes, " Lehiwa said.

Jason Travis joined the Army upon graduation. Kehau attended Hawaii Pacific and studied to become a registered nurse. When Jason returned, he applied for a job at the federal prison. He was in the Hawaii Army National Guard until 2009.

His persistence outweighed his, uh, confidence.

"She hated me in high school. I was kind of a punk. We were friends, but we never went out. I always liked her, " he said. "When I joined the Army, I said, you want to make a bet with me ? She asked, 'What's the bet ?' I said, 10 years from now at our first high school reunion, if we're not married to other people, we get married to each other no matter what. I thought she would say, 'Hell, no !' But she said, 'OK.'"

Jason Travis went to boot camp in 1999. His first deployment was 18 months in Iraq. Long-distance relationships are low-percentage equations, but the birth of Kawena, the twins' older sister, made all the difference.

"She kept them together, " Nakoa said.

When the boys came along, Jason was doubly stoked.

"My dad was happy that they were having both of us. He was thinking that they were going to have one more, but they got a two-for-one, " Nakoa said. "My mom was happy, but it was hard."

Nakoa was born first—5 pounds, 15 ounces on the scale. Lehiwa arrived 11 minutes later, tipping the scale at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. Today, as junior playmakers at Mililani, Nakoa, their running back, is 5 feet, 10 inches and 180 pounds. Lehiwa, a slotback, is 5-9, 180.

The twins are fraternal and, like some, they don't chatter much.

"We don't really say anything. Whenever we see a funny video, that's the only time we talk to each other, " Lehiwa said.

They've heard all the standard questions.

"Yeah. 'Which one of you is better at football ?' I don't even answer the question. I just shrug my shoulders, " Lehiwa said. "'Which one is taller ?' 'Who was born first ?'"

The brothers can tell when people get them mixed up.

"If they know us well and still ask, 'Who's who ?, ' we joke around, " Nakoa said.

Nakoa translates to "being brave, " he said.

Lehiwa ?

"Lehiwa means good-looking. I was 12 years old. I asked my dad. My first thought was, I was just surprised. I had a lot of compliments about my looks, but I never thought of what my name meant until then, so it started clicking, " Lehiwa said.

Mom says the idea originated with dad, who dug up the name before they knew twins were on the way.

"We talked about if we had a son, we would name him Lehiwa. When they were born, they were 'Baby A' and 'Baby B' (in the hospital ). When they got their first shots, one cried and the other didn't. So Nakoa was the one who didn't cry, " Jason Travis said.

Long before high school, the brothers began building an edge. It was Jay who built a weight room in his home, setting the tone and the path for Jason, then grandsons Lehiwa and Nakoa.

"We have our own gym at home, but it was originally my grandpa's weights. He was a big guy in his prime. Whatever my dad learned was from my grandpa, " Lehiwa said.

The brothers both have maxed at 280 pounds on the bench press, according to dad.

"Not a full squat. I try to make them squat down to the bench and explode, " Jason Travis said. "They can rep 455 pounds almost 10 times."

With two busy parents, Lehiwa and Nakoa haven't settled. When they had an opportunity to join the All-Blacks Crusaders during their middle-school years, making the round trip from Central Oahu to Ewa Beach was a sacrifice their family was happy to make.

ABC coach Frank Lacaden already had a deep, talented team that included future high school standouts Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Tana Togafau-Tavui, Titan Lacaden and many more. Frank Lacaden had seen the twins play for the Wahiawa Mules, a Pop Warner team.

"They were basically the whole team. Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, safety, linebacker. They were playing everything. When we moved over to Big Boyz, they came over and made the trip every day to Ewa Beach, " Lacaden recalled. "They knew they were going to be behind guys. They plugged away and became a big part of our organization."

Lacaden counts his blessings when parents are diligent.

"Great parents, great kids. They're super talented and work hard every day. They never complain. Good attitudes, very coachable like a coach's dream, " Lacaden said.

The quiet nature of the twins, at least during business hours, caught Mililani coach Rod York by surprise.

"Those two are hard workers. We see them on the field and they're real twitchy, real quick and tough. Durable and they fight through pain. They don't ever talk. You won't know if they're hurt or not. The trainers will tell me if they have an injury, " York said. "They're great kids, work hard, great grades. And there's two of them."

Lehiwa Kahana-Travis has a complete skill set as a slotback.

"Lehiwa is always getting the bubble screens, quick routes, one-on-one with the safety, and he's a great blocker. Nakoa is a beast in the backfield. I always say we need to give him the ball more. He's always a few yards short of 100, " York noted. "They work hard. When they're not lifting with us, they lift with their dad. They look like bodybuilders."

There's something about work that puts the brothers into a different mode.

"I try to keep it humble. Strictly business, and let my actions do the work, " Nakoa said.

"My mom says hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. What we do in the classroom is just as important as what we do on the field, " Lehiwa said.

Kehau Kahana-Travis always kept academics her priority and expects the same from her keiki. Lehiwa has a 3.5 grade-point average. Nakoa has a 3.3.

"I think a lot of their work ethic, they get from mommy. She was always the driven one, " Jason Travis said. "If she wanted something done, she'd get it done. In school, she had excellent grades. OIA West Player of the Year (in softball ). Played volleyball. I played a lot of sports, too, but it came easy for me and I was the lazy one. That was a regret I had. I didn't pursue education the way I should have. That's why I push them hard off the field. What you do off the field makes you better on it."

Mililani is ranked No. 2 in the Star-Advertiser Football Top 10. Since a season-opening loss to Punahou, the Trojans have been utterly dominant during a nine-game win streak. Last year's young squad has matured significantly. The depth at receiver and running back means fresh legs are always rotating onto the field. There is little to no dropoff and Mililani has difference-making contributors at all times.

"The ball's meant to go to the open guy, " York said.

Nakoa Kahana-Tracis has rushed for 636 yards and eight TDs, averaging 9.5 yards per carry.

"Left to right, my O-line is Jon McFall, Myah Ma 'afala, Blaze Manley, AJ Eves and Koda Aumavae, " Nakoa said. "I love them. I have to give the credit to all of them, all my runs. I couldn't ask for a better O-line than this."

Lehiwa Kahana-Travis has 11 receptions for 194 yards and two TDs.

The Trojans are averaging 51.9 points per game offensively. Up next : No. 3 Campbell in the semifinal round of the OIA Open Division playoffs. A win would propel Mililani into the league final and secure an automatic berth in the state tournament. It would also validate all the work by a unified force.

"I don't think most people understand what we do off the field. All the hard work we do off the field translates on the field, " Lehiwa said. "I feel good heading into the playoffs. Everybody's been working hard. Although we started off slow with the Punahou game, everybody's started to bond like brothers. We're like a family now. We're ready to take off."

Nakoa also places value on the team's chemistry and trust.

"The bond that we have. People wouldn't know the relationships we have, what's going on besides football. I feel like we have the team. This is the team, this year. I feel confident in my team that we could win it all. We just have to stick to the game plan and execute."

In the end, mom is as proud as she is demanding.

"Just the people that they are. They're both good kids, " she said. "They're really humble and good kids."