By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (9-4) stuns California Golden Bears (7-6), 35-31, to win the 2025 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl on Wednesday night.
Hawaii comes back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Golden Bears. An epic comeback and perhaps the best bowl game of the season so far. As a reminder, we must continue to support and watch bowl season. Cal vs. Hawaii proves that bowl games are still worth watching.
We have witnessed the most significant comeback victory in Hawaii Bowl history. History was made in 2025. What an impeccable story, and this has to be a tremendous Christmas gift for the Rainbow Warriors football program.
The Rainbow Warriors had success in College Baseball this season, and now the football program is having success of its own.
What can we say about the Rainbow Warriors’ backup quarterback, Luke Weaver? He will never forget this game for as long as he lives. Weaver threw a clutch 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left to go to complete the comeback.
Starting quarterback Micah Alejado had to leave the game because he had taken a brutal hit. The replacement turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Head coach Tommy Chang took some risks with his play-calling decisions, and it paid off.
Chang is a homegrown Rainbow Warrior. He played quarterback for the program from 2000 to 2004. Here we are, twenty-plus years later, and he has led this program onto a winning path. It’s Hawaii’s first nine-win season since 2019.
Before leaving the game, Alejado finished 32-of-46 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. The Rainbow Warriors scored on their final six drives.
Hawai’i improved to 9-6 in bowl games, while Cal fell to 12-14-1.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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