KAILUA-KONA — To almost no one’s surprise, one of the island’s top football players chose a new home.
Konawaena rising senior Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio — the Wildcats’ perennial All-Hawaii wide receiver and defensive back selection — announced Friday via Instagram that he is committing to the University of Nevada to play Division I college football. He will join his older brother, lineback Hezekiah Anhu-Ambrosio, with the Wolfpack in the fall of 2025.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I also want to thank my family,” Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio said in his announcement. “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“Shout out to all of the trainers, teammates and coaches that helped me get here. It was a challenging journey and a tough decision. Thank you to all of the coaches who gave me an opportunity. Go Pack!”
Anahu-Ambrosio had no shortage of offers to choose from. The Kona star told West Hawaii Today last fall that he received offers from Nevada, BYU, Hawai‘i, Northern Colorado and San Diego State.
The interest from around the country made perfect sense. After playing his freshman season at Timpview in Provo, Utah in 2021, Anahu-Ambrosio returned home to West Hawai‘i to suit up for the green and white. During his sophomore and junior seasons with Konawaena, the standout logged 157 catches for 2,342 yards and 43 touchdowns — earning two All-BIIF and All-Hawaii nods and the 2022 Scoring Live Offensive Player of the Year award.
Anahu-Ambrosio’s superb play helped the Wildcats secure two HHSAA Division I Football Championship appearances, including the first football state title in the school’s history in 2022 over Waipahu. He’ll look to add to his decorated high school resume during his senior season this fall at Konawaena.
Wildcats head coach Brad Uemoto was ecstatic about the news — expressing his excitement for Anahu-Ambrosio’s next chapter on the mainland.
“I’m really proud of Zed. He’s worked hard to have the opportunity to play Division I football,” he told West Hawaii Today. “It’s not often that you see a player from the Big Island have multiple offers like he did. I’m also very excited that he reunites in Nevada with his brother Hezekiah. It’s just a really fortunate situation for their entire family to have two DI players at the same college. I know their parents have put in a lot of work with them from a very young age, and they are very blessed to have their boys be provided the opportunity of education and football.”