Not everyone was in the holiday spirit on Christmas Eve. It was a chaotic night in Honolulu, Hawai’i, on Wednesday.
The Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl ended in chaos as Hawaii and California players were involved in a massive brawl as time expired on California’s final drive.
Hawaii defensive back Peter Manuma appeared to shove Cal wide receiver Quaron Adams after the play, prompting a strong response from multiple Cal players. As the Hawaii sideline stormed the field to celebrate a huge comeback victory, tension continued to rise near the California sideline.
Hawaii scored 25 points in the second half, mounting an epic comeback victory over the Golden Bears. The Rainbow Warriors secured the 35-31 victory with a 22-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Luke Weaver to Nick Cenacle with only 10 seconds remaining.
It was the second consecutive day that a bowl game featured a fight, following the sideline skirmish between Louisville and Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 23.
Nothing like a Christmas Eve Bowl Brawl to end the Hawaii Bowl pic.twitter.com/4CnnKYdl2m
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 25, 2025
The Rainbow Warriors trailed 21-0 early in the second quarter, but scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Before leaving the final drive with an injury, quarterback Micah Alejado was excellent, throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns with 33 rushing yards.
One of the stars of the game was wide receiver Pofele Ashlock, who led the Rainbow Warriors with 14 receptions for 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Senior Nick Cenacle added eight receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown.
It was the first bowl victory for the Rainbow Warriors since 2020, and the program’s first win in the Hawaii Bowl since 2019.
Hawaii finishes the season 9-4 overall, marking the program’s first winning season since 2020. Head coach Timmy Chang has done an excellent job rebuilding the program, taking the Rainbow Warriors from three to nine wins in only four seasons.
A fight breaks out between the California Golden Bears and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors players at the end of the Hawaii Bowl | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
As for California, the Golden Bears finish the year 7-6 overall (4-4 ACC). They lost four of their final six games to end the season, but did beat No. 21 SMU in the regular-season finale.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 28-of-39 passes for 343 passing yards and two total touchdowns. He helped the Golden Bears roll up nearly 500 yards of total offense, but Cal only scored 10 second-half points, opening the door for the Hawaii comeback victory.
The program decided to move on from head coach Justin Wilcox, naming Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as the next head coach. Lupoi will remain with the Ducks until their College Football Playoff run is over.
All in all, the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl delivered all the fireworks we could ask for on Christmas Eve.
