Lahaina native embraced by Central East Maui Little League teammates

There was no time to say goodbye.

As they saw their neighbor’s house get caught in last summer’s tragic Maui wildfires in Lahaina, the Magno family knew it was time to leave their own home for the last time.

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“It was like driving through a war zone,” Kim Ann Magno recalled to KHON2. “Driving down the street, embers were flying over our car. Fire was on both sides of us. But we got out of there.”

Added Dalton Magno, Kim Ann’s husband: “Just trying to get my family out of there for safety. It was a tragic moment but the first thing was getting our family to safety.”

After temporarily staying with a family friend, the Magnos were placed at the Royal Lahaina Resort for 10 months following the aftermath of the fires.

Like any concerned parents, Kim Ann and Dalton worried about the day-to-day for their three children and how they would still be able to pursue their respective passions.

Their oldest son, Kahi, was a standout junior defensive player for the Lahainaluna High School football team, while Dalton serves as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. At the time, the Lunas were still figuring out the framework for a potential season.

Their youngest son Kolten, who they describe as a sweet and shy boy, loves to play baseball. He competed for West Maui Little League in 2023 but wasn’t sure if a team would be put together in 2024. Kim Ann and Dalton decided to reach out to Central East Maui Little League.

“Lahaina didn’t have fields, so we weren’t sure if Lahaina was going to have a Little League team or not. With Kolten’s anxieties, we knew we had to keep him going, keep him in sports,” Kim Ann Magno explained. “I reached out to Central East Maui Little League and they got him in. There was a Little League team in Lahaina after we decided to move him that way, but we already committed to Central East Maui and we just did the drives to that side of the island so it could work out for Kolten.”

Kolten playing in a new league certainly presented logistical challenges to the Magno family, but the transition was eased by the hospitality of those involved with Central East Maui. Kolten, the only player on the team from Lahaina, was welcomed with open arms.

“It was a journey. Going to school and catching a shuttle bus from Lahaina to Wailuku just to get him to practice and then picking him up every day after practice, I would go early and just watch. Meeting the parents, they welcomed us in as family so that was the best part of it,” Dalton Magno said. “Central Maui people brought us in as family and the players and the coaches brought Kolten in as their own.”

Like Kolten Wong, Kolten Magno plays second base. Contrary to what one may guess, the inspiration for his name came from Kim Ann’s fandom of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts and combining “Peyton” and “Colts” without using the letter “C.”

After making the Central East Maui All-Star team, Kolten is part of a squad that will compete in the Little League World Series, the globe’s most prominent youth sports event. CEM won the West Region on Friday, punching its ticket to Williamsport, Pa., where it will open against Salem Little League of New Hampshire on Wednesday at 9 a.m. HST on ESPN.

Unlike past Hawaii teams that made it to Williamsport, Central East Maui did not run through its competition on the way to the World Series. Rather, the 2024 CEM team has shown a flair for the dramatic, rallying from the loser’s bracket in both the state and regional tournament. For Kolten Magno in particular, a hit and RBI aided the team’s 13-9 win over Litchfield Park, Arizona, on Aug. 7 to keep the team’s summer alive.

A 2-1 win over de facto host Eastvale in the West Regional championship game proved to be nerve-racking, particularly when ace pitcher Evan Tavares reached Little League’s 85 pitch limit with two outs to go. The intensity at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, featuring a capacity crowd in the range of 10,000, was amplified.

“I was excited but nervous at one point,” Dalton Magno recalled. “Just seeing people there supporting both sides was very, very exciting.”

Added Kim Ann Magno: “Not gonna lie, we was squeezing okole.”

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Despite all that was lost last year, Kim Ann and Dalton have seen their children continue to excel.

The Magno family was recently at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center to Honolulu to watch Charly, Kolten’s twin sister, win Miss Keiki Hula 2024.

Meanwhile, Kahi Magno will enter his senior year at Lahainaluna as one of the team’s leaders on defense.

After CEM won the West Regional, Dalton informed his fellow coaches that he’d be out through at least the team’s season opener against Kapolei on Aug. 16. They all understood.

The state of Hawaii has won five of the last six West Regional titles. All four teams prior to 2024 reached the United States championship game, with Honolulu winning it all in 2018 and 2022.

From keiki to kupuna, support for Hawaii’s Little Leaguers when they reach the global stage has been rampant across the state, regardless of which island reaches Williamsport.

When the Royal Lahaina no longer had space for the Magnos, they moved in with Kim Ann’s mother, with 15 family members under one roof in Lahaina. Earlier this summer, the Magnos were informed that Kako’o Maui would put them in a house for 12 months until they can rebuild.

Like most others palpably affected by the wildfires, the Magnos have done their best to adjust to their new normal one day at a time. For at least another week, the focus will be on supporting their son and the team that embraced him from the beginning.

“It’s a blessing. Coming from Lahaina, our house burned down and you have Maui supporting, Oahu supporting. I’m originally from Waianae and I have so much family there supporting my family and it’s a blessing to go this far with this team, follow this team and experiencing all this, it’s all new to us,” Dalton Magno said.

Added Kim Ann Magno: “It’s been a crazy ride, something we didn’t expect and we’re enjoying every minute of it. We come from Lahaina and to be a part of this Central Maui team and it’s unreal. It’s amazing how this team just took us in and now we’re along for the ride.

“We are forever grateful for Central Maui Little League. Our hearts are 100% with Lahaina. We will rebuild and be stronger than ever.”