Less than three months ago, Kamehameha senior TC Campbell was still fighting for the starting quarterback job with classmate Michael Kukahiwa-Haruno and sophomore Christian Akana even as the Warriors entered their fourth game of the season.

Friday night, Campbell will be fighting to help Kamehameha (11-1) challenge Kahuku (12-0) for the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division I State Championship as the undisputed man at the offensive controls.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.

Campbell, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound right-hander, completed 16 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns last Friday as the Warriors routed Leilehua, 40-0, in the semifinals.

He seemed to pick up where he left off three weeks before, when Campbell threw for 168 yards and five TD passes against Punahou in a 45-21 victory that clinched the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title.

"TC has grown up so much this season," Kamehameha coach David Stant said after the Leilehua game. "Now he's playing with confidence."

The job was not always Campbell's to be confident about.

He had passing ability and experience, but Kukahiwa-Haruno offered skills as a running threat. Akana had a little bit of both, but as a sophomore he lacked varsity experience.

The three rotated at quarterback in nonleague games against Hilo, Kailua and Wai'anae, and in the first half of the ILH opener against 'Iolani.

The Warriors were upset in that game, 20-17, but in the process Campbell played the entire second half and finally established himself as the permanent starter.

Fortunately for him, Kamehameha already had a big offensive weapon in running back Ryan Ho, who has rushed for 1,392 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. And the Warriors also had a tenacious defense that allowed less than 200 yards per game.

Both have benefitted from the added dimension of a sharpened passing attack led by Campbell, who hit Charles Bollig IV on a 25-yard TD strike and Blaise Cuban on an 18-yard touchdown pass last Friday to help Kamehameha build a 21-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

Campbell also led the Warriors on a five-play, 63-yard scoring drive after the opening kickoff by contributing two long runs off option keepers. He finished with 62 yards rushing on six carries.

"The offense was amazing tonight," said defensive tackle Landon A'ano, who had two of Kamehameha's six first-half sacks. "We were up, 7-0, before we even went on the field (for defense). All the hard work they put in over the past three weeks paid off."

A'ano said the big early lead forced the Mules into more passing situations, and the Warriors took advantage by coming after heralded quarterback Andrew Manley with an onslaught of blitzes.

"It played right into our scheme," A'ano said.

Manley, who entered the game with 231 completions in 374 attempts for 3,068 yards and 27 touchdowns, finished 14 of 28 for 120 yards — almost 100 yards less than Campbell.

"Now we can throw the ball well, we have a passing game to go with Ryan," Stant said. "(Campbell) has done a great job."

FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK SELLS DISCOUNTED GAME TICKETS

General admission tickets for Friday's championship doubleheader — 'Iolani (11-2) will play Kaua'i (10-0) in the Division II title game at 4:30 p.m. — may be purchased at any O'ahu or Líhu'e branch of First Hawaiian Bank for a discounted price of $9.

Tickets also are available for $12 at the Aloha Stadium box office, with the price for students K-12 and senior citizens (age 62 or older, with ID) set at $5 each.

The games also will be shown on live TV via a pay-per-view basis only. Ordering information is available on digital channels 260 or 1260, with discounts for early orders.