Lee Leslie Leaving Kahuku!

[Optimus]

huki-lau-lau you make a lot of great comments.
I guess it's wait and see, but I do believe Kahuku is on the right track to soon be Nationally Ranked again in the near future.

[gopunahou]

huki-lau-lau you make a lot of great comments.
I guess it's wait and see, but I do believe Kahuku is on the right track to soon be Nationally Ranked again in the near future.

I gotta ask: is Mililani their biggest threat now? I remember back in the day (80s and 90s) the OIA would always be a 2-team race between Kahuku and Waianae. Is it a 2-team race today between Mililani and Kahuku? If so, it looks to be an enjoyable rivalry.

[huki-lau-lau]

I gotta ask: is Mililani their biggest threat now? I remember back in the day (80s and 90s) the OIA would always be a 2-team race between Kahuku and Waianae. Is it a 2-team race today between Mililani and Kahuku? If so, it looks to be an enjoyable rivalry.

The way I see it is that mililani coaches have done a good job in rising above their neighboring schools to be more attractive as a football program in that area. Getting their faces out in the camps and putting on camps themselves as well as hosting some camps. Attending mainland colleges camps shows that they take the sport serious, also having the credentials of former college and NFL players on the staff with connections helps too.

Waipahu, pearl city, leilehua, campbell, kapolei, aiea are 6 school districts that are close enough to mililani that make it possible for a kid that might want to transfer there and believe me there are atleaset one football kid from each of those schools attending mililani. so yes mill does have the potential for long term success and the new bu of oia west.

i gotta give props to york and the mill staff, with some of those great athletes they really coached up a good product on the field and looked clean in their offensive executions. with an exception to the 2011 kahuku championship team all of those kahuku and waianae teams of the past won titles playing sloppy power ball.

kahukus football IQ on the offensive side needs to improve inorder to get back into the national spotlight, defensively they will always be beast!

[gopunahou]

I gotta ask: is Mililani their biggest threat now? I remember back in the day (80s and 90s) the OIA would always be a 2-team race between Kahuku and Waianae. Is it a 2-team race today between Mililani and Kahuku? If so, it looks to be an enjoyable rivalry.

The way I see it is that mililani coaches have done a good job in rising above their neighboring schools to be more attractive as a football program in that area. Getting their faces out in the camps and putting on camps themselves as well as hosting some camps. Attending mainland colleges camps shows that they take the sport serious, also having the credentials of former college and NFL players on the staff with connections helps too.

Waipahu, pearl city, leilehua, campbell, kapolei, aiea are 6 school districts that are close enough to mililani that make it possible for a kid that might want to transfer there and believe me there are atleaset one football kid from each of those schools attending mililani. so yes mill does have the potential for long term success and the new bu of oia west.

i gotta give props to york and the mill staff, with some of those great athletes they really coached up a good product on the field and looked clean in their offensive executions. with an exception to the 2011 kahuku championship team all of those kahuku and waianae teams of the past won titles playing sloppy power ball.

kahukus football IQ on the offensive side needs to improve inorder to get back into the national spotlight, defensively they will always be beast!

Did you mean the 2001 Kahuku state championship team with Funaki, Pula, and Kammerer? That team could pass (IIRC, Inoke threw 30 TD passes that year) and to me, is the best team in the state championship era. The 2010 team could also pass and should've had a chance to win a state championship. And speaking of Waianae, have they hired anyone yet?

[unpaid]

gopunahou,

The new head coach is Walter Young, Waianae alumnus,been a teacher and football coach at the school for over ten years.Math guy,very smart.Head Coach for the SeaRider JV for a couple of seasons. Played for Waianae under Leo Taaca. Sounds a little old school,might be what they need for some of that old school Waianae success.

We shall see.

[harus0ra]

gopunahou,

The new head coach is Walter Young, Waianae alumnus,been a teacher and football coach at the school for over ten years.Math guy,very smart.Head Coach for the SeaRider JV for a couple of seasons. Played for Waianae under Leo Taaca. Sounds a little old school,might be what they need for some of that old school Waianae success.

We shall see.

He also took the jv crown last season and hopefully can keep there talent home as well

[gopunahou]

gopunahou,

The new head coach is Walter Young, Waianae alumnus,been a teacher and football coach at the school for over ten years.Math guy,very smart.Head Coach for the SeaRider JV for a couple of seasons. Played for Waianae under Leo Taaca. Sounds a little old school,might be what they need for some of that old school Waianae success.

We shall see.

He also took the jv crown last season and hopefully can keep there talent home as well

Thanks unpaid and harus0ra. Anyway, one thing that would help Young is better talent and numbers. As disappointing as the Matsumoto years were, the guy did make the best out of what he was working with. As hard as it is to believe, there were years when he had less than 15 guys above 200 lbs. I think part of it might've been talented kids not staying in Waianae for their varsity years.

[huki-lau-lau]

Thanks unpaid and harus0ra. Anyway, one thing that would help Young is better talent and numbers. As disappointing as the Matsumoto years were, the guy did make the best out of what he was working with. As hard as it is to believe, there were years when he had less than 15 guys above 200 lbs. I think part of it might've been talented kids not staying in Waianae for their varsity years.

All-star caliber kids are seeking all-star caliber programs and coaches that can get them the most exposure and opportunity for a college scholarship. back in the day we used to call that the ILH or private schools, only a few kids could make financially and acedmically to the ILH and so there were still enough talent remainig in the oia. now days mililani and kapolei are providing all that exposure and experience for those football players that cant get to the ILH.

speaking strictly from a football standpoint there is nothing attractive about the waianae program or their new hired coach. its a public school and i think waianae and most other schools are just going to settle on the fact that they need to focus on education and accept the fact that schoosl with better resources like kapolei and mililani are going to be the premiere programs for football talent.

im hesitant to think that the kahuku administrators are thinking more along the lines of waianei rather then being football trailblazers like kapolei/mililani, who they hire as the next HC will tell us alot. we should find out who by april 21st

[gopunahou]

Thanks unpaid and harus0ra. Anyway, one thing that would help Young is better talent and numbers. As disappointing as the Matsumoto years were, the guy did make the best out of what he was working with. As hard as it is to believe, there were years when he had less than 15 guys above 200 lbs. I think part of it might've been talented kids not staying in Waianae for their varsity years.

All-star caliber kids are seeking all-star caliber programs and coaches that can get them the most exposure and opportunity for a college scholarship. back in the day we used to call that the ILH or private schools, only a few kids could make financially and acedmically to the ILH and so there were still enough talent remainig in the oia. now days mililani and kapolei are providing all that exposure and experience for those football players that cant get to the ILH.

speaking strictly from a football standpoint there is nothing attractive about the waianae program or their new hired coach. its a public school and i think waianae and most other schools are just going to settle on the fact that they need to focus on education and accept the fact that schoosl with better resources like kapolei and mililani are going to be the premiere programs for football talent.

im hesitant to think that the kahuku administrators are thinking more along the lines of waianei rather then being football trailblazers like kapolei/mililani, who they hire as the next HC will tell us alot. we should find out who by april 21st

I guess Mililani's replaced Waianae as Kahuku's biggest threat. I can't imagine Kahuku declining as much as Waianae, has though. I mean, if you build it, they'll come. And plus, they've already had a "down" period--1973-1988. I doubt that their community will let that happen again. If Mililani plays Kahuku next year it'll be interesting.

[ThaGame]

SMH...so back to square one! I thought the admin had the guy to lead big red into the future????

[MauiGuy]

The program has been established and the direction is clear. They'll get a new coach (homegrown, hopefully) and land on their feet. Kahuku is a PROGRAM rather than just a team. Year to year you plug in the pieces and out comes football success. People in Kahuku just need to remember that not winning a state championship is not necessarily failure. If they think it is (spoiled), they'll never be completely happy. They have to realize that other programs have great coaches and players and work just as hard as they do, and in certain years may come out ahead. The real task is to consistently be in the championship conversation (gotta be relavent!).

[HS Football Fanatic]

Two words: Byron Beatty. He's been waiting in the wings for a long time and is a natural. Give him a chance!

Although if they can pry Cal Lee away from SL that'd be nice!

Random thoughts re Lee:
1. He's a great coach, no question; he has the track record to prove it. But he's not a Kahuku grad; rather, he's a Kalani grad. Would Kahuku's football fans/alumni accept him? Yes, neither was Leslie, but I'm assuming his hire was a special case? Kahuku's principal hired him from out-of-state to work on the football team's academics. Things didn't work-out because he misses his family; also, Kahuku was tying him to teaching 8th grade (Kahuku is Kahuku High and Intermediate School). How much can he help the football team's academics when he's not even teaching the high-school?
2. Even if Kahuku did offer Lee the job, would he accept? I don't know where Lee lives, but I don't think it's anywhere near Kahuku. Would he be willing to make the long drive out on an almost daily basis? Also, would Lee be willing to leave his HC position at St Louis? I don't know Lee well enough to know what he's really looking for; if it's football success, well, both Kahuku and St Louis are truly football schools. I have a hunch that he wouldn't leave St Louis; Kahuku is too far away geographically, too long of a drive to and from. And, St Louis is just about as good as Kahuku football-wise. How much would Lee have to gain, really? Lee graduated from Kalani in '64 or '65, so he's basically retired age-wise. I don't think he's coaching as a form of employment. As such, I would really like to see him return to his alma mater, Kalani, to coach. He's an alumnus, and the school is almost certainly much closer to where he lives than is Kahuku. If Kalani were to offer him the HC position, I'd be really intrigued to see whether he'd leave St Louis and accept. Remember, when he left his coaching position at Kalani, he was only an assistant coach; he wasn't the HC.

[HS Football Fanatic]

huki-lau-lau you make a lot of great comments.
I guess it's wait and see, but I do believe Kahuku is on the right track to soon be Nationally Ranked again in the near future.

I gotta ask: is Mililani their biggest threat now? I remember back in the day (80s and 90s) the OIA would always be a 2-team race between Kahuku and Waianae. Is it a 2-team race today between Mililani and Kahuku? If so, it looks to be an enjoyable rivalry.

I don't think Mililani can stay with Kahuku. Mililani will be good for another year or two, but after that? Kahuku is kind of like the St Louis of the '90s: They don't rebuild, they reload. Even Waianae can't stay with them anymore. Back in the '80s, Waianae was kicking everybody's butts in the OIA. Not any more; I think that mantle has now passed to Kahuku.

[gopunahou]

I don't think Mililani can stay with Kahuku. Mililani will be good for another year or two, but after that? Kahuku is kind of like the St Louis of the '90s: They don't rebuild, they reload. Even Waianae can't stay with them anymore. Back in the '80s, Waianae was kicking everybody's butts in the OIA. Not any more; I think that mantle has now passed to Kahuku.

Hate to say it, but if things stay as they are (Mililani bringing in transfers every year), they are here to stay. They may not win the OIA every year but they'll be a contender. I think Waianae's days of contention are over, but let's see what Walter Young can do.

[HS Football Fanatic]

I don't think Mililani can stay with Kahuku. Mililani will be good for another year or two, but after that? Kahuku is kind of like the St Louis of the '90s: They don't rebuild, they reload. Even Waianae can't stay with them anymore. Back in the '80s, Waianae was kicking everybody's butts in the OIA. Not any more; I think that mantle has now passed to Kahuku.

Hate to say it, but if things stay as they are (Mililani bringing in transfers every year), they are here to stay. They may not win the OIA every year but they'll be a contender. I think Waianae's days of contention are over, but let's see what Walter Young can do.

1. I suspect Waianae's days of football dominance are unlikely to return; they haven't been dominant since the late-'80s.
2. Yes, Mililani can try to keep recruiting, but I just don't think they can stay with Kahuku over the long run. I mean, Kahuku seems to be strong without doing much recruiting, whereas Mililani has to recruit somewhat heavily just to keep-up.