Sterling Carvalho OUT as Kahuku HC

[kapakahi]

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/04/ ... 0671543e84

https://twitter.com/StarAdvertiser/status/1907916050320028147

Kahuku lets go of Sterling Carvalho in a stunning coaching move
By Paul Honda

The release of Sterling Carvalho as football coach at Kahuku is a head-scratcher for many.

After seven seasons with three Open Division state championships, the school released him as head coach in a letter from principal Donna Lindsey to parents of football players dated Monday. Rumors swirled about complaints filed by parents with the DOE.

Sterling Carvalho had not returned text messages from the Star-Advertiser as of Wednesday. But his twin brother, special teams coach Stewart Carvalho, spoke in his support.

“For me and him, we never go on social media. Talking with him, we want to set the record straight, there’s nothing illegal or criminal or anything he did that warranted the dismissal,” Stewart Carvalho said. “What he won’t do is give in to parents complaining about the way coaches coach. He will support his coaches 100%.”

The brothers, 49, believe they have been consistent, Stewart said.

“The biggest thing for him is having values, having standards and the most important thing is leading young men to become better people. Leaving the program better than when he started,” he said.

Sterling Carvalho led Kahuku to a new level with heavy off-season skills training and national Pylon competition, implementing some of the key ingredients that elevated programs like Saint Louis into dynastic territory.

In the letter obtained by the Star-Advertiser on Tuesday night, Lindsey wrote: “Effective immediately, Coach Sterling Carvalho will no longer be serving as the head coach of the KHIS Football Program. Plans are in place to ensure continued support and stability for our student-athletes and the Football Program. An interim head coach will be assigned while we begin the process of selecting a new head coach.”

Two complaints were filed with the Hawaii State Ethics Commission by families of two players in different years while Carvalho was coach, a source told the Star-Advertiser. The source requested anonymity because of their longtime ties to the community.

Specifics about the complaints were still unclear and unavailable late Wednesday, but neither complaint compelled the school to immediately release Carvalho, who is also a teacher at the school.

When reached on Wednesday via text, Lindsey referred questions to the DOE communications branch, where a voice message left late Wednesday was not yet returned.

Stewart Carvalho alluded to playing time issues being a cause of the complaints.

“He took the higher road,” Stewart Carvalho said. “He said, ‘If (the administration) would rather believe the parents than us, then I’m done.’ He said that every year and that finally happened. He won’t throw someone under the bus. There’s no favoritism. We never play that game. They’re not supporting him. They’re believing the accusations. He’s fine with it. He’s at peace.”

Kahuku went 59-18 in six seasons with Sterling Carvalho as head coach, winning state championships in 2021, ’22 and ’23 to become the only Red Raiders coach to win three state titles in a row. Kahuku was runner-up last season, losing to Saint Louis in the final, 17-10.

Kahuku won 32 consecutive games against Hawaii opponents beginning in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past several years, competing with nationally ranked opponents became the norm. Carvalho scheduled games against the top teams in the country and defeated defending national champion St. John Bosco (Calif.), which at the time was ranked No. 3 in the country, in 2023.

“I don’t know what happened or why it happened, but you’re letting a good member of that community go,” said Campbell coach Darren Johnson, a former Kahuku quarterback and an assistant coach. “I coached with him a few years ago and he brings a lot of good energy. Not only that, he teaches in the DOE and has always been helpful with me and my family. Just a good person.”

Mililani coach Rod York was equally stunned.

“I have no idea why he’s not the coach. As a competitor, I’m kind of sad. We like to compete against each other. He did a great job. He’s up there with the GOATs, with Cal Lee. He’s done it in such a short time. He’s always been a standup guy with us. He’s a fierce competitor. He did a great job with the kids he’s developed and the staff he’s put together.”

York noted that the graduation of Carvalho’s talented nephews was always in the equation.

“He was always saying he would step down soon. I thought this might be the timing he chose,” York said. “I wish him luck in his future. It’s not the end. The guy can coach. The guy can teach and he knows how to win. You take that to any school and he’ll pop up somewhere and bless that place.”

The evolution of the program has been significant. Kahuku football transformed from a heavily talented pipeline to JUCO teams into one that has many Division I signees annually.

Mark Kurisu was a defensive coordinator for several years before becoming head coach at Leilehua.

“It’s a big loss. Sterling did a great job at Kahuku, putting Hawaii on the national stage in a positive light. I think that’s why we were able to get so many recruiters down here,” Kurisu said.

He remembers a game with Kahuku when Leilehua’s roster was struggling in the Open Division.

“When we played them after the pandemic, he saw how depleted we were. He took time at the half to come find me. ‘Coach, I know what you’re going through so I’m going to play our younger kids the rest of the game.’ He knew the right thing was to honor the game by keeping it safe and allowing other players to participate,” Kurisu said. “The score wasn’t a concern. Just allowing the kids to enjoy the game. He made it a point to do that for us and I respect him for it. He’s definitely somebody we’re going to miss in the coaching ranks.”

‘Iolani and Kahuku have been in different classifications for some time, but longtime Raiders coach Wendell Look met Carvalho years ago.

“He’s always wanted to scrimmage us. Maybe half-jokingly, but respectfully asking,” Look said.

Carvalho was also involved with the Kahuku golf program.

“I always see him at state golf. It was always fun walking and talking story with him,” Look said.

The carousel of coaching hires at Kahuku has always captured the Hawaii public’s interest. Doug Semones coached the program to OIA titles in 1989, ’94 and ’95, but lost to Saint Louis in the Oahu Prep Bowl each of those years. Saint Louis was in the midst of a 14-year run of titles, 13 straight Prep Bowls and one in the inaugural HHSAA state tournament.

Under Siuaki Livai, Kahuku won state titles in 2000 and ’01, ending Saint Louis’ unprecedented reign at the top. Livai guided the program to four state titles in six years, winning in ’03 and ’05.

Reggie Torres, a longtime assistant coach, led Kahuku to the ’06 state title. Torres had already guided the school to state titles in wrestling and judo, but he faced intense scrutiny — and a parents-drive petition pushing for his removal — during a five-year span without a state football title.

In 2010, Kahuku was 10-0 entering the postseason when the OIA ruled that at least one player was ineligible, forcing forfeiture of the season.

Kahuku returned with the koa trophy in ’11 and ’12, but after a 6-5 season in ’13, Torres was released.

Lee Leslie became Kahuku’s football coach for one season (9-3).

Vavae Tata, a former Saint Louis defensive lineman, was hired and coached Kahuku to the 2015 state title. After a runner-up finish in ’16, Tata was released with a career record of 24-2.

Makoa Freitas followed and coached the 2017 season (11-2).

Kahuku then hired Carvalho, a longtime assistant coach.

[unpaid]

History shows us that Kahuku has attracted competent coaches when(all too frequently) there is head coaching turnover. Red Raiders should be fine. Some school will be smart enough to get Carvalho on their staff.

The problem of parents complaining about playing time….don’t see any happy ending there.

[Palolo_2LA]

History shows us that Kahuku has attracted competent coaches when(all too frequently) there is head coaching turnover. Red Raiders should be fine. Some school will be smart enough to get Carvalho on their staff.

The problem of parents complaining about playing time….don’t see any happy ending there.

Parents always complain about playing time. I saw it playing football from 8-22 (less in college).

The reality is most times if you have talent you're going to play. There are other factors. Is the kid coachable , do they put in the work, how well do they practice and play in games.

I know a few classmates who were better than others, but didn't learn the playbook, didn't follow instructions or had attitude issues, so they didn't play much. Unfortunately, it's hard for parent to see their kids faults or shortcomings.

Kahuku is a factory FB program and any coaching change won't ever change that reality. For God's sake,
my grandma could win 9 wins every year coaching at Kahuku. She'd run an elephant package with option wrinkles on O and a 4-3 stacked with studs at nearly every position. Winna!!!!

[RealTalk]

1. Unfortunately for the Coach, Principal Lindsey's letter looks like it was written by someone in the DOE centralized office or attorney and makes it look bad even if it might not be.

2. However, we should all keep in mind that Principals, VPs, teachers, and school administrators (ADs) deal with complaints all the time, including against themselves. (The naughtiest kids parents are often the biggest complainers) and they live with this daily. Those are tough jobs. HOW they deal with Complaints is a big part of their job b/c some Complaints are legit. . . and writing off a Complaint as non-legit is a mistake - go ask Coach Kale Ane about that.

3. Favoritism can and IS a big problem, especially on teams where parents coach and have kids on the team (or in the program). Especially in medium/big programs. In smaller schools with less kids to choose from this is less of an issue. But in my opinion, this is part of the reason for the insane number of transfers going on.

4. This is all an unfortunate situation. But keep the posts coming - this is a huge issue because of how it will shake-out.

[My3Cats]

Kahuku seems to have a history of firing successful head coaches.

[RealTalk]

Agree, which is a potential red flag towards the administration. Something the DOE considered (I hope). But it could just be the admin is willing to take action even if it may be unpopular. We just don't know

But how hard is it to be a SUCCESSFUL (measured by Wins and Losses) HC AT KAHUKU, REALLY? I agree with @unpaid and @Palolo_2A, that historically, it maybe not that hard. . . I expect Kahuku will be just fine.

Now, try winning at Kapolei or Radford or Waianae these days - (schools that had great coaching last year even if wins/losses don't add up to Kahuku). Finally, another red flag for the top programs, like Kahuku, is losing players. Sometimes losing players may be thru no fault of the Coaches. No doubt. But sometimes it may be a sign something is wrong or of other issues like ($) in private schools, academics, etc.

[Markeke]

So the school administration is "power tripping"? Parents from the community are making decisions? Education is a right. Extra curricular activities are a privilege. The power of Kahuku is the mesh of the families and community with the closeness of school administration along with relatives in the school system. That's also the weakness. Cannot believe that a coach with all that success be let go with no just cause other then he let the best play.

[gopunahou]

Kahuku can take a comforting lesson from a team they’ll face this year. Mater Dei cut ties with a coach that helped it win a state championship in 2023 and came back stronger and ever this past year.

One reason this coaching change isn’t as shocking to me as it is to others is because Mater Dei did the very same thing a year ago.

[kapakahi]

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/04/ ... 7eafe5f240

https://twitter.com/StarAdvertiser/status/1909086260393636277

Dave Reardon: Firing a successful coach is nothing new at Kahuku

At first, it was surprising to read of Sterling Carvalho’s separation from football coaching duties at Kahuku.

What did he do? Or, what did he not do?

And why won’t anyone in authority, like Kahuku principal Donna Lindsey, provide any explanation?

While sitting at a crowded lunch counter Thursday, I overheard strangers imagining and discussing the worst. That is not good for anyone and is inevitably what happens when people in high-profile positions are removed from them without a stated reason.

But then I remembered a similar situation also involving a good coach with a reputation as a good human being, too.

We’ve been down this road before at Kahuku (and, in fairness, also at other schools):

Coach wins multiple state championships. Everybody loves coach, or so it seems.

Coach then does not win championship. Coach is removed as coach, and no one will say why.

Reggie Torres lost his job as Kahuku football coach back in 2014. His crime was a 6-5 record one year after back-to-back state championships, two of the three in Torres’ eight years as varsity head coach.

Carvalho’s Kahuku teams won three state crowns in a row before losing in the championship final last fall to its chief rival of the past 40 years in such games, Saint Louis.

Now, nearly a week after the parents of football players were notified that Carvalho is no longer the coach, there is still no official reason coming from anyone in authority.

We were told by Lindsey to contact the DOE communications branch with questions. I placed a call there on Wednesday and did not hold my breath. It’s Friday night now and it has not been returned. Maybe the branch fell off of the tree.

My call was to try to verify that Carvalho is still employed as a teacher at Kahuku. There is no mention of him losing his teaching position in Lindsey’s five-sentence letter to the parents.

It is easy to believe Carvalho’s twin brother and special teams coach Stewart when he said the removal of Sterling as the coach is not because of anything “illegal or criminal or anything he did that warranted the dismissal.”

There was a lack of transparency from the school’s administration 11 years ago, too. Worse yet, Torres said he wasn’t told why he would no longer be the coach. He was, however, allowed to remain as an employee on campus.

There is another common denominator that appears to be the crux of the issue, again: complaints from parents, specifically about playing time.

Stewart Carvalho alluded to this in an interview with Paul Honda of the Star-Advertiser on Wednesday.

“What he won’t do is give in to parents complaining about the way coaches coach,” Stewart Carvalho said of Sterling, who has, so far, opted not to speak to reporters. “He will support his (assistant) coaches 100%.”

Kahuku took quarterback controversy to a new level last fall when the Red Raiders installed a midseason transfer from another national powerhouse for the last five games of the season.

Matai Fuiava said his family came to Hawaii because his father got a job here. The timing allowed the starter at Bellflower, Calif., juggernaut St. John Bosco (which Kahuku lost to in 2022 and beat in 2023) to play in the last five games of the season for Kahuku. Fuiava was getting a lot of competition for his starting role at his previous school. So, depending on your world view, it’s quite a fortunate coincidence for him and Kahuku or fertile ground for a conspiracy theory.

That all makes me wonder if Carvalho might still be the Kahuku coach today if it won the state championship game instead of losing it 17-10 with the new kid in town at QB.

[kapakahi]

https://twitter.com/ciennapilotin/status/1909526651538751952

[kapakahi]

SO….who’ll be placed in charge?

https://twitter.com/KahukuFB/status/1910582879362630039