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Nanakuli announced Wednesday night that head football coach Keala Watson is stepping down for personal family issues.
Offensive coordinator Kieran Watson will take over as head coach.
Keala Watson went 21-17 in four seasons with the Golden Hawks. After going 4-5 in his first season, Watson led the Golden Hawks to the OIA Division II championship in 2014 with a 37-36 overtime win over Pearl City in the final. It was the first OIA football title for Nanakuli since 1983.
The Golden Hawks went 7-3 two years ago before getting bumped up to Division I this past season. Nanakuli went 0-8 but was competitive in losses to Waipahu, Aiea, Castle and Kailua.
According to a press release from the school, Watson is just temporarily stepping away from coaching and will remain involved with the program from a distance.
UH’s Sthamann earns NCAA berth
University of Hawaii diver Madison Sthamann earned a spot in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships by placing second in the women’s platform competition at the NCAA Zone E qualifying meet on Wednesday in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Sthamann, an honorable mention All-American on platform as a freshman at LSU, posted a score of 566.20 to finish behind Arizona State’s Mara Aiacoboae’s total of 589.40. In qualifying in the platform, Sthamann is also eligible to compete in the 3-meter event at the NCAA championships after placing 12th in the qualifying meet.
UH sophomore Johan Sandell finished sixth in the men’s platform competition a day after qualifying in the 3-meter event with a third-place finish.
Sthamann will be joined at the NCAA women’s championships, set for March 15-18 in Indianapolis, by swimmers Franziska Weidner and Bryndis Hansen. Weidner qualified in the 200 individual medley and Hansen will compete in the 100 freestyle.
Metin Aydin will compete in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA men’s championship March 22-25.
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