Plenty of new blood this year

There are coaching changes aplenty in high school football on Oahu this year.

Including the well-publicized switches at mighty Saint Louis and Kahuku, there are new head coaches at six schools in the OIA and ILH, and the other four are at the helm for the first time in Hawaii.

The most well-known of the four, Cameron Higgins, is at Kaiser, guiding the Division II state champs in place of Rich Miano.

"There’s excitement, nervousness and a lot of stress," said Higgins, a former Saint Louis quarterback who graduated in 2006 and went on to be a Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year at Weber State. "You’re managing adolescent teenagers and they’re putting their faith in you and trusting you with their high school careers."

Higgins filled his staff with all former Division I college football players, including former Kahuku and University of Hawaii standout Richard Torres as the defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach, and former Kamehameha quarterback Mike Hoke as the receivers coach.

The Cougars open at home against Aiea on Aug. 15. A planned scrimmage against a team from American Samoa this weekend fell through and the only team with an open date was Na Alii, who Kaiser plays the following week.

At Moanalua, the new head man is Jason Cauley, who spent the past two years as the Kapolei offensive coordinator and was an assistant for Na Menehune previously. A former quarterback at Mississippi College, he hails from Alabama and he takes over for the departed Arnold Martinez.

Cauley is big on up-tempo football and he instituted the read-option offense that he foresees as being a more balanced attack than in previous years when Moanalua lived by the pass. For the first time in school history, Na Menehune will run a 3-4 on defense instead of a 4-3.

Mika Kane, a former Kamehameha and Cal linebacker who spent time with the Cleveland Browns, is the defensive coordinator.

Kawika Keama-Jacobe, who also played for Waianae and Kapolei in his high school career, has the keys to the offense at quarterback.

Cauley is highly optimistic about his playmakers on offense, including Michael Feliciano, who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, at running back, and returning receiver Jason Sharsh.

Moanalua visits Waiakea on the Big Island for a Saturday preseason game and plays at Waianae in the regular-season opener the following week.

Two new head coaches — Joseph Wong at Kailua and Keli‘i Pio Adams at Anuenue — are back at their alma maters.

Wong, a former BYU offensive lineman who spent time in the NFL, says it’s a dream come true to be back with the Surfriders. He takes over for Gary Rosolowich.

"We did some good things on defense in our last scrimmage, against Saint Louis," said Wong, a 1994 Kailua graduate. "Offensively, we moved the ball and I’m confident in what we were able to do out there. I like our offensive line and we’ll take what the defense gives us."

Wong brings in a pro-style offense, with starting quarterback Noah Auld returning to run the show, and a 4-2 hybrid defense that uses a rover.

Kailua is at Waipahu for a preseason contest Friday before visiting Leilehua the following week to open the regular season.

At Anuenue, Pio Adams is going with a pistol offense and a 4-4, double-wing defense. He played center in college at Mt. San Antonio College in California and Nicholls State in Louisiana.

"We have a young team and a young coaching staff," said Pio Adams, a 2008 Anuenue graduate. "So far, everyone is adjusting really well. We want to create good, young men and break some bad habits."

He takes the reins from Kealoha Wengler. Na Koa play Waimea of the KIF at Kamehameha’s Kunuiakea Stadium on Saturday. The regular-season opener is Aug. 15 against Radford at Roosevelt’s Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.

Cal Lee, the winningest coach in Hawaii High School history, is back at Saint Louis, where he won 15 Prep Bowls/state titles from 1983 to ’99. He replaces Matt Wright.

Lee Leslie, a former University of Utah assistant, is the new Kahuku coach in place of Reggie Torres, who led the Red Raiders to state titles in 2006, ’11 and ’12 and went to Punahou to coach the offensive line.