After one year at the helm, Lee Leslie has left the Kahuku football program.
Leslie submitted his resignation from Idaho on Thursday morning. He flew back home last Friday for spring break after handing out the program’s practice calendar through the rest of the year. He intended to return, but realized that time with his family was too precious. He left his wife home while coaching the team last year.
"I just chose my family," Leslie said. "I was away from them for 257 days and I never thought I could do that. I loved my time at Kahuku and I feel strongly about the support system there, those kids are second to none in the country."
Leslie spent a single season at Kahuku, taking over for Reggie Torres, who won successive state titles in 2011-2012 before slipping to 6-5 in 2013 and missing the state tournament.
The Red Raiders went 9-3 last year, losing to Kaiser, Mililani and Punahou. Kahuku won the OIA Red regular-season title and made it to the OIA championship and state semifinals.
When he was hired, Leslie said that Kahuku principal Pauline Masaniai told him that his primary job was improving the team’s academic standing. Leslie leaves behind a refurbished locker room complete with names of all of the All-State players on the walls, cleaned up facilities and a program that sent five seniors to major colleges and another seven to junior colleges. Leslie says he will be helping the program from afar if allowed.
"Kahuku will put 14 kids in college again next year," Leslie said. "I don’t know what the future holds, only that any decision on my next job will be made with family in mind first, but I will take three weeks out of the year to make sure those (Kahuku) kids get the opportunities they deserve."
Masaniai did not return calls to her office on Thursday.
Leslie can expect people from outside the Kahuku football community to question his motives, just as they did when he took the public school job so far away from home last year. The expense of moving his family to Hawaii was a concern, and his desire to work days with his players at the high school was another — Leslie worked with seventh-graders in character education last year and eighth-graders this year. He interviewed for a position overseeing the weight room but was not selected.
But Leslie is steadfast in saying that the only reason for his departure is family. He had his sixth grandchild born March 1 but didn’t meet her until last week. That was when he decided the last thing he wanted was another tearful goodbye at an airport.
Spring football begins on May 20. One thing Leslie leaves behind is a renewed belief that the talent on the North Shore can overcome any chaos. The players will meet as a team on Monday to figure out what to do next.
"It’s a surprise. I thought he was going to come back," junior defensive back Keala Santiago said. "I knew that he missed his family. We’re ready for whatever comes next. We’ve been with each other as teammates since we were little, so we’re used to each other."
The players won’t know who their head coach will be, but Leslie has his hopes for the program and believes his staff is more than capable of carrying on. He intends to return next year for a Kahuku home game.
"I am crossing my fingers and hoping that Ma’ake Kemoeatu can step up and take the job," Leslie said. "He is the greatest player to come through Kahuku and he is exactly the role model those kids need. The job screams for a local person who knows the culture and he is perfect."
Torres will probably be in the discussion after he was fired to open a spot for Leslie and still helps out with the Kahuku wrestling team. But Torres, who was Punahou’s offensive line coach in a state semifinal win over Leslie and Kahuku, saw what the new coach accomplished with his former players.
"Once he left his family, it’s understandable," Torres said. "He did good things in his year at Kahuku, it is just too bad for the kids. We don’t know what the future holds, but I am happy at Punahou."
