Coach Maafala pushing for breakthrough at Kamehameha

A strong cup of coffee has nothing on Abu Maafala in delivering a morning jolt.

As the Kamehameha football team sprints, shuffles and high-knees through a warm-up period, Maafala announces his arrival on the turf with a bellowing “Let’s go!” and the pace instantly kicks up.

For the next two hours, Maafala’s voice echoes through Kunuiakea Stadium, exhorting the Warriors through the workout on a muggy morning in Kapalama Heights.

A former All-State defensive lineman for the Warriors, Maafala’s energy entering his second season as head coach is channeled toward pushing the program to a breakthrough after three consecutive third-place finishes in the hyper-competitive ILH Division I race and a seven-year state tournament drought.

“He’s like another father figure for all the players on this team,” senior defensive end Jonah Welch said. “That’s all you can ask for really as a team and a player, to have that type of coach. Coach Abu has something going, something real good. You can see the difference.”

In the evaluation following a 3-6 campaign, Maafala focused on pulling the Warriors, ranked No. 7 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser preseason rankings, together with an offseason training program that blended the seventh grade through senior classes.

“Social media has created a society of individuals. So the number one thing we did was try to promote and create and foster the team aspect,” Maafala said. “They were basically huddled up in this little classroom about six hours a day just trying to get them together. It’s paying dividends now, you’re starting to see it.”

On the field, Maafala said the emphasis on offense will be to “get the ball vertical,” with the return of senior quarterback Thomas Yam for his third varsity season. Yam was a second-team ILH all-star last season after throwing for 1,229 yards and seven touchdowns.

“He’s done a heck of a job this offseason as far as developing as a quarterback,” Maafala said. “I think (in past years) he was a great athlete who could throw the ball. But he’s understanding the game and the game is slowing down for him.”

Running back Kanoa Shannon, a first-team All-ILH pick last year, averaged 4.4 yards per carry as a junior behind a line that returns junior Lokahi Pauole, who also earned first-team league honors as a sophomore.

Welch, who holds offers from eight FBS programs, is one of eight returning starters on defense. Part of Maafala’s building process included paring down the playbook.

“A lot of the stuff that I was able to learn along my coaching journey, some of it can translate well to high school and some of it doesn’t,” said Maafala, who spent five years at West Liberty University in West Virginia. “So there was also addition by subtraction and just finding ways to make it simple for our kids to understand so they can play fast and play hard.”

Linebacker Jadakiss Salevao also is part of a senior class stepping into leadership roles this season.

“You just want to keep motivating everybody because being a senior you’re a leader now and it’s all about not even pushing yourself or your classmates, it’s everybody because everybody is looking up to you now,” Salevao said. “You want to push and make sure everyone’s giving their best effort.”