Lunas endure change at top

Members of the Lahainaluna football team believe in a culture based on continuity. Players who enter the program as early as the seventh grade get trained by coaches who’ve been on staff for decades.

So even though co-head coach Garret Tihada announced that he was stepping down from his role with the Lunas for personal reasons, not much has changed in the three weeks since. Dean Rickard, who has been on the coaching staff with Tihada since 1987, will step into the co-head coach, offensive coordinator and team spokesman roles left vacant.

It’s a steep increase in responsibility for Rickard, who was previously the offensive line coach. As he takes over co-leadership of a team that has won three straight HHSAA Division II titles and checks in at No. 8 in the Star-Advertiser preseason poll, he’s optimistic about the change.

“As far as being a co-head coach, we also still have (co-head) Coach Bobby Watson, who is the main foundation of this team and has been for the past 40 years,” Rickard said. “As far as the transition, it hasn’t really been difficult because we practically see each other year-round anyway and we all work well together.”

Rickard points to senior leadership as the pillars behind the Lunas’ three-peat, a run that was preceded by an 0-3 record in state championship games from 2007 to 2014, all three losses to ‘Iolani.

“For us, we always believe that to maintain success, it’s making sure our seniors who’ve been with us since the seventh grade understand that,” he said.

“We consider them the heart and soul of the team. It’s not any particular player or position but it’s the overall senior leadership. That’s what we look for in carrying our team forward into the season.”

A team that couldn’t win the big one turned into a team that refused to lose it over the past three seasons.

The team’s championship mettle was put to the ultimate test in last November’s Division II championship game at Aloha Stadium, when the Lunas found themselves down 26-7 to Kapaa in the third quarter with the Warriors looking to punctuate the game at the goal line. A fumble recovery for Lahainaluna at its own 1-yard line then ignited a 27-0 run, which the Lunas ultimately parlayed into a 34-32 win.

Joshua Tihada, Garret’s nephew, rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns that game. He enters his senior season with a career’s worth of accomplishments, most notably 13 rushing touchdowns in HHSAA tournament games, already a state record.

“Honestly, not really,” Joshua Tihada said when asked if he’s aware of the record. “I just try to do my best in any way possible. I give all the credit to my linemen and my coaches. Not just the linemen, but everyone who blocks. I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am without them, so I thank everyone, honestly.”

The younger Tihada was surprised to hear of his uncle’s decision but knows the team has what it takes to move on seamlessly.

“I was actually shocked but things happen the way they do and it is what it is,” he said. “Things have been going really, really good.

“Coach Rickard has been there just as long as all the other coaches so we have a good bond with him and things have been going good.”

Rickard notes that the team lost 23 seniors from last season, including Star-Advertiser All-State selections in Nyles Pokipala-Waiohu (third-team utility) and Elijah Oliveira-Kalalau (third-team defensive end).

As for this year’s team, he pointed toward Tihada, receiver Kai Bookland and returning starting quarterback Nainoa Irish as players who will carry the torch offensively. Junior receiver Devon Sa-Chisholm had an impressive showing this summer as the only neighbor island player to earn special recognition at the GPA showcase camp at Kamehameha in June.

On defense, Rickard mentioned Tuipulotu Lai as a senior leader of the unit. The strapping 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive lineman holds scholarship offers from BYU and Northern Colorado.

As the Lunas prepare for host Damien in their season opener on Aug. 3, the team will spend this weekend on the Big Island for a series of controlled scrimmages with Kealakehe, an annual trip that Rickard says the team has made for “about six or seven years now.”

The Lunas host Kapaa two weeks later for a rematch of last year’s instant classic before moving on to their MIL slate, where the quest for four straight truly begins. Rickard says he trusts the team to understand that the past three seasons will have no bearing on 2019.

“I think they realize that they cannot live on what happened last year. As the season progresses, we’ll improve and we’ll get better,” he said. “It’s the work ethic that they’ve maintained since last season and taking that into this season.

“I think we have a lot of potential to do a lot of good things. The opportunity is there, so it’s kind of exciting to see what the season has in store.”