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A push at the right time can go a long way.
Take the case of Joshua Tihada, for instance. The four-year Lahainaluna football player remembers the nudge that gave him extra incentive and adrenaline to go beyond what even he thought was possible.
It came from Bobby Watson, the Lunas’ co-head coach.
“My freshman year, I remember going to a scrimmage on the Big Island,” Tihada said. “I was lucky enough to be brought up with the varsity for that, but I didn’t think I was going to make the varsity. I was really hungry and wanted to prove I wasn’t a fluke. I remember getting worked in that scrimmage, running the ball a couple of times. Afterward, Coach Watson, who I’ve been around since I was a waterboy, brought the guys all together and said, ‘This freshman right here wants it more bad than the seniors.’ After that, I felt I could hang. It gave me an edge. I could push harder and with confidence.”
Tihada, who also plays point guard on the basketball team, is about to wrap up his high school football career and wants to write some more school history.
The Lunas (9-1) enter the Division II semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships on Nov. 23 as three-time defending champions. Their opponent that day at home will be the winner of Saturday’s Roosevelt (9-2) at Kamehameha-Hawaii (10-3) contest. Should they advance, they’ll play either Kaimuki (10-2) or Kapaa (7-1), who meet in the other Nov. 23 semifinal at Lihue’s Vidinha Stadium.
Since that freshman year, when Tihada rotated in at running back before becoming a starter late in the season, he has been a force in the MIL and state landscapes. He was part of perhaps the most astonishing game in Hawaii high school football history. That was in 2017, when Tihada was a sophomore and his Lunas defeated Konawaena 75-69 in seven overtimes. In the blazing sun at Aloha Stadium, it was Tihada who scored the winning touchdown for Lahainaluna’s first football state championship.
Those three straight titles have come by a total of 15 points.
“We are approaching (states) like every other week,” said Tihada, who is one of three captains. “We’re prepping more mentally, working things slowly technique-wise. A lot of conditioning. All gas. No brakes. We’re keeping the team rallied up as we chase this championship.
“We take a lot of pride in having this opportunity — not only me, but all my teammates, the coaching staff, the community. Lahaina is really small and we like to support each other and have each other’s backs.”
Co-head coach Dean Rickard sees firsthand what Tihada brings to the Lunas.
“First of all, he’s a four-year senior in the varsity program,” he said. “That alone says a lot. He has a ton of experience. He’s unselfish and has that attitude that he’s going to do whatever it takes to make the team better.”
Joshua — who plays a hybrid linebacker/defensive back position when needed in addition to his duties at running back — is one of many in the Lahainaluna Tihada football pipeline. His uncle Garret Tihada is still helping the team this year after many years as a co-head coach with Watson. When Joshua was a freshman, his older brother Justice was a senior on the team. Joshua’s father, Joey, is the running backs coach. In addition, Joshua’s little brother Kaulana will be a freshman football player next year. Then there’s Treven Tihada, a cousin, whose dad, Nori Tihada, once played quarterback for the Lunas. Treven has a younger brother, Kupono, who is a quarterback and DB who is still in intermediate school.
Two moments in Joshua’s career were even bigger than the winning TD in the seven-OT game.
“A catch on fourth down-and-18 from about the 30 in the second overtime,” he said. “We got to about the 8. Without that, the game would have been over.”
The other biggie, according to Tihada, came when he was a freshman in the closing seconds of a 21-14, state-title-clinching victory over Kapaa.
“I remember the scenery and seeing how everybody was so happy,” he said. “And looking at all my brothers and coaches and being relieved, and seeing all the looks on their faces and also remembering all the past teams that came up to states and lost.”
JOSHUA TIHADA
>> Sports: Football, basketball
>> School: Lahainaluna
>> Grade: Senior
>> Positions: Running back, DB/LB hybrid, point guard
>> Height: 5 feet 9
>> Weight: 180 pounds
>> Other activity: Paddling
>> Favorite school subject: Math
>> Possible college major: Sports management
>> Favorite movie: “Rudy”
>> Favorite TV show: “SportsCenter”
>> Favorite pro sports teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Indiana Pacers
>> Favorite pro athlete: The late Sean Taylor
>> Other interests: Horror movies, wrestling
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