The future of Maui prep football starts now, according to Lahainaluna High School’s veteran co-head coach Bobby Watson. Or, to be more precise, on Jan. 19, when the Maui Big Boyz football league kicks off its 2020 spring season.

Maui teams that choose to ignore that reality are never going to make significant gains or sustain real progress, Watson said.

The five-team, no-weight-limit league, which is celebrating its 10th season on the Valley Isle, is made up of some of the island’s most promising seventh and eighth graders.

Playing Big Boyz football is a rite of passage in Lahaina, and many of the Maui Interscholastic League’s best football players have come from the West Side. The four-time Division II state champion Lunas have repeatedly credited the development league for the school’s success at the top levels of the prep game.

“I’ll be the first to admit that we have won the last couple of years with more talent than we have ever had,” said Watson, who has spent 30 seasons with the Lunas. “And it’s because we developed the Big Boyz League. It’s because of that we’ve had success.”

Watson said the foundation of a successful high school football program starts in middle school. The Lunas’ coaching staff is committed to making the Big Boyz experience positive, particularly for first-time football players, and run the team with an emphasis on development.

Watson is surprised other Maui high schools have not made Big Boyz football a priority.

“We jumped on the bandwagon; we’ve done it. I don’t know why other teams haven’t done it,” he said.

Watson went even further, saying the MIL won’t be able to raise the bar on the quality of its gridiron play until all teams in the league improve.

“I personally think that we are going to be status quo until the (athletic directors) and the principals say, ‘We are going to send the first- and second-place teams to the state tournament, not (just the) champions. Now everyone would have a shot at going to the state tournament. I think when you do that the whole league becomes better,” he said.

Watson feels the change would benefit all teams and make every regular season game significant.

“That’s why the Big Boyz program to us is so important,” the coach added. “You can go down there and you can see your future. These kids are more talented than these other kids, and these kids need to work harder than most kids because these kids don’t know the game experience and we need to coach them better.

“You can see all that. It tells you how you need to develop your kids.”

It’s also the place where Watson first saw Joshua Tihada.

“When he was in seventh grade, he played defense. And after two days of practice, I said, ‘This boy is going to be somebody who can absorb everything we tell him.’ As a seventh grader, he knew just as much defense as some of our kids on the varsity. He understood what we were trying to teach them.”

Watson recognized Tihada’s appetite for learning and his ability to retain key information. As a result, the Lunas started using him on offense during his freshman year. Tihada, now a senior, also demonstrated leadership early in his prep career. At practices he would often remind players of their blocking responsibilities, Watson said.

Tihada turned out to be the fix the team needed when its offense struggled, and as a freshman he helped Lahainaluna claim its first Division II state championship.

“He knows just as much about the offense as our coaches,” said Watson, a week before the star running back rushed for a state postseason record 310 yards and three touchdowns in the Lunas’ 21-10 win over Kapaa at Aloha Stadium. “He’s just an all-around smart football player.”

The combination of Tihada’s smarts and wily skill helped Lahainaluna earn four consecutive state titles. The Lunas finished 44-6 overall with Tihada and 31-3 in the MIL, including three straight unbeaten seasons.

Before Tihada’s record- breaking game at Aloha Stadium, Watson said, “He’s not the best running back, but he’s probably the smartest runner we’ve ever had. He never gets hit square, ever notice that? He knows when to go to the ground and when to stay up. Unless you catch him blindside, that’s the only way you’re going to get a good hit on him. He knows when to burst and when not to burst. He knows when to follow his blocks and when not to.”

Despite the Lunas’ four-peat as state D-II champion, Watson said the program’s biggest success did not come at the varsity level, but with the jayvee squad, which won the second half of the 2019 MIL season. It’s another impressive example of Lahainaluna’s emphasis on player development.

“That’s the accomplishment of the program: taking a group of kids that struggled to be successful and turning it into a success. It’s those things that will keep your program going.”

Rodney S. Yap has been covering Maui sports for more than 30 years. Email him at ryap2019@gmail.com.