Vince Nihipali steps down as Moanalua football coach

After two years, Vince Nihipali has decided to step down as Moanalua’s head football coach.

He told his athletic director, Joel Kawachi, on Oct. 17, a Monday.

“He called on Friday to see if I changed my mind,” Nihipali said.

He did not. He talked with his coaching staff and players over the weekend.

“My AD is very supportive. He let me do my thing,” Nihipali said on Tuesday afternoon. “One of my goals was to get to the Open Division and stay there, and we did that. The turnout’s been great. I just feel like it’s the perfect opportunity to leave and the next guy can step in and do well.”

Moanalua hired Nihipali, a former Mililani assistant coach and Campbell defensive coordinator, in March of 2020, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ’20 season was cancelled in Hawaii, and in ’21, his team went 5-2. That includes a 4-1 regular season in OIA Division I before losing to Aiea in the league title game.

“We thank Coach Vince Nihipali for his commitment to our student-athletes and guiding our football program from Division I through the Open Division,” Kawachi said. “We wish him all the best in any future endeavor.”

This season, after making the jump to the Open Division, Moanalua went 1-5 in OIA play and 2-6-1 overall.

Nihipali cited a need to decompress and spend more time with his family.

“My daughter sees me at home and she’s watching something on Netflix, but now it’s daddy’s time to watch TV,” he said. “In about a week, she’s going to wish I was still coaching.”

For more on this story, read Wednesday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser print edition.