Vince Nihipali steps down as Moanalua football coach

Vince Nihipali endured with his football team through the global pandemic, something a new head coach doesn’t normally experience.

Then, he took Moanalua to a new height: the OIA Open Division. This fall, Na Menehune went 2-6-1 overall, including 1-5-1 in league play, beating Leilehua, and staying close with Kapolei and Waianae before falling. At one point, Moanalua was ranked No. 10 in the Star-Advertiser poll. Nihipali’s team opened the season with a loss to Punahou, then beat Damien (16-7), tied Kamehameha (21-all), lost to Mililani (56-0) and defeated Leilehua (27-7). Then, they were ranked by coaches and media in the Top 10 on Sept. 11.

With 134 combined varsity and junior varsity players, Nihipali could have stayed and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Instead, he stepped down as head 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.”

The change in direction was a surprise to Kawachi.

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

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.”

The humor softens the blow.

“I don’t know how much more I could’ve gotten done. I wish them the best going forward,” Nihipali said. “I’ll miss those kids.”

Those kids include 22 graduating seniors, 40 juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen. One of those ninth graders is uber-talented quarterback Tayden-Evan Kaawa, who passed for 1,695 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“He’s a shortstop in baseball and plays on travel teams. He has solid grades, a good kid. Coachable. A quiet leader. He’s basically the leader of the offense and he’s 15 years old. I’d say he’s a phenom kid, a unicorn,” Nihipali said. “He has the leadership and the size and that arm.”

The texts kept coming on Tuesday as the team absorbed what is likely their biggest loss of the year.

“I was content with just building this thing as much as we can. Sometimes, you have to make a life choice. My wife is happy with me walking away, too. I’m happy with the decision. I felt like I had to let them know quick, out of respect for them and the program, really,” Nihipali said.

He doesn’t plan to completely stop coaching. He is open to going back to a coordinator or assistant coaching position.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to make the best decision for yourself and your mental health,” Nihipali said.

Moanalua hired Nihipali, a former Mililani assistant coach and Campbell defensive coordinator, in March 2020, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ’20 season was canceled 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.