As a senior on the 2016 Kalani football team, Quinn Griffiths was trusted enough by the coaching staff to call plays during games.
So it should be no surprise that less than a decade removed from his playing days, Griffiths is the man the Falcons football program has turned to in a time of need.
With head coach Radford Dudoit on the mainland recovering from major heart surgery, Griffiths, who was appointed as the varsity offensive coordinator in the offseason, is the interim coach in charge of preparing Kalani for its OIA Division II opener against Waialua on Friday.
Yes, the Falcons are jumping right into league play with only a couple of scrimmages under their belt.
Nonetheless, the support system around the football program in East Honolulu is the strength that has carried it through a difficult time.
“Everybody loves coach Radford on campus and around the school and when we heard he was going in (for surgery) and be gone for a little bit, we all knew we had to step up to make this season successful,” Griffiths said. “Still had some ups and downs figuring the things out that coach Radford handled but there’s a really good support system around me.”
Griffiths played under Greg Taguchi until his senior year, when Scott Melemai took over for the first of his five-year run guiding the program.
The season after graduation, Griffiths was already helping out with the junior varsity program while he worked on getting his undergraduate degree at the University of Hawaii.
Slowly he’s built his way up from junior varsity offensive coordinator to varsity quarterbacks coach before he was set to take over as the varsity OC this season.
Now, he’s suddenly the one handling everything, including interview requests from the media.
“There have been some surprises but like I said, we have a great support system here and coach Scott is back helping out again which is nice,” Griffiths said. “No preseason though and at first I thought about switching it but then realized, hey, it is what it is, let’s go out and play.”
Kalani was originally scheduled to play two mainland teams this season. The Falcons will host Bonita Vista (Calif.) at Kaiser on Aug. 25. A proposed road trip to play Jefferson (Ore.) in early September, which including a week of visiting different colleges in the area, had to be postponed once Dudoit was going to miss an indefinite amount of time.
“We just figured it would be too hard without him. He was our connection to everything,” Griffiths said. “I was just here to coach and going up there, I would have no idea what to do about all of these plans coach Radford had made. Hopefully we can just postpone it and the kids can go up there and play next season maybe.”
Just two years removed from a 6-2 season, the Falcons have been a pesky bunch in recent years.
Quarterback Kynan McCartney, who accounted for 20 touchdowns and threw for more than 2,000 yards last year as a junior, has been with Griffiths the entire time since freshman season.
“Confident as ever with him,” Griffiths said. “The kid has worked tremendously hard. He’s a sharp kid who makes the right throws, makes the right reads and takes care of the ball the best he can.”
McCartney will have a key weapon to throw to in slot receiver Silas Soberano, whose older brother, Seth, was the quarterback when Griffiths played his senior year.
Senior linebacker Aiden Trinidad is a heavy hitter in the middle of the Kalani defense.
“Numbers are looking good,” Griffiths said. “JV is a little bit in limbo right now so we got the kids up practicing with the varsity and yeah, things are good. Looking forward to getting things started.”
KALANI FALCONS
Head coach: Radford Dudoit
Career record: Second season, 2-6 (.250)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/11 Waialua* 7 p.m.
8/19 McKinley* 6 p.m.
8/25 Bonita Vista (Calif.)* 5 p.m.
9/2 @ Kaiser 6:30 p.m.
9/8 @ Jefferson (Ore.) 4 p.m.
9/23 Kaimuki** 6 p.m.
9/29 @ Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
10/7 Kalaheo* 6 p.m.
10/13 @ Pearl City 7 p.m.
*— @ Kaiser
**—@ Roosevelt
Capsules and schedules of other OIA Division II team
Kaimuki Bulldogs
Coming off a playoff berth a season ago, the Bulldogs are in good hands at quarterback with returnee Iosefa Letuli, who at a listed 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, accounted for 24 touchdowns last season.
Kaimuki also returns leading receiver Jeremiah White, who is “Mr. Everything,” according to coach Reid Yoshikawa. White has four FBS scholarship offers, including one from UH.
Keep an eye on 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior lineman To’osavili Agae-Naipo, who never played football prior to high school but can bench 300 and squat 500 pounds.
KAIMUKI BULLDOGS
Head coach: Reid Yoshikawa
Career record: Third season, 10-17 (.412)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/12 @ ‘Iolani 3 p.m.
8/18 Roosevelt* 7:30 p.m.
8/24 Waialua* 7 p.m.
9/1 @ Kailua 3:30 p.m.
9/8 Kalaheo* 7 p.m.
9/23 Kalani* 6 p.m.
9/30 @ Kaiser 6 p.m.
10/6 @ Pearl City 7 p.m.
10/14 McKinley** 6 p.m.
*— @ Farrington
**— @ Roosevelt
Kaiser Cougars
Entering the fifth season of his current run as head coach, Tim Seaman has brought Kaiser back to the top of Division II with a 13-2 mark in regular-season play and two state-tournament appearances in the past two years.
Kaiser will have to replace Easton Yoshino at quarterback, but Keagan Lime returns as a bonafide two-way standout.
Kaikea Pedro-Hale will be tough in the trenches and the Cougars have a couple of impact linebackers in Team Fukumitsu and Jy Tahoe Richards.
KAISER COUGARS
Head coach: Tim Seaman
Career record: Fifth season (ninth overall), 46-31-3 (.594)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/12 Pahoa 5 p.m.
8/18 Pearl City 7:30 p.m.
9/2 Kalani 6:30 p.m.
9/9 Roosevelt 6 p.m.
9/23 McKinley* 6 p.m.
9/30 Kaimuki 6 p.m.
10/6 Waialua 7 p.m.
10/14 Kalaheo 6 p.m.
*— @ Roosevelt
Kalaheo Mustangs
Jaymason Lee makes his head coaching debut for the Mustangs this season after taking over for Nelson Maeda.
The former Castle quarterback, who still holds the school record with 407 passing yards in a game against Kahuku, inherits a team that had only six seniors on the roster last year.
Junior Kamalu Anoba-Jordan and seniors Toa Tevaga and La’i Tevaga are key returnees along with Saint Louis transfer lineman Journey Kekauoha Viena and Campbell transfer Matthew Pyne.
KALAHEO MUSTANGS
Head coach: Nelson Maeda
Career record: Third season (24th overall), 98-131-2 (.429)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/17 @ Waialua 7 p.m.
8/26 McKinley* 6 p.m.
9/8 Kaimuki** 7 p.m.
9/22 @ Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
9/30 @ Pearl City 6 p.m.
10/7 Kalani*** 6 p.m.
10/14 @ Kaiser 6 p.m.
*— @ Roosevelt
**— @ Farrington
***— @ Kaiser
McKinley Tigers
After longtime Punahou coach Kale Ane gave it a shot for two years, Chris Williams takes over to try and coach the Tigers to their first victory since 2019.
The 2001 McKinley alumnus, who played football in college at the University of Hawaii under June Jones, has a tall task in front of him.
The Tigers have lost 21 in a row and 24 of the last 25, but showed some promise on offense last year with quarterback Afi Togafau, who was a freshman.
MCKINLEY TIGERS
Head coach: Chris Williams
Career record: First season, 0-0
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/11 @ Roosevelt 7 p.m.
8/19 Kalani* 6 p.m.
8/26 Kalaheo** 6 p.m.
9/9 @ Pearl City 6 p.m.
9/23 Kaiser** 6 p.m.
9/29 @ Waialua 7 p.m.
10/7 @ Roosevelt 6 p.m.
10/14 Kaimuki** 6 p.m.
*— @ Kaiser
**— @ Roosevelt
Pearl City Chargers
Entering his 10th season as head coach, Robin Kami has more wins (52) than any other coach in school history.
Quarterback Trey Dacoscos, who was 4-0 in regular-season games he started last year before suffering an injury, is back to run the offense.
Senior defensive end Joseph Pomele will anchor the defense. Pearl City’s seven wins last season matched its most since 2014.
PEARL CITY CHARGERS
Head coach: Robin Kami
Career record: 10th season, 52-38 (.578)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/12 Kauai 7:30 p.m.
8/18 @ Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
8/25 @ Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
9/9 McKinley 6 p.m.
9/22 Waialua 7 p.m.
9/30 Kalaheo 6 p.m.
10/6 Kaimuki 7 p.m.
10/13 Kalani 7 p.m.
Roosevelt Rough Riders
Kui Kahooilihala took Roosevelt up to Division I after the pandemic, where the Rough Riders were competitive in compiling a 3-8 mark before moving back down to Division II this season.
Roosevelt should be a contender in a division in which it went 8-2 against OIA opponents in 2019, with both losses coming by a combined five points to eventual league champion Kaimuki.
The Rough Riders threw it all over the field last year but has to replace all of its production at quarterback and three of its four leading receivers.
ROOSEVELT ROUGH RIDERS
Head coach: Kui Kahooilihala
Career record: Seventh season, 32-24 (.571)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/11 McKinley 7 p.m.
8/18 Kaimuki 7:30 p.m.
8/25 Pearl City 7:30 p.m. 9/2 Nanakuli 5:30 p.m.
9/9 @ Kaiser 6 p.m.
9/22 Kalaheo 7:30 p.m.
9/29 Kalani 7:30 p.m.
10/7 McKinley 6 p.m.
10/13 Waialua 7 p.m.
*— @ Farrington
Waialua Bulldogs
Coach Gary Wirtz’s crew just missed out on a playoff berth by a single game last season, but doubled its win total from the previous season.
Now back for a third, Wirtz’s Bulldogs will jump straight into league play on opening weekend. A fun couple of games are scheduled with Waialua hosting Woodinville (Wash.) and then flying to play on Molokai in back-to-back games.
Tyson Apau was a one-man wrecking crew for Waialua last season. Figuring out how to replace his production is a top priority.
WAIALUA BULLDOGS
Head coach: Gary Wirtz
Career record: Third season, 6-11 (.353)
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/11 Kalani* 7 p.m.
8/17 Kalaheo 7 p.m.
8/24 Kaimuki** 7 p.m.
8/31 Woodinville (Wash.) 6:30 p.m.
9/16 @ Molokai TBA
9/22 @ Pearl City 7 p.m.
9/29 McKinley 7 p.m.
10/6 @ Kaiser 7 p.m.
10/13 @ Roosevelt 7 p.m.
*— @ Kaiser
**— @ Farrington
