Kahuku athletic director Gillian Yamagata sent an email to the media announcing that the varsity football coaching position is vacant and that the school is accepting applications.
The Red Raiders made it to the state final and lost 31-28 to Saint Louis under interim head coach Makoa Freitas this past season.
Freitas was appointed the interim coach after Vavae Tata left the post after two years. Tata won the 2015 Division I state championship and made it to the final in 2016 before losing to Saint Louis.
Freitas could not be reached for comment, but Hawaii Prep World learned that he attended a year-end meeting with Yamagata recently and was told the position would be opened up.
It’s unclear whether Freitas will apply for the permanent position.
If a new coach is hired for the 2018 season, the person will be the fifth coach since Reggie Torres was the head man in 2013. Lee Leslie spent one year as the Red Raiders’ head coach, and he was followed by Tata in 2015 and ’16 before Freitas in ’17.
HUGE MISTAKE … I’m not a Kahuku fan …he did a great job this year … who does this AD think he/she is … ALABAMA … ?????
Need to put out an application for the AD position. I am a RR alumni and I’ve had nothing bur bbad experiences with her since my son started school there. Just trying to pick up Athletic Passes is a chore.
As far as the coaching position goes…so much fricken’ drama. No stability (go figure, blame the AD) Hmmm…what’s the truth about what’s really going on, inquiring minds want to know?!?! Reggie? Siuaki? But PAAALLLEEEZ…nobody from outside the community. We have well qualified people who can do the job rigjt here at home.
BUUUT with that being said…”GO SABERS”
One Love & Peace Out
This is getting ridiculous. Coaching turnover at this rate is never good for a program and even worse for the kids. The AD can’t keep thinking that opening up the job every other year is the best way to encourage success. Programs are made of players, coaches and supportive parents, but they are built on trust and relationships.
Eventually they are going to get to the point where no one qualified for the position is going to want to apply. What coach wants to be on a hot seat like that every year, and imagine how hard it is going to be for the coaching staff to get the kids to buy into what the coaches say if in the back of their heads they don’t know if the same staff is going to be there next year? If kids can’t trust that the staff is going to be there for any period of time, why wouldn’t they try to go to a school where the staff is more stable?
Trust even extends to college recruiting. A HS HC who is at a school long enough might build a relationship with college coaches who might be interested in kids on their team. Many times it is through this coach to coach trust that the college coach asks what overlooked player might warrant a second look, thus benefiting the kids.
This AD has to settle on a coach sooner or later.
Farrington needs to put out vacancy notices but that’s non of mah business yah herd
Farrington is doing exactly what they want, supply STL with the kids from KPT. Notice Okimoto only become vocal when Mililani start getting the Kalihi kids because the original intent is to supply Cal with the kids. Thats why Farrington will never compete for OIA titles they sold out to STL when Cal came back and started hiring the Farrington assistant coaches. Good Story!
#firstthekids
#thentheparents
#nowtherefs
#recruitso’o
Protocol
Kahuku kids that have been invited to go school at St. Louis, Punahou, St. Francis, and Mililani will be wanting to make that move now! Great decision children, don’t be loyal to a school who isn’t loyal to your Team! I hate over expecting AD’s who can’t Coach a lick!
This is normal protocol. Freitas just needs to apply for the permanent position. No drama here. Kahuku kids would never go to Mililani or St.Francis.
So funny to hear salty people complain about STL. Hey if you’re from KPT and you can better your life by going to a school that costs good money and has above average academics-why wouldn’t you? That’s like getting mad a local kids going to a PAC12 school and not staying home to go to UH. Gotta do what’s best for you. Guys like Gerald Welch commuted every day because they showed loyalty to him and it’s a family. In the end it was best for him. This is just football. It’s not the end of the world that kids go where they want tl go.
Coach Shaun Singh should apply he is coaching the Laie Park football team give it to him. He is the best in the North shore….Tai give u
A write- there you go again crying like a baby. I think you should worry about who your next coach is going to be. My guess is sol jay is outa there next year. Say bye bye to your state championship next year.
C’mon guys. Obviously Gillian Yamagata is an alumni of St. Louis! Cal Lee is paying her off. This is more of the ILH agend! Lol
Normal protocol…???
I’m pretty sure York, Okimoto and Hernandez are not reapplying every year.
Frickin RE.TAR.DED. Don’t blame the OIA. This is aaaalllll Kahuku admin… stupid 3-headed monster.
why are we so concern with football? This sport has done so much damage to kids and their health, Brain concussion and other injuries that come along the football path. We should talk about improving the school system and help kids with their learning and improving their academic standards. A good quality education goes a long way and football is very very limited.
Time for the ad to reapply for her job,or the community must start an petition for her removal
I heard from a few parents of football players that he was just filling in due to Tata leaving. Honestly the AD should be replaced her time is up. She is only focuses on certain sports and not the whole. She is not thinking about the boys and girls and how constantly replacing a coach can have players moving to a different program and the affects
After winning the first 5 games, This will all be forgotten…But,it really does hurt the kids.Hopefully they’ll pic someone who is perfect for this program. I could only imagine if they got their crap together. This school would be even more dominant…Good Luck…
Keep Coach Freitas @ Kahuku!!! he did a fantastic job this year. He utilized Sol-Jay Maiava in ways Coach Tata never did! Coach Tata had Maiava handing the ball off to his runningbacks damn near every game. This year Kahuku implemented a passing game that put Sol-Jay in a position to showcase his versatility as a dual-threat QB. BRING BACK COACH FREITAS!!!
Biggest problem is Admin… Truly a lot of admin. ARE NOT THERE FOR THE KIDS!!!! THEY HAVE THEIR OWN AJUNDA!!!! SO SAD FOR THE KIDS!! Shout out to all the kids who play out their to adapt to changes each each!!!
Biggest problem is Admin… Truly a lot of admin. ARE NOT THERE FOR THE KIDS!!!! THEY HAVE THEIR OWN AJUNDA!!!! SO SAD FOR THE KIDS!! Shout out to all the kids who play out their to adapt to changes each year!!
What coach would want to be there? They’ve shown no loyalty to coaches who have done an outstanding job (Reggie Torres) and continue to blame coaches for losing when in actuality it’s the listening to community critics that seems to be more important to the administration. What they did to Torres a few years back, made me lose respect. Does anyone really think Freitas wants to sit in a seat that has been shown no loyalty?
I would be willing to bet if an NFL player only made 35k a year that this wouldn’t be an issue…LMAO…😂😂😂
UNBELIEVABLE! ‘Nuff said.
Before a person can be given the permanent position they need to do an open hire. He was appointed as the interim head coach. They’re only doing their due process. Im a St. Louis alum, and I t’s not cal Lee, being the god that he is, pulling any puppet strings. They have to put the job out so people can apply, it’s the law. Look at how professional sports are. They gotta do an open hire and have a certain amount of black people or people of different ethinical backgrounds considered or they violate rules.
But truthfully, this stacked Kahuku team could win the State with assistant coaches. Yes, they are that talented. In fact I could coach them via skype, and still take the States,undefeated.
Why people always complaining about kids getting recruited? To me it doesn’t matter where they choose to go. They could have a lot of kids with talent on one team, but if the Coach does not know what to do with the talent, it’ll be just another season. It’s all about coaching up, and that’s why parents make decisions to transfer. There’s even kids that never started at their school that did when they transferred due to coaching up. Won’t mention the school that had lot’s of talent, but ended their season bad. With that being said, who’s coaching your son?
Coach C I love your comment…👌😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 RR4L…
My opinion is they shouldn’t put the job up. But statistically looking the athletic program was able to win several football state titles, a Basketball state title, and have numerous successful programs under her watch. The DOE will do nothing.
You guys should see the drama going on with the Farrington boys basketball program. The story is that the varsity coach canned the JV coach for whatever reason even though they won the JV championship last year. Now the Varsity coach’s son is coaching the JV team.
I hope they bring back coach Freitas he did a great job… it’s hard to be number one and have the kind of commitment from the community without a lot of scrutiny… I’m not sure who would be more qualified for the job then the guy who lost the State title by a couple points Jon Gruden isn’t applying for this job
How about you give the job to ANNNYYYYWWWAAAAYYYYYSSSS since he/she knows so much. Or better yet give it to EducationFirst so he can make all the athletes test scores better.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
I am a RR4L alumini . Coach Freaitas should be Awarded the position permanently. We have a lot of great students/athletes returning on Varsity. As we know the kids that coming up from JV which made it to the championship again this past season. We have a Rich tradition year in year out. Why break up what’s going good..
I think this is an agenda led by AAANNNNYYYYWWWAAAAAAYYYYYSSSS!
His OIA Agenda runs deep!
BBWWAAAHAHAHAHA!
Maybe we can wait until there is clarification if this is a formality or if Coach Freitas isnt returning.
BTW, Reggie is available.
The North Shore community are verbally strong about Kahuku football team and that also applies to the head coach. If the community doesn’t like the coach they will let the school administrators know and/or talk to the AD about it and I heard stories of SOME community members approaching the coaches and the staff on subjects pertaining to a previous game and go as far as toilet paper a head coaches house after a game. Again this is stories from people who live out there. I wouldn’t be suprised if another person is hired other then Freitas because of the coaching errors they allegedly did in that championship game! The AD is a puppet and the community is the puppet master! But what do I know hahaha
Need a new principal too. Seems football is becoming too important for the administration.
It seems that this issue of hiring a Coach is controlled by the community and school administration. No AD acts on their own without the approval of the administration. However, the DOE and it’s legal staff along with independent counsel should investigate this matter to see who’s turning over who and why.
Why all the complaining, you guys on the North Shore want Cal Lee as the head oach
ILH now that’s funny!! It could happen then how much of the Saint Louis players will follow them bump out starters on the Kahuku football team!! That would be interesting if it happens hahaha
OIA – you mean the starters that already from Big Red country? You know…the St Louis starters that sang that Kahuku alma mater with our community after they beat us? Are those the starters you’re referring to?
They may wear Blue…but they bleed RED.
LMAO….
@Anonymous Gov
You should read the article….. this pertains to football! And if you don’t know the real story then I suggest you keep your unwanted thoughts to yourself. As a final note, anyone can win a JV championship on pure talent and just because you win doesn’t mean you keep your job (as evidenced in the article as well).
If anyone needs to be brought back its Tata. He lost 2 games in 2 years, against #1 in the nation and a dog fight with St. Louis that could have gone either way. This year I congratulate Kahuku on being able to successfully (a good amount of the time) run a brand new offense in one season. But defensively, I don’t know if it was personnel or coaching but didn’t seem as “lock down” as they have been the last couple of seasons.
Tata was good, but to many off the field issues..Outside of that,would love to see what he could have done if things had worked out..All they needed was a good OC and the rest would be History…
Im pretty sure you need good coaching at any level to win some sort of championship.
TooMeke..
“But They Bleed Red”? CDFU what they suppose to bleed, Purple?!lol