CLEARING THE CLIPBOARD
KAISER COACH MARCO ANTONIO GLORIA MOVES TO SWEDEN
Kaiser is searching for a new boys soccer head coach. That’s because head coach Marco Antonio Gloria and his family moved to Sweden in July, according to Cougars acting athletic director Bryan Almadova.
“He was promoted to an overseas position for the company he works for,” Almadova said about Gloria. “I miss him big time. He will be in Sweden for two and a half years. He announced it during the summer, but didn’t want to make a big deal.”
Almadova did not rule out Gloria coaching soccer at Kaiser again if and when he returns to Hawaii.
Gloria led the Cougars to the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship in 2014, when Kaiser finished fifth at the Division I state tournament.
Gloria’s Kaiser teams also placed second (2011) and tied for fifth (2016) at the states, and also qualified for the big tournament in 2013, when the Cougars lost in the first round.
CONRAD ISHII TAKES WAIALUA GIRLS SOCCER HELM
Conrad Ishii is the new girls soccer head coach at Waialua, according to Bulldogs athletic director Bryce Kaneshiro
Ishii was previously a volunteer assistant to outgoing head coach Tim Kawahakui.
“Tim was our girls soccer head coach for the past three years,” Kaneshiro said. “Under Tim’s guidance, we went from an 0-10 team his first year to OIA D-II champions the next year and qualified for the HHSAA D-II tournament the past two years. We are now playing in Division I this year.
“The coaching staff Conrad is bringing is the same assistant coaching staff that was with Tim (minus Tim and his wife, Diane Kawahakui, who moved to the mainland), so we hope for continual progress in our girls soccer program.”
AIEA JV FOOTBALL TEAM FORFEITS AGAIN; VARSITY TIME IS EARLIER
For the second week in a row, the Aiea junior varsity football team will be forfeiting a game.
This Friday’s scheduled JV game at Kahuku will not be played due to a lack of ready players on Aiea’s roster, according to Na Alii varsity head coach Wendell Say.
Say said that only 10 players showed up on the first day of JV football practice and it will take time for them the late-comers to be prepared for a real game.
“A lot of those players had just finished pass league and felt they needed a break,” Say said. “We had to go around campus and find them on the first day of school. They don’t have enough time in pads to be ready to play, especially against a team like Kahuku. I feel bad for the kids who were there on the first day and are ready now.”
Say said the JV team has 40 players, but less than half have been in pads long enough to be ready to play.
“We expect to have at least 30 ready for the Campbell (JV) game (Aug. 26),” Say said.
With no JV game scheduled for Friday, the varsity start time will be at 6 p.m. instead of the regularly scheduled 7:30 kickoff.
Say, whose Na Alii varsity team is 1-0 after a 27-14 victory at Nanakuli last weekend, is excited about challenging the defending Division I state champion Red Raiders (1-0) in the OIA Blue contest.
“We’re the little train that could,” he said light-heartedly, pointing out Na Alii’s heavy underdog status. “And we’re going uphill.”
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