Castle’s Nelson Maeda is out as Castle’s head football coach.
Maeda confirmed via cell phone this afternoon that he is no longer the coach of the Knights and that it was the choice of the Castle administration. He found out that he was out as coach on Tuesday.
“It was not a mutual decision,” he said. “It came unexpectedly and at a late stage. It’s been seven weeks since our season ended. We were finalizing our plans for next season’s scrimmages and pass league and for offseason workouts.
“I guess there was a feeling here at Castle that we should be winning more. Hopefully for Castle,whoever they hire as the new coach can accomplish that.”
Maeda is employed as a counselor at the school.
“Before it was counselor by day and coach after school,” he said. “Now, it’s just counselor by day. I’m going to take a step back and relax a bit. The hammer dropped. It was kind of schocking.”
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser received a news release earlier this afternoon from Knights athletic director Laynie Sueyasu with a request to advertise the open varsity football head coaching position.
Calls to Sueyasu and the Castle administration were not immediately returned.
Maeda spent 20 seasons in the head coaching post and compiled a 91-103 record. The Knights finished 4-5 overall and 3-4 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red conference last fall. The season ended with a 49-7 loss to Moanalua in the first round of the league playoffs.
Castle’s four wins last season were its most since 2010.
Maeda led the Knights to the 2002 OIA championship and to the state championship game, where they lost 34-15 to Saint Louis.
He was the ’02 state coach of the year by both newspapers and won four OIA coach of the year honors.
Maeda was also the head coach at Kailua in 1980 and 1981 and has 96 career wins.
Sad that he wasn’t even in the loop that this might be coming. Reminds me of the sudden firing of Torres at Kahuku. Surprising both times
End of an era….Mahaloz for all your years working with those kids, Coach! God Bless!
Since when is a high school coach required to win? Coach Maeda’s problem was that he would get wins in Division 1, with Division 2 talent. In these last 6 years, he would finish 5th or higher in the tough D1, w/out recruiting. Good enough to stay in D1, but enough wins to make everyone happy. Had he bounced up and down in D1 and D2, like some schools, he would have more wins. Anyway, guess the Athletic Director is a former prominent football coach, who knows everything about Football.
Sad day. You not gonna find a finer man than Nelson Maeda. Look at all the years of hard work he has given Castle. He not doing it for the money. Not a single high school football coach in Hawaii is in it to pay bills. It’s just them giving back to the community, volunteering their time.
Most firings are done behind the scenes, and publicly it is announced the coach is “retiring”. As is the case with former Leilehua head coach Nolan Toku-da. Or nothing is said at all. You just see a new coach leading the school the next year. Why Castle want to humiliate a good man publicly?
Good Knight, you are correct. Name me just 1 Div player Coach Nelson Mae-da has coached in the last 20 years. I cannot think of 1. Jared Suzuki was not a Div 1 player. Yet Coach Mae-da has had Castle playing in Div 1 all these years. St Louis recruiting all the best players from Kaneohe.
Coach_B, Reggie Torres offically was not hired by Kahuku. The Kahuku admin opened up all their head coaching positions and made each head coach reapply with others for the head job. Reggie Torres was not hired from that pool of candidates. Reggie Torres is a good man, but like Coach Nolan Toku-da at Leilehua, each went too far and made players do things contrary to their DNA that had nothing to do with football. I think half the Kahuku team demanded Coach Torred be fired back in 2005. Never happenned to any previous head football coach at Kahuku. Not Chuck Meade, not Doug Semones. Kahuku kids are great kids, Mormon kids. Unlike Farrington Samoans. So it means a lot to me what they had to say, and they said they wanted Reggie Torres gone. Lea Albert had to be brough out of retirement to help settle things down.
Good Knight, St Louis expectes their head football coach to win. They don’t care about any other sport besides football. The St Louis Crusdaers football program is a win-at-all-costs football program.
Wow! Castle admin has no balls. If winning is the criteria, then surely Mckinley needs a new coach. They haven’t won any game in two seasons and they’re DII. Hope they don’t wait 20 yrs. Good Luck Coach Maeda!
Those Castle boys are kinda wild, it took someone like Coach Maeda to tame them through out the years. One of the most disciplined teams if not thee most disciplined in the OIA. . . Thx for being a good example not to the players alone but to other coaches. . .
@Alpha,actually they had no dicipline on that team,a handful of kids ,including coaches.they need someone who can get the kids to come out for football,maybe get some of the better talent to stay home in Kaneohe and maybe play in D2 for a season or two.Also need coaches who can put players in their place and not let the players dictate what goes on.#lackdiscipline
Much respect to Coach Maeda and what he has accomplished in his years of coaching Castle! With that said, I think it was long overdue (at least 5 years) for the program and Coach Maeda to go their separate ways… His inability to connect with the players and community was a big factor in their lack of success in recent years (small roster, etc.) from what I’ve been told a lot of kids/players just didn’t want to play for him… I’ve heard a TON his focus was set on conditioning and uniformity, then punishment for non-compliance of the two. I realize this is all “hearsay” and also that these are, in my opinion, VERY Important parts to having a successful program. However, when the majority of your time is spent focusing on these aspects, it leave little time for ensuring u are fundamentally sound… This consistently showed up on the field… timing issues, penalties, this all goes into a team being undisciplined on the field, and that’s what they were… From here going forward, I believe Castle will need a young energetic coach that can get the kids and community excited about the program. Someone who can connect with them personally, and get them to play with everything they have, “run through a wall”.
Castle’s AD is a former softball player. Principals have too much power, without having a checks and balance system. Imagine if the president of the US, could make all the decisions without having to get Congress to side with him. Administrators think it’s so easy to find a “good coach”. This is different from Leilehua, Tokuda really wanted to step down, Maeda didnt. It’s funny in education, you can’t just fire an employee (unless they do something unthinkable), without trying to help them improve. But in HS athletics you can fire people for anything, no conferences detailing out problem areas and creation of plans to improve. This is what Farrington’s Okimoto should have argued for in that article, not for more perks and benefits for football coaches. As the new wave of ADs get hired, they are being handcuffed or hired to push the principals’ agenda. Another reason why our “education system” is broken.
Mana kahala December 2, 2016 at 5:59 am
@Alpha,actually they had no dicipline on that team,a handful of kids ,including coaches.they need someone who can get the kids to come out for football,maybe get some of the better talent to stay home in Kaneohe and maybe play in D2 for a season or two.Also need coaches who can put players in their place and not let the players dictate what goes on.#lackdiscipline
You probably have more insight then me. Being on the opposite sideline Castle put up a good front, well conditioned, uniformity, during pass leauge the vars ran 100yrd strides while the jv was on the field. Speaking to some parents and former coaches, Maeda’s time was coming to a close, times change and kids aren’t built like their used too. Hopefully the next Coach can keep the program afloat, look at how far McKinley dropped since Tanuvasa (Cho was making strides till he got replaced).
Wow something ugly is brewing in Kaneohe..they went public with the firing of a high school football coach because of not winning enough..for goodness sake hes a counselor for at risk kids ..Coach Maeda can coach at Farrington and Win a state champ ionship given the talent and numbers something that laggs withe turnout at Castle..and that I give him credit for accomplishing what he has done with the lack of talent and participation..Your all about conditioning and discipline building characters and pride for each players..but somehow your getting treated with no respect..so sad..best of luck ..theres a school out there that needs a great coach…Imua
kids today, plenty are soft marsh mellows, cannot handle structure, discipline, low pain thresh hold, no mental toughness. Those that can, are usually the ones that are successful on the field and off the field. The Bar should never be lowered just because they refuse to try to attain it. Today, many players & their parents get Pop Warner mentality. no need train, just show up on the 1st day of tryouts. Off season program? nah, beach! video games! b.s. with my friends! The military will definitely not recruit them as candidates! Team? suppose to be uniformity. Conditioning? cannot handle? thats why in the game they get tired in the 4th qtr. Too much individualism. hahaha! Coach, move on to a better place!
Good coach, Better man.
Castle admin fired him in a Classless way. AUWE!!!!!!
@bumbuchas I believe the reason they were “tired in the 4th qtr” had a lot more to do with roster size (lack of players, no depth) rather than conditioning… Castle was consistently one of the most conditioned football teams. Conditioning was NEVER the issue… No depth and not fundamentally sound…
Good Knight December 1, 2016 at 10:37 pm
Since when is a high school coach required to win? Coach Maeda’s problem was that he would get wins in Division 1, with Division 2 talent. In these last 6 years, he would finish 5th or higher in the tough D1, w/out recruiting. Good enough to stay in D1, but enough wins to make everyone happy. Had he bounced up and down in D1 and D2, like some schools, he would have more wins. Anyway, guess the Athletic Director is a former prominent football coach, who knows everything about Football.
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Could you imagine if the Kahuku Coach didn’t win? 88 would start to poke his Voodoo Dolls!
Parents would waiting outside the coach’s car trying to instigate fights and physical confrontations like some did with Coach Reggie Torres.
Others might have their mothers go on tv to complain about the coaching like some mother did against Coach Alan Akina.
I agree with this poster, but this would cause anarchy in Kahuku if the football coach never won.
88 would have to jump off the Kahuku Bandwagon that he doesn’t belong to and join another bandwagon (and they will not want him either).
Mahatma Gandhi December 2, 2016 at 3:49 am
Coach_B, Reggie Torres offically was not hired by Kahuku. The Kahuku admin opened up all their head coaching positions and made each head coach reapply with others for the head job. Reggie Torres was not hired from that pool of candidates. Reggie Torres is a good man, but like Coach Nolan Toku-da at Leilehua, each went too far and made players do things contrary to their DNA that had nothing to do with football. I think half the Kahuku team demanded Coach Torred be fired back in 2005. Never happenned to any previous head football coach at Kahuku. Not Chuck Meade, not Doug Semones. Kahuku kids are great kids, Mormon kids. Unlike Farrington Samoans. So it means a lot to me what they had to say, and they said they wanted Reggie Torres gone. Lea Albert had to be brough out of retirement to help settle things down.
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What is wrong with the Farrington Samoans? I know many great, honest, and giving Samoan families who went to Farrington.
Do you have any evidence to support the claim that Kahuku Samoans are great kids and Farrington Samoans are not great kids? This is a pretty naive and ignorant statement with no evidence or data to support it.
They gotta hire Wendell Domingo. He has a big following from his players from kaneohe knights pop warner jr. miget and miget levels which have took 6 championships in the past 8 years. To bad most of them end up at saint Louis or other private or public schools because they don’t wanna play for Nelson Maeda. From Kaneohe, Kahaluu, Waiahole, Waikane and Hakipuu theres tons of talent all around. Keep the 96744 in da 96744
Interesting… So many Kahuku haters… keep hating.
This is a story about Castle, and yet idiots have to spin it to be about Kahuku. Unreal.
Good luck with your future Coach.
And, uh, good luck Castle.
@Mahatma Gandhi
You mentioned that they wanted Torres gone in 2005, which might be true, I dont really know what happened then, but he was only let go in 2013. And what is the difference between firing them and making someone reapply for their job and don’t rehire them? Its just semantics. You are still getting rid of them. It would be different if they offered to resign, but that wasn’t the case.
Anyways, I know Torres personally and many Kahuku kids that play for him at Punahou. Great guy. Smart and humble. When I met him I couldn’t figure out why they let him go. Especially for an Idaho coach that left after a year. And lets not forget that Lee Leslie was hired almost immediately after Torres was let go. How does a mainland coach get hired to coach a close knit island community team like Kahuku like that??? Seemed like politics to me and I bet you thats what got Maeda too
Whoa huge. Maeda and Tokuda gone and out the coaching ranks. I heard Tokuda wasn’t getting along with the boosters, which is part of the reason why he stepped down. Wonder what happened behind the scenes. Maeda made the most out of his teams and did well. One school that needs fresh air is Aiea..
I think Good Knight is referring to OIA, when it comes to winning in high school. Let’s ask the Superintendent, oh wait, Matayoshi not being hired after her contract ends. Sound familiar?
Coach Maeda, Thank you for never asking or pressuring me to raise a student’s grade when you came to check on his D or F. You always got the straight scoop and made sure the player took the responsibility to do his work. You have high standards of personal responsibility. A lot of older players respect you immensely. It is sad that you can’t push many players today without them quitting. Until the culture of Kaneohe changes, I don’t think a new coach will be able to manage both high demands and a full roster. Even before Coach Kane retired from coaching soccer we used to be amazed at how much less rigorous his practices had to be compared to his heyday. Thank you for all your dedication. Let the chips fall where they may.
Thanks for all your years of service coach,first and foremost!!!I can attest to coaching, been a Pop Warner coach for 10 years and will be doing it till I die!! I think it will be a good thing thou,for my Alma Mater. We need a change,when I watch our Knights play these past few years it really hurts me to see the finshed product our boys put out on the field. If you know anything about coaching and football,its a bottom line business. I believe you have to reach out to the youth,&communi ty for your foundation,something he never did.Also I believe you have to be a player’s coach,not a Seargent/Genaral kinda coach especially if your lacking #s!! Some teacher stated”Kaneohe Culture”, What?????,Like any CULTURE, PRIDE is essential,I hope & pray our next football coach can instill some PRIDE IN OUR TEAM,YOUTH,COMMUNITY,oh yea,&ALUMNI,ALOHA
Hey Alumni or Kaneohe community, coaching High School FB is not easy. Easy to say this and that, but until you do it, the experience is an adventure. Good luck to Castle’s next coach, he’ll need it. Hope he has success, not only in wins, but developing these young men.
2005 = Castle 26, Kahuku 6
@Good Knight. I don’t think anyone is trying to say Coaching HS Football is easy… we’re simply reacting to the news and stating our opinions… it’s that the purpose of a blog?!?!
Hey MP, you sound like a disgruntled Alumni, parent, or both. Have you ever coached High School FB?
I have, it’s an adventure to say the least.
@Outlaw, how do I sound disgruntled? LOL… It kinda sounds like you and Good Knight were on Coach Maeda’s staff… Out of curiosity, who’d you coach?
Enough already, your opinions are stated, Coach Maeda is gone.
Good Luck to next Castle Coach. WD, MP, 44, GK, OJ, you can all apply.
Opinions On A Blog
To You Reading,
I Think they should re-hire coach Maeda if not at Castle some place else. I feel as a player under him, He really had the mind set and drive not to only win but to make these boys understand what Commitment and drive as a TEAM is not as an individual but apart of Something Bigger. For all you TROLLS out there not writing your names I hope u lose your job if not this Christmas but before any Christmas. To Take advantage of another Man’s down Fall brings happiness to u as an individual is Sad, you deserve some Coal for Christmas. Good thing picking a Coach is luckily not up to you but in the Great hands of
Athletic Director
Laynie Sueyasu
Phone: (808) 305-0800
Fax: (808) 235-9124
Email: laynie_sueyasu@notes.k12.hi.us
I believe as a Student under her She Can bring back the PRIDE and revive the Community and the kids to once again take up the Colors of our Community and REPRESENT not only in Football but all Sports and Strive to be the best not only on the field but in the Classroom as well. Thank you for Reading.
Love,
Santa Claus
So….you close the regular season ON THE ROAD against your CROSSTOWN RIVALl (AND AT THE TIME THE #8 TEAM IN STATE THAT JUST UPSET MILILANI) and WIN….and still you get fired?!!!!
this is what happens when you try to run a disciplined program on a very undisciplined campus – where standards, expectations, grading policy are lowered so much. where students leave the campus anytime they want, do whatever they want, dress how ever they want, with no real hard consequences for their misbehavior. where students and their parents will complain to get their way – even to get a coach fired for having high expectations of team rules, policies, discipline etc. the fact is that coach has already proven that he can win – even with an undermanned squad with less size and talent than opposing teams – a direct result of good coaching. if the school really wants a winning football team – it also needs to create a winning atmosphere with high discipline, expectations, standards across a well-kept, well-maintained and clean campus.
http://www.hawaiiprepworld.com/football/game-night-85-damiencastle/