Scott Melemai is the new Kalani football head coach, according to Falcons athletic director Greg Van Cantfort.
Melemai is a 1999 Kalani graduate and he has been with the football program since then.
“He is passionate about football and has a very good understanding of the culture of the campus,” Van Cantfort said in a news release. “He understands the challenges of football at Kalani but hopes to continue building on the recent successes of the program.”
Melemai is also a University of Hawaii graduate and has been teaching social studies at Kalani since 2005.
“Scott can help our students become better athletes and understands the efforts it will take to get to the next level,” Van Cantfort added. “Being a teacher and a coach, he has a deep appreciation for the balances that are required for the student-athletes.”
According to Van Cantfort, Melemai has been working in the offseason with the players in the weightroom and on the field. He will hold a formal meeting of players and parents within the next few weeks.
“Being successful is the end product of working hard and doing the right things on a daily basis,” Melemai said in the release. “It is not going to be easy.”
Melemai takes over for Greg Taguchi, who led the Falcons to their first winning season in 41 years in 2013. He had three different stints as Kalani’s head coach, totalling 15 seasons, including the last eight.
In the last four seasons, Kalani went 18-14 in Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II and 18-19 overall.
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