KAHUKU — As much as Kahuku wants its 2025 season to be business as usual, returning to normalcy won't come without growing pains.
Saturday's game day atmosphere on the North Shore has been one that Red Raider fans have come to expect — full bleachers, blaring music and excitement surrounding one of the state's top teams. One glaring omission: Sterling Carvalho, who had been the head coach for the Red Raiders since 2018 but was removed on March 31 following a Department of Education investigation.
Carvalho had sought a motion to return to his former duties immediately but was denied by O‘ahu Circuit Court Judge Jordon J. Kimura on Aug. 1. Carvalho and his attorney, Eric Seitz, have decided to continue their legal battle against the DOE. Meanwhile, interim head coach Nihoa Pule will coach the Red Raiders in 2025.
In a rematch of the 2024 HHSAA Open Division championship game, Kahuku hosted Saint Louis on Saturday night and lost 20-0 in Pule's debut as head coach.
"A learning moment for us as a staff and our kids," Pule said after the game. "We didn't do as well as we thought we should have, but we'll get there. I believe in our kids. I believe in our staff and we'll be OK. We just got to clean up on a lot of stuff. It's the first game. ... We just got to keep going."
Saint Louis held a 13-0 lead at halftime and didn't score again until a two-yard Nainoa Lopes touchdown with 15 seconds remaining. Despite returning just two starters on defense, Kahuku's talent on that side of the ball was on clear display. In his Kahuku debut, USC commit and Orange Lutheran (California) transfer Talanoa Ili had seven tackles with a sack. Meanwhile, UCLA commit Malaki Soliai-Tui had a game-high 13 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.
Offensively, the Red Raiders struggled. Quarterback Matai Fuiava was contained all night, completing just four of his 16 passes for a total of 17 yards and two interceptions.
Pule, who graduated from Kahuku in 1995, has been an assistant coach with the Red Raiders since 2007. He has coached every single season since then, with the exception of one under Vavae Tata, who was the head coach in 2015 and 2016.
Other Kahuku head coaches Pule has been an assistant under include Reggie Torres, Lee Leslie, Makoa Freitas and Carvalho. For the most part, Pule has coached defensive backs for Kahuku, the same position he played for the Red Raiders himself. Under Carvalho, he was promoted to defensive coordinator when play resumed in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carvalho's removal surprised many in the Red Raider community, including Pule himself.
"It was a very abrupt change for all of us," Pule said. "I sat down and talked to my wife about it, and we always came back to the same thing. It's something that coach Sterling also really enforced, was the kids. Kids first, and so that we tried to keep that mantra, because if we don't have kids, we're not coaching here.
"We want to make sure that the kids are OK. In the beginning, I'm not gonna lie, they were hesitant, right? We just lost our leader. When they named me interim, then they're like, OK, at least it's someone we know, he's been here every day. It's not someone totally new, right? So, it's been really good. You know, these kids are awesome."
Pule and Carvalho have been in consistent communication since Carvalho's removal. The two share the common goal of wanting to see Kahuku's kids become the best version of themselves regardless of who is in charge.
"We've actually talked almost every week, sometimes two or three times a week. Just checking in to see if I need help, I check in to see if he needs anything from us," Pule said. "We're still really good friends, and I respect the hell out of the guy, so I'm not gonna push him away just because of everything that's going on. I have no control over it."
Being in the spotlight as the head coach is new to Pule, who kept a low public profile as DC.
"I was the defensive coordinator for four years, and not too many people knew, because I'm more of a behind the scenes kind of guy. I love it. I like just being able to work with the kids," Pule said. "And now, you know, taking over the whole thing, I'm able to work with all the kids on both sides of the ball, JV and varsity, and it's just been a blessing to be able to be out here with these kids every day. They're so inspiring with everything that they've been through, and just being able to keep up and keep pressing on with all the outside things going on.
"Our staff and our kids, we met with them. What I told them was we can only control what we have control over, and that's what happens in between these lines, anything that happens outside that we got no control over, that's up to whoever the decision-makers are. We just want to make sure that we take care of our stuff here and in school."
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
