Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

They call it goosebumps where Lee Leslie is from. In Hawai‘i, the sensation he felt on the Kahuku team bus is more commonly referred to as chicken skin. 

Leslie only spent one year as the head football coach of the Red Raiders, departing his native Idaho to coach the 

 for the 2014 season. On a drive back from Aloha Stadium, he turned around from his seat to watch members of the team sing the school's alma mater unprompted in unison. 

"All the boys and their baritone voices would sing the school song. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in young men. They were just amazing. They would sing that school song in such a beautiful tone. I'll never forget it," Leslie recently told Aloha State Daily. "It was just cool. It gives me goosebumps to remember it. I just love those boys."

There's a reason the term "RR4L," also known as "Red Raider For Life," is omnipresent and used often in and beyond the North Shore. Kahuku High School has deep pride in its teams, particularly its flagship program: Football. 

Kahuku football is a program filled with tradition. The tomahawk chop in full bleachers prior to kickoffs. Its distinctive alma mater, as well as the only original haka for a football team in North America, are other sources of pride. 

Another emerging Kahuku football tradition? Letting its head coach walk away. 

Kahuku has won 11 Hawai‘i state football titles since the turn of the millenium. Yet during that time, the Red Raiders have cycled through six different head coaches during that span. 

Residents of the North Shore are still coming to grips with the removal of 

, whom the school announced was no longer the head coach in a March 31 letter to Kahuku High and Intermediate School students and parents. Emails from Aloha State Daily to Kahuku principal Donna Lindsey and athletic director Gillian Yamagata were not returned. 

Carvalho, who originally hails from Kaua‘i, coached at Kahuku for over a decade before being named the head coach in 2018. Carvalho coached under Reggie Torres, who was the head coach at Kahuku from 2006 to 2013, eventually becoming the offensive coordinator. In Leslie's lone season with the Red Raiders in 2014, Carvalho was the team's receivers coach. 

"I remember Sterling being a very kind gentleman," Leslie said. "That's how I would describe him."

When Siuaki Livai resigned with a career record of 102-20 in 2006, Torres was picked as his replacement. One of his earliest memories was having his wife, Lita, help the team on the sidelines instead of watching with the rest of the fans. 

"I brought my wife there so she wouldn't sit in the bleachers and hear all the naysayers. I mean, it's crazy in those bleachers," Torres said. "All of those things, it's tough on a coach."

Torres coached Kahuku to the state title in his first year. His 2010 squad was trending towards becoming one of the state's all-time great teams before an ineligible player disqualified the Red Raiders before the OIA championship game. After leading Kahuku to consecutive state crowns in 2011 and 2012, the Red Raiders went 6-5 in 2013. He was then asked to reapply for the job. 

Leslie moved to Kahuku by himself from Idaho's Kuna High School in 2014, beating out applicants such as Torres and Livai. The Red Raiders went 9-3, falling in the state semifinals. Leslie coached former NFL players Bradlee Anae and Alohi GIlman and felt good about the direction of the program. Although he enjoyed his time on the North Shore, he wasn't able to negotiate a salary that would have allowed his wife, Jill, to relocate to the Islands. 

"The charismatic detail of Kahuku is amazing. I knew I was a haole and I was from the outside coming in, but I put everything I had into the time I was there trying to put my mark on the respectability of the program and just how much I respected it," Leslie said.

"Looking back at my whole career, Kahuku was one of my highlights, and I really, really enjoyed it. When you're a head coach there, you're at the mercy of whoever the administration is and and what they're going to do. The only common denominator in all of these coaches that have come through the building since Reggie, me and the next few after that was Gillian Yamagata, who's the athletic director, and I didn't really care for her. I did not like her leadership at all. And she's the only one that I didn't care for in the whole program."

Leslie kept in touch with his former players and coaches from his time at Kahuku, continuing to root for them from afar. Once a Red Raider, always a Red Raider. 

Leslie's quarterback at Kahuku, Tuli Wily-Matagi, got his coaching career started under Leslie at Stansbury High School in Utah. Wily-Matagi is now the head coach at Tooele High School in Utah, the same place where Leslie's coaching career began four decades ago. 

"Those kids at Kahuku deserve the absolute best," Leslie said. "They're amazing people, and they work. They're the hardest working group of kids I've ever coached in my life."

Torres has been the co-athletic director at Kamehameha since 2021 and has not coached football since before the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about the advice he'd give to the next coach, he kept a simple approach.

"It's tough. But if you keep any perspective, it's well worth it because of the kids. The kids there still grew up old school. 'Yes, coach,' they have respect. But here's a trick that hopefully the future coach can understand: Kids only care what you say when they know you care about them," Torres said. "The kids knew I cared about them, and knowing that I cared about them, they're receptive.

"That's why I think the kids are battling for Sterling. Why do you think they're going through all of this for him? Because they care about him, because they know he cares about them. And when you coach them that way, when you come in with a mentality that you want to build better people, and the kids know it, it's worth it. 

"Those kids are great kids, and as a coach, you get great kids who play hard for you, man, that's fun, right? The passion. The kids are competitors. They don't like losing, they're passionate and just getting focused on their studies and focus on them being good people, and use that football as a tool or guide so they be better students and better prepared for what's out there after football. So, it's well worth it."

Sterling Carvalho 041025

<title>Sacrifice, joy and pressure comes with Kahuku football job, say former coaches</title>

Aloha State Daily spoke with two former Kahuku head football coaches in the wake of Sterling Carvalho's removal.

Sacrifice, joy and pressure comes with Kahuku football job, say former coaches

Food & Dining

Whether you prefer going out for brunch or getting takeout — or simply ordering a variety of desserts — here are some tasty options for Easter, which is coming April 20.

[{"text":"100 Sails Restaurant & Bar","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: Prince Waikīkī, 100 Holomoana St., third floor, Honolulu 

: Choose from the restaurant Easter brunch buffet ($109 per adult, $54.50 for children ages 6 to 10) or the Easter dinner buffet ($107 per adult, $53.50 for children ages 6 to 10), which is available for a few days. On Easter Sunday, feast on dishes like ‘ahi poke, kalua Benedict, snow crab legs, smoked ‘ahi tartlets, glazed ham, deviled Easter eggs, smoked lamb chops, slow-roasted prime rib, porchetta, carrot cupcakes and Prince bread pudding. The Easter dinner buffet includes similar options. 

: Easter brunch buffet (9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., April 20), Easter dinner buffet (5-9:30 p.m., April 17 to 20) 

[{"text":"Hōkūlani Bake Shop","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Ste. 4B, Honolulu 

: Enjoy Easter-themed treats like cupcake decorating kits ($25), cookies ($5 each), four-pack of Easter cupcakes ($22) and decorated brownies ($4). 

: Preorders start April 7; Easter treats are available through April 23 

[{"text":"Orchids","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: Halekūlani, 2199 Kālia Road, Honolulu 

: Orchids’ Easter brunch ($128 per adult, $68 for children ages 5 to 10 years old) includes a variety of seafood, chef specialties and bakery delights. Highlights include deep water snow crab legs, Hawaiian poke, fresh sashimi, assortment of sushi, omelets, prime rib with au jus and creamy horseradish, baked glazed ham, leg of lamb with mint sauce, lobster tail seafood medley, Belgian waffles and Halekulani popovers. Housemade desserts include classic Halekūlani coconut cake, carrot cake, chocolate peanut butter Mont Blanc, bread pudding, assorted macarons and cupcakes, and housemade ice cream with assorted condiments. 

[{"text":"Plumeria Beach House ","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: The Kāhala Hotel & Resort, 5000 Kāhala Ave., Honolulu 

: This all-you-can-eat buffet ($135 per adult, $55 for children ages 6 to 12 years) includes carving stations, fresh seafood, desserts and chef specialties. Highlights include fresh ‘ahi poke, ‘ahi and salmon sashimi, garlic and rosemary rubbed prime rib of beef, Mountain View Farms suckling pick with bao buns, classic eggs Benedict and hollandaise, steamed snow crab, sticky buns, carrot pineapple cake, chocolate devil’s food cake and Kāhala signature bread pudding with crème anglaise. 

[{"text":"Slice by HB Baking","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: Kilohana Square, 1016 Kapahulu Ave., Ste. 150, Honolulu 

: This dessert shop is featuring an assortment of ice cream cupcakes for Easter. It costs $72 per dozen and includes flavors like carrot cake with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and cream cheese frosting, strawberry with strawberry ice cream and whipped cream, lemon with blueberry ice cream and white chocolate mousse, and dairy-free chocolate with coconut ice cream and whipped cream. Sets of a dozen (three each) must be ordered with minimum two days’ advanced notice. 

[{"text":"Stripsteak, A Michael Mina Restaurant","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: International Market Place, 2330 Kalākaua Ave., Ste. 330, Honolulu 

: Enjoy a three-course prix fixe Easter dinner ($129); optional beverage pairing option available (additional $85 per person). The first course includes a choice of ‘Instant’ bacon, burrata, prime beef carpaccio, jumbo lump crab or scallop spaghetti. The second course features your choice of center-cut filet mignon or seared Big Island kampachi. Choose between two desserts: basque-style cheesecake with strawberry and blueberry compote or Kona dark chocolate layer cake. 

[{"text":"The Buffet at Hyatt","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa, 2424 Kalākaua Ave., Honolulu 

: The restaurant’s Easter brunch buffet costs $105 per person (50% off for children ages 6 to 12 years, children ages 5 years and under have free admission). Buffet highlights include a rosemary and Hawaiian salt-crusted prime rib, honey glazed spiral ham, herb grilled lamb sirloin with mint-yogurt sauce, bacon and brie frittata, crab and smashed avocado eggs Benedict, Alaskan snow crab legs, ‘ahi poke and ‘ahi sashimi, made-to-order temaki handrolls and made-to-order omelets. For dessert, enjoy soft serve ice cream, a chocolate fountain with assorted fruits and brownies, Easter chocolates and more. 

: Visit the Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa’s 

[{"text":"Zippy’s","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

: Zippy’s restaurants (various locations) 

: Easter specials include a roast turkey plate served with stuffing, two scoops of rice and corn ($18.15 in Honolulu), along with a turkey and ham combo plate ($17.45 in Honolulu). The latter includes roast turkey covered in gravy and baked ham topped with a cherry raisin sauce. The plate includes two scoops of rice and corn. 

: Available from 8 a.m. April 19 and 20, while supplies last 

Easter part one Zippys 033125

<title>Where to go on Easter 2025: Part 1</title>

Get ready for an ‘eggs’-stravaganza of dining options

Where to go on Easter 2025: Part 1

<title>Michael Brestovansky</title>