It was only two seasons ago that Honokaa had to forfeit a playoff game — capping its first winless season of BIIF football — because the Dragons didn’t have enough players.
It was only two seasons ago that Honokaa had to forfeit a playoff game — capping its first winless season of BIIF football — because the Dragons didn’t have enough players.
There even were whispers of Honokaa having to go the eight-man route to sustain its program.
This preseason, Honokaa had a different problem altogether. Coach Hana Hanohano was afraid he was going to have to start cutting players because of a large turnout.
“We were running out of equipment, we were running out of helmets,” Hanohano said. “I had to ask the AD to order more helmets.”
Entering his second year on the job after taking over for Bobby Embernate, Hanohano has raised the enthusiasm level and created a good problem to have.
“Just a different type of coaching,” senior Trueston Andrade said. “Bobby was really tough on the kids. Hana knows how to get through to them.”
And he’s gotten through to them in the classroom, too.
Hanohano is most proud of the fact that his varsity team was unaffected by academic probation. All 47 players will make the trip to Keaau on Thursday night for the season-opener.
“Really, what it is, is everyone will have an opportunity to play,” Hanohano said. “A lot of parents and the community know that I’m all about academics. That’s my No. 1 priority.”
With 90-plus players in the fold, Honokaa is fielding a junior varsity team for the first time in years, and fewer varsity players will be tasked with having to play offense and defense.
“The returnees have been (recruiting) new people in,” senior Riley Rechiro said. “We’ve been preparing and working all summer.”
While Honokaa’s roster size is formidable, much of it is raw.
Hanohano, who also is taking over the track and field program, said he recruited many of his new players from the weight room, but his next step is to raise the experience level by growing the pipeline with Pop Warner football.
Fred Lau used a similar approach in 2009, coaching Honokaa to a BIIF Division I title.
“That was Pop Warner talent,” Hanohano said. “They came off Hamakua (Cougars) and Waimea (Cowboys).
“We want to have a close bond with Pop Warner. To try to have the Pop Warner kids already start to run somewhat of our system. So when they reach JV and varsity, they know are system.”
More than just the roster has expanded at Honokaa.
At a recent practice, Hanohano was able to take a hands-off approach thanks to a 12-member coaching staff. Former NFL player Mana Silva, a University of Hawaii graduate, works with the defensive backs, while Kaluka Maiava, another NFL alum, has come in to work with the linebackers.
“We should never have a player who comes off the field and isn’t coached up,” Hanohano said. “Like I told the boys, these coaches that I have here were the (kind of) coaches that helped Mana and Kaluka get to the next level.”
While Hanohano wants to ship kids onto the football field, he’d eventually like to see them ship off the island.
Andrade has aspirations to play in college, and he has to look no further than 2014 graduate Kamaehu Richards for inspiration. Richards is playing at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., but he keeps close tabs on his former teammates to make sure they’re staying on the straight and narrow.
“Luckily, Kama is scolding them for me,” said Hanohano, who also points to Josh Perry as a role model. Perry, Hanohano said, was making all the wrong decisions, but he righted himself and signed with Lindenwood University in Missouri to play rugby.
“I want them to experience something new,” Hanohano said. “Nothing changes here. Go experience something, come back and teach me some new stuff.”