Meet Hilo High football’s new boss – he’s the same as the old boss.
Kaeo Drummondo oversaw a strength and conditioning session Wednesday afternoon as if he’d never stepped down as the architect of the Vikings’ BIIF dynasty.
Citing family considerations and an opportunity for his daughter to attend Kamehameha, Drummondo turned down a chance to be an assistant at Santa Rosa Junior College, and he’s moving full speed ahead toward his fourth season as Hilo’s coach.
“We have a young team returning and a ton of work to do,” he said. “I’m excited about and looking forward to the challenge of developing the next group of Vikings.”
His first three seasons as the Vikings’ head man resulted in three BIIF Division I championships and the crowning achievement, an HHSAA crown, the first of its kind for a Big Island team.
“If I can relay anything to the players it would be to get in the weight room ASAP and join us for workouts,” he said.
Drummondo, a 32-year-old police officer and the father of four, resigned in mid-March after receiving an offer to coach at his alma mater in Northern California, though he never formally accepted the position. Drummondo told the Tribune-Herald he stepped down to avoid becoming a distraction to Hilo High as his family mulled uprooting and moving to the mainland.
Matters changed March 31 when his daughter was accepted into Kamehameha.
“We discussed the situation as a family and went back and forth for about a week in a half,” Drummondo said. “At the end of the day, we reached the conclusion that it’s best for us to remain and allow my daughter to attend Kamehameha.”
Hilo was set to be one of three league schools to debut a coach next season, but instead it will be Drummondo who leads the task of trying to retool the five-time Division I defending champion Vikings, who will lose 10 of their 13 all-BIIF selections – including Offensive Player of the Year Kahale Huddleston and DPOY Kuresa Toledo – to graduation.
Drummondo already is looking ahead to an Aug. 4 preseason test on Oahu against Campbell of the OIA.
“This might possibly be the most physical team we’ve played since Saint Louis two seasons ago,” he said, “so we have to waste no time in preparing.”
