Big Turnout For New Coach Johnson

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Kaimuki football coach Darren
Johnson. Photo by Nathalie
Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

If there is indeed strength in numbers, the Kaimuki football team’s recently completed spring practices can only be deemed a roaring success.

Long a program with low turnouts and small rosters, 56 varsity players took part in spring football at Kaimuki in the past two weeks. The Bulldogs wrapped up their workouts last Saturday with the annual Green and Gold game and will now focus on their upcoming summer program and passing league.

Under the Oahu Interscholastic Association guidelines, schools were allotted a two-week period in which they could hold 10 practices. Spring practice took on added meaning this time around, in that head coach Darren Johnson and his staff are entering their first year at the school. Since his appointment in February, the Bulldogs have been active in the weight room and in conditioning.

“Our off-season was vital to us,” Johnson said.“We put the responsibility back on the kids. It’s their program, and they’ve taken ownership of their football team.

“We have some good seniors, who have stepped forward. Overall, leadership has been very good.”

Although in his first spring with the Bulldogs, Johnson has long been a fixture in Island football. Upon returning from the Mainland in the late ‘80s, following stints as both a player and assistant college coach, he was an assistant at Kahuku and later the head coach at Kailua, where he compiled a 58-29-1 record over eight years. His Kailua teams reached the OIA championship game four times during his tenure. In the early ‘80s, Johnson was the quarterback at Kahuku.

“Football is a way of life there,” Johnson said of the Kahuku community, where he grew up. “This is a different neighborhood (football-wise). We’re trying to make the kids here understand that this can be a means of getting to college or a better job. And it all comes down to discipline, which is what we’re trying to instill.”

On that note, Johnson was pleased with his team’s mind-set as it went through spring camp. He and his staff are installing new offensive and defensive schemes. A smooth transition between coaching staffs could go a long way toward the Bulldogs’ on-field success in the fall. Despite dressing between just 26 and 28 players last season, Kaimuki still managed to make it to the DII OIA playoffs, where they lost to Waipahu. With more than half of that Bulldog team expected to be back in the fold this season, Kaimuki will likely be among the favorites in DII.

“We’re pleased (with spring), but we’re not satisfied,” he said. “Attitude has been good, and the kids have been disciplined. We have a great crop out there. We’re hoping they’ll mature throughout the summer, leading up to August.”

Johnson’s staff includes R.T. Thompson (quarterback coach), Warren Johnson (running backs), Marvin Cravens (wide receivers), Daryl Uyeda (offensive line), Fa’alata Satele (offensive line), Pono Leong (wide receivers/equipment manager), Clint Onigama (quarterbacks/academics adviser), Luato Atiga Jr. (defensive line), Matt Faga (defensive line), Saffery Silva (defensive backs), Rob Marsom (linebackers), junior varsity head coach Joseph Genobaga, and defensive coordinator Sola Soliai, who was hired only days before the beginning of spring practice.

“He brings a lot to the table for us,” Johnson said of Soliai, a former Kahuku and Dixie State standout. “He’s definitely a players’ coach. What I like about our defense right now is that I see 11 guys reacting to the football well and playing through mistakes. We’re seeing a lot of progress on both sides of the ball.”