COMMUNITY > East > Sports

Coach Johnson Delighted With Bulldogs’ Talent, Experience

Del.icio.us

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

As a quarterback at Kahuku in the 1980s and later as the head coach at Kailua, Darren Johnson grew accustomed to trying to meet high expectations.

Little has changed now that he is the new head football coach at Kaimuki. With more than half of the Bulldogs’ 2006 team in the fold for the coming season, Kaimuki will likely find itself among the favorites in Division II, having been the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference runner-up to Waipahu last November.

That would be just fine with Johnson, whose Kailua teams made the OIA title game in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He’s used to being in the mix.

“I’m definitely excited - it’s another challenge, and challenges always make you better,” said Johnson, who succeeds Daniel Mafua, who resigned after three seasons to spend more time with his family.“Based on what we’ve seen, we have a lot of potential.

“We need to get stronger and condition better, but the kids are working real hard. They’re taking pride in the program. It’s our job as coaches to help them become the leaders.”

As at Kailua, Johnson takes a holistic approach. He works as a counselor advocate for Hale Kipa Inc. in addition to his job with the state Department of Public Safety.

“Everywhere you coach, the kids are unique in their own way,” he said. “They’re all looking for some direction, so we’re trying to instill discipline within them. We want to help get them off to college and create opportunities in their lives.”

Johnson credited a number of coaches as having influenced him to follow their lead when his own playing days were finished. His father, Warren Sr., was one of his first coaches when he played Koolau Pop Warner. In college, he also played for (former Notre Dame coach) Gerry Faust at Akron and spent time working as an assistant coach with (Phoenix, Ariz.) Horizon High School’s Steve Casey and current University of Hawaii defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold during their stints at Arizona Western and Rocky Mountain College, respectively.

“I learned a lot about working with kids and running a program from Jeff,” said Johnson, who was 58-29-1 in eight seasons at Kailua. “Steve is one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever been around.”

Johnson’s assistant coaching staff at Kaimuki 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 (quarter-backs/academics adviser), Luato Atiga Jr. (defensive line), Matt Faga (defensive line), Kanoa Yamauchi (defensive coordinator), Saffery Silva (defensive backs), Rob Marsom (line-backers) and junior varsity head coach Joseph Genobaga.

“We have a lot of playing and coaching experience on the staff, which we’re excited about.”

The Bulldogs will hold spring practice the last two weeks of May, culminating in a scrimmage open to the public. Under OIA guidelines, Kaimuki has a 14-day period in which to hold 10 practices. Priorities for the Bulldogs next month include “making sure the kids understand the basics,” according to Johnson, and installing both their base offensive and defensive systems.

While coach at Kailua, Johnson’s teams always ran multiple offensive sets and favored an attack equally divided between the run and the pass. Although he was heavily involved in the play-calling as the head coach at Kailua, Johnson was unsure about his level of involvement with the Kaimuki offense.

“I haven’t made a commitment (to play-calling either way),” he said. “I have a real good offensive staff.”

According to Johnson, approximately 50 varsity players (including 15 returnees) have been taking part in Kaimuki’s off-season conditioning program and figure to suit up in the spring.

Among the players preparing for the coming spring are a handful from the basketball team which won the state championship in late February. At Kailua, Johnson always encouraged student-athletes to take up more than one sport.

“The winning attitude they bring is great,” Johnson said. “From what I see, we’re real balanced - we have some nice line-men back, and we have some very good, skilled people. There are a lot of good kids in the area - tough kids - and the foundation has already been set here by the previous coaches. It’s not like we walked into a situation where there was nothing.

“The program is headed in the right direction, and we just have to continue with that.”

Contact Jack Danilewicz at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)