Mika Li’ili’i The Brains Behind Aiea’s Football Muscle

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Aiea defensive coordinator Mika Li’ili’i. Photo by Leah Ball, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Sometimes where you are is where you belong.

As a high-profile assistant on Wendell Say’s football staff at Aiea, a head coaching job at another school would seem a natural progression for Mika Li’ili’i. But while his resume is impressive, it’s not in circulation.

“A lot of my friends say I should be in a head(-coaching) job, but there’s too much other stuff,” said Li’ili’i, who is Aiea’s defensive coordinator. “I just like the football aspect of it. To coach with Wendell is great. He’s a good man.”

Li’ili’i's alliance with Say, who begins his 30th season as Aiea’s head coach in late July, goes back to the younger man’s elementary school days growing up in Halawa.

“I was supposed to go there and play for Aiea, but I had to stay with an uncle for awhile and live in Kaneohe, so I played at Castle,” he explained. “I wanted to play at Aiea, but things happen.”

Say re-entered Li’ili’i's path shortly after the latter had finished up his career at UH, asking him to help coach Na Ali’i. He admits he didn’t enter coaching with both feet hitting the runway at the same time. Events forced his hand in that regard.

“I kind of got addicted - it’s been 12 years now,” laughed Li’ili’i, who spent three years as Aiea’s linebacker coach and the last nine as defensive coordinator.

While well-spoken, Li’ili’i may be more of a technician when it comes to coaching. Although extremely family-oriented, he loves the work of preparing for an upcoming opponent, spending the majority of his weekend reviewing film of Aiea and footage of the upcoming week’s opponent and preparing a game plan.

“My weekends are pretty much about watching video all day.

You spend a lot of time away from your family.

My wife (Heather) is real supportive because coaching high school takes a lot of time. I grew up in housing in Halawa, and football has always kept me out of trouble. It’s still keeping me out of trouble.”

For his part, Li’ili’i always has been a student of the game, which is necessary given the ever-changing state of football, he believes. “Wherever the clinics are, Wendell always encourages us to go,“said Li’ili’i, who is a corrections officer. “I like to stay close to the game, and the game has changed a lot.”

Most notably,spread offenses have taken root in the college and high school game, requiring that defensive players perform in space more often than when facing the power running games of the pro set.

Li’ili’i has installed a 4-3 defense that offers many options. While he studies every trait of the opponent, he still favors a defense that reacts more than it thinks.

“I try to get as deep as I can as far as knowing the opponent, but I keep it simple for the kids - less thinking (for them).”

Na Ali’i recently finished up spring practice and are currently going through summer workouts in preparation for the July 28 official starting date. While prep teams cannot don full equipment until the fourth day of fall camp, they can condition, weight train and implement their schemes.

Aiea, which finished 5-4 last season, including wins in five of the last six weeks of it, will have a more experienced team on the field this fall, with several returning starters on both sides of the ball.

“I feel much better about this year,“he said.“We lacked a lot of things last year, and that hurt us. We have a lot of young guys who are athletic, and that will help us.”