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Say Considers Aiea’s Offensive Coordinator ‘A Blessing’

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Former Aiea High coach Amosa Amosa gives a pep talk at Campbell, where he’s now head football coach. Aiea’s Wendall Say is excited about his new crop of coaches for 2008. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

If Wendell Say were to hand out MVP honors after the first week of practice, he’d probably go with first-year Na Ali’i offensive coordinator Jeff Matsuzaki.

A longtime offensive coordinator under Cal Lee and Delbert Tengan at Saint Louis School, Matsuzaki has proven to be a great fit for Aiea High,which lost last year’s coordinator Amosa Amosa in the winter, when he accepted the head job at Campbell.

“I call it a divine blessing,“Say said of his hiring of Matsuzaki.“We didn’t make the playoffs last year, so I had time go and watch a lot of the games, and it seemed like Jeff and (fellow former Saint Louis assistant) Leonard (Lau) were always right there. We’d always talk football. Having sat with him at all of those games, I kept his name in my head when I found out Amosa would be leaving. He also convinced the other guys to come out and help, so it was like a bonus.”

Indeed, just as the sophomore-dominated team will be loaded with new personnel on the field this season, their offensive coaching staff has a far different look this August as well. In all, eight new offensive coaches - Reid Hasegawa (wide receivers), Bobby George (quarterbacks), Kanale George (wide receivers), Jon Naipo (offensive linemen), Tom Heffernan (offensive line),Ken Powell (JV offensive coordinator) and Lau (slot backs) - joined Say’s staff during the off-season.All coached at Saint Louis, and several played at the school under Lee as well. Holdovers Sanoe Kalahiki, Buddy Silva and Al Distajo fill out the offensive side.

“It’s been a real smooth transition,” Say said. “Everything was in place here, and the (run-and-shoot) offense is very similar to what they ran at Saint Louis under Cal Lee. Most of these guys were there for over 10 years, and some for as many as 20. Watching them every day, it’s easy to see why Saint Louis was so successful.

“They’re always out to practice with a plan - there’s no wasting time,” added Say, whose team was 4-4 last season in Division I, “and they’re on the same page in almost everything they do. The kids really like them. They’re good teachers and good coaches.We’re seeing a lot of improvement with our kids, although they’re young skill(position)-wise.”

One of the new staff’s priorities will be settling on a quarterback to replace last year’s starter, Keenan Naeole, who completed his eligibility. Sophomores Kaau Kuia and Freddy Taliulu have been locked in a battle since summer and are vying to be the starter when Aiea visits Pearl City Aug.15 for its pubic unveiling.

“They’re both good kids,very teachable,“Say said.“If we had to play a game now, probably it would be Kaau because he has more experience.”

Ironically, Taliulu was the starting center last year for the Aiea JV before deciding to give quarterback a try. His cousin Tausili was an allstate defensive back and a quarterback at Aiea in the ‘80s,while another cousin, Freddy Nasau, and Freddy’s father, Lai, also played for Say at Aiea.

“He has a real strong arm,” Say said of Taliulu. “It’s now a matter of him learning the position. He’s shown a lot of improvement since day one. Kaau has all the tools. He just needs to learn the finer points.

“We’re not where we need to be yet, but we’re getting there. Talking with Jeff, he’s very comfortable playing both. They’re pretty even. They each have their strengths.”

Aiea has used a two-quarterback system in the past, most recently in 2006,when Naeole and Alfredo Higa split playing time.

Na Ali’i also are trying to bring along their receiving corps after losing a number of veterans to graduation in the spring. As elsewhere on the team, the unit figures to be heavy with sophomores.

“Skilled players are always hard to replace, but the young kids have been picking it up,” said Say. “Our coaches are just trying to make sure the kids understand the concepts right now, and then the rest will fall into place.”

Aiea, which will compete in Division II this year, opens its regular season Aug. 23 at Radford.