Castle Coach Maeda: Football, Up Close And Personal

Wednesday - July 26, 2006
By Jack Danilewicz
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Coming off of an undefeated regular season (and OIA Red East title) in 2005 as well as their first win over Kahuku in 17 years, the Castle football team takes on a full head of steam into the 2006 season. Knights coach Nelson Maeda recently took time from his busy schedule to answer MidWeek questions. The Knights begin fall camp Monday.

Who had the biggest impact on you in your life?

“It would have to be my parents. Both were very supportive and positive in all endeavors I pursued,from athletics to academics, to my social development, to the paths I chose to walk. My late wife was the steadying force in the family, taking care of the needs and demands of my young children. I had the good fortune to cross paths with coaches, teachers and people who took the time to provide me with guidance and support.”


Of all the things one can do with his time, what influenced you to take on the responsibilities of running a varsity program, first at Kailua in the early ‘80s and for the past 10 years at Castle?

“The opportunity at Kailua sort of fell into my lap by surprise. Student-teaching at the school and not knowing any better at the tender age of 21, I accepted the challenge of coaching young men and running a program in one of the most visible high school sports. In retrospect, I would not recommend that to any aspiring coach ... I accepted not fully knowing what it encompassed. The passion for the game (at Castle) and the opportunity to help positively mold young men prompted me to accept the responsibility of building upon the foundation that my predecessors Mark Kane and Pat Silva had built.”

Who would you consider your ‘mentor’ in terms of how you run your football program?

“My mentors are many. I was fortunate in being able to work with some of the finest coaches around. My high school coach, the late Joe Kahahawai, made playing the game fun. The late Harry Murai, who coached me in basketball, track and football, was a man who gave and gave and gave. I still think of him to this day. Dick Tomey was a great motivator ... George Makini of Saint Louis exposed me to the KISS acronym (Keep It Simple, Stupid) ...Mark Kane of Castle let me develop as a coach in delegating responsibilities. He is a true leader of people. Blaine Gaison at Kamehameha led by example. He ‘talked the talk’ and ‘walked the walk.’ Besides being UH teammates, I have a lot of respect for Blaine as a coach, athlete, administrator and most importantly, a person.”

Your assistant coaches have remained largely intact since you took the Castle job. How have you been able to retain your staff?

“I’ve been fortunate in being able to assemble a staff who have a great passion for the game and are willing to make personal sacrifices to put the time in our year-round program and are willing to make a commitment to excellence. We communicate well and have a great deal of respect for each other. It’s not always about X’s & O’s or how much they know. I believe loyalty to the program and to each other comes first. I always say, it’s never about “Who made that call?“because the answer will always be,“It was a staff call!“The staff takes great pride and takes ownership in who we are and what they do. The credit will always go to the kids first and the staff second. The shortcomings of our program will always start and end with me.”

Although one cannot openly recruit at the high school level, you are still free to sell your program to the community in an effort to attract kids. What are the benefits of playing football at Castle?

“I believe our football program offers many benefits to a teenager willing to work hard and make a commitment to excellence. We hope to mold them into young men with the right ideals and values to give them a foundation in which to build upon in their journey of life. Many experiences are difficult to duplicate in a classroom setting, which makes their football experience even more valuable.We always impress upon them that football, and especially our program, is not for everyone. But those who stick it out will leave much better people than when they came in.”

A trademark of Castle football has been solid defensive play, particularly at the linebacker position. What do you attribute this to?

“First and foremost, we’ve been fortunate to have some great kids come through our program who were athletic and coachable. Second, we have a great position coach in Harry Paaga. Players, for the most part,are a reflection or mirror image of their coach on the field. In other words, their play reflects their coaching. Harry has had a plethora of All-Star LBs over the 10 years in our Black Knights program including Joe McKeague, Elde Agcaoli, Antone Watanabe, Cory Daniel, Blaze Soares, Keoni Gomes and, presently, Corey Paredes.”

As you enter your 10th season at Castle, have you changed your approach in how you go about things?

“One thing sticks out in my mind as I reflect back over the nine previous seasons and also the two at Kailua is that no player or coach is too important to be successful.You never compromise your principles for the sake of winning, as it is never the bottom line. The wins and losses will take care of themselves, and the proper balance will be achieved. Everyone is replaceable. We have a slogan this year which we strongly believe in:“Old School.“Discipline gives you a chance to win games. Everything focuses around the “team” concept. No earrings, long hair, gloves, dyed hair - no individuals! We want players who don’t care about personal glory, but will sacrifice all for the team. The bar is set, and it’s always ‘One Way or the Highway.’”


Who on the Castle roster will have a big impact in 2006?

“Besides Corey Paredes and Scott Keiter-Charles, whom fans are familiar with, QB Bryson Ukauka has the potential to have a break-out season. He did a great job of filling in for last year’s East Division Offensive MVP Bryce Kalauokaaea when the need arose. RB/DE Andrew Fakatoka also has the potential to be one of the premier backs in the state.At 5-foot-10, 230, running a 4.7 40 time, he combines size, speed and strength. We have several two-way players who will have significant impact on how well we do: DB/SB Seth Estioko, DB/SB Kaleo Silva, RB/LB Damian Spotkaeff, SB/DB Jesse Humalon who we welcome back after missing last year due to injury, lineman Solomon Koelher, and we await the return of QB/DB/WR Thomas Ilae.”

How has the game changed since you played at University of Hawaii and Kailua High School? What’s the biggest difference between then and now?

“The most obvious difference between caveman days and today is the size of the linemen ... players are bigger, faster, stronger than before. Training methodology has improved where one’s potential is maximized. Coaching at the high school level has gotten much better with knowledge working its way down from the collegiate ranks. The off-season program and the quality of it makes the difference.”

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