COMMUNITY > Windward > Sports

Coaching Kahaluu-Heeia Broncos Is A Way To Give Back

Del.icio.us

Ask Kahaluu-Heeia Broncos head Pee Wee coach Butch Cambra the score of his latest game, and it may take him a few minutes to come up with an answer.

The final tabulation on Sunday afternoons, not to mention the outcome, are down the list of his priorities.

“I don’t really keep track - these boys are just starting out,” said Cambra, “and that makes it more fun. I never know what boys their age are going to say or do. We try to teach the fundamentals of football and give ‘em a sense of accomplishment. It’s more about building character. If you keep telling them they can, pretty soon they think they can, and it’s a good feeling to see that.”

Cambra knows the quality of high school football played on the Island firsthand, having been on Cal Lee’s coaching staff at Saint Louis in the early ‘90s, but he admits to having more spring to his step when coaching his Junior Pee Wee team, whose members range in age from 8 to 10.

Even if newcomers to football don’t necessarily embrace the game right away, he’s learned that first impressions don’t always ring true in the end when it comes to a football player.

“A lot of them cry, and they don’t want to play at first,” Cambra said. “By the end of the season, they might be your best players, and it’s a great feeling of accomplishment to see that.”

Like many coaches, Cambra stays involved with the Broncos out of a desire to give back to his community. But a family atmosphere is very much a part of the entire Kahaluu organization, which includes teams in five divisions. He was a Bronco once himself in 1964-65, before going on to a prep career at Damien. Cambra’s coach while playing for Kahaluu was Louis Collins, whose great-grandson Kainalu Martin is on the current Kahaluu Junior Pee Wee team.

Cambra’s brother Nick was Kahaluu’s president at one time before current president April Fong. Kalaheo head boys basketball coach Chico Furtado can also be counted among former players giving back to the Kahaluu program through coaching. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator on Cambra’s Junior Pee Wee staff.

The Broncos’ proud tradition is perhaps best displayed on game day, when a steady stream of former players shows up to support the current team.

“A lot of the boys come back after the game and talk to the current team, and that helps build up their morale, too. It means a lot to these little guys.”

Kahaluu’s long list of distinguished football alums includes several current standouts at Castle - Jaysen Ferreira, Kaui Torres, Joshua Kong and Shaydon Kehano, among others. Kehano was the OIA Offensive Player of the Year at Castle as a junior in 2008 and was an All-Conference selection by the league coaches on the defensive side of the ball as well.

“He was a kid that led by what he did and not by what he said,” Cambra said. “He was real coachable - not a glory seeker in any way. He was one of our captains then.”

Cambra said that getting used to the conditioning and equipment are two key issues facing newcomers to football. Conditioning cuts down on injuries, and so it is a necessary part of preparing for the games.

“Football is a different kind of a sport for them when they come out,” he explained. “They mostly have soccer (at that age). We try to do 10 hours of conditioning without pads and then maybe 10 hours of conditioning with pads (to ease them into the routine).

Safety is a main concern. We’ve been really, really lucky that we haven’t had many injuries, and after the kids get used to running, they begin to love practice.”

Game day is the favorite day of the week for every Pop Warner player, of course. In their next game, Kahaluu’s Junior Pee Wees host Makaha at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Kahaluu District Park.

At the younger levels, a bit of game-day jitters aren’t uncommon, according to Cambra. “You’re not out there with them when they’re playing the game,” he pointed out. And game-day anxiety isn’t restricted to just the kids. Cambra always makes sure he has extra uniforms and equipment on hand.

“Kids are excited on game day - they forget their shoes, their socks, they always forget something,” he said. “I always carry a few extras.”