Holistic Coaching Leads Broncos Into Division Title Game
By Jack Danilewicz
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Rob Lee began coaching in the Kahaluu-Heeia Broncos Pop Warner Pee Wee program seven years ago, not to win football games, but to make a difference with kids in the community.
These days, there can be little argument that he is doing both.
“To be honest with you, my philosophy was to instill (the idea of) the values of living drug free,” said Lee, who works as the 154th Wing Command Chief of the Hawaii Air National Guard.“There is a drug problem in the community, and this was a way of giving back to the community and sending that message to the kids.”
While Lee and his staff take a holistic approach to coaching - “It’s not about wins or scoring points,” he said - there is still reason to celebrate Kahaluu’s on-field play of late. The Pee Wee team (age 10 to 13) recently completed an 8-0 regular season, outscoring opponents by an average of 35-12, and they’ll meet the Kapolei Titans at 11:30 a.m. Sunday Aloha Stadium for the Division II championship title. On Dec. 6, the Broncos will be in California for what Lee terms “a goodwill game” to take on the Anaheim Rhinos.
Lee attributed the Pee Wees’ success to their cohesiveness as well as a dedicated coaching staff that includes Jordan Morey (defensive coordinator), Jeff Hokano (offensive backs), Darren Oshiro (offensive backs) and line coaches Ron Lebanon and Andy Duran.
“We made a promise to each other as coaches during our first meeting (of 2007) that we would-n’t be out-coached in any games this season,” said Lee, who also praised the work of business managers Regina Berry and Roxanne Morey. “We hold each other to that every week. It’s unique to have the whole staff on board with the same values. We’re a close-knit group.”
For their part, the team has a healthy roster of 34 - its largest in Lee’s tenure.
“We would normally be at about 26, so having a complete roster has made a big difference,” he admitted.“Unlike in past years, we also have depth, and the kids we have are phenomenal, which isn’t to say that the others teams weren’t, but we seem to have found a perfect chemistry. If it were to happen again, I’d be very surprised.”
The Broncos’ chemistry is perhaps never more on display than when on offense. Lee and his staff have installed the double Wing-T offense, which was more commonly used in the 1970s.
“A lot of people we play ask me afterward what we’re running. I tell them they have to ask their dad because that’s when it was being used.”
The double Wing-T has become more popular in recent years on the West Coast and has served the Broncos well, according to Lee, who also mixes in some spread formations.
Kahaluu has modeled its offense after that of longtime Washington High School coach Hugh Wyatt, who learned the scheme from Portland State coach Darrell “Mouse” Davis.
“We email him with our questions, and he’s been very helpful to us,” Lee said. “It’s a precision-type offense that uses a lot of deception.”
The Broncos also have benefited from their commitment to conditioning, in Lee’s view. “We’ve found that when we get into the fourth quarter, we’re in better condition than the other teams. We probably run about 60 percent of our practices.”
The Pee Wee team was not the only one in the program to excel this fall. A year after Kahaluu’s five teams combined for a 5-35 mark, the Broncos’ four current teams are 25-7 in 2007.
“My hats off to the board,” Lee said.
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