PAUL HONDA / PHONDA@STARBULLETIN.COM Byron Beatty chose to step away from coaching Kahuku's defensive unit and now watches his son B.J. from the bleachers.

All grown up

B.J. Beatty has blossomed into a fierce defensive end for OIA champion Kahuku

CHANGE is inevitable, even in a place where time seems to stand still.

The boy with the long red hair is almost a man now. B.J. Beatty sees the repetition.

A 6-foot-2, 220-pound college prospect, Beatty's presence on the sidelines of his brother Bronson's Pop Warner game does not go unnoticed. Koolauloa may be one of the island's powerhouse programs, but as is the case with all large teams, not everyone gets to break a sweat.

Beatty could easily find other things to do on a Saturday morning than go to Pop Warner games. But he watches the Koolauloa bench. There are kids who want to play more. Beatty goes back in time.

"Back in Pop Warner, Joe Faifili, Mana Lolotai, Kamuela Alisa, we were the bench guys at Koolauloa. We'd play five plays each half, sit the rest of the game," Beatty recalled. "We were really young. We'd go in when the score was 60-0."

Things certainly have changed.

Today, Beatty, Faifili and Alisa are standouts for the top-ranked Kahuku Red Raiders, who face Punahou for the Division I state championship on Friday. Lolotai became a standout linebacker at Kamehameha, which won the state crown last season.

The simplicity of youth sports isn't lost on Beatty. The senior is coveted by Hawaii, Utah and New Mexico State, which have offered him scholarships. Boise State, Oregon State and UNLV have offered trips for official visits.

In the past year, however, the reality of moving ever closer to the more serious side of football has been unavoidable. At the end of last season, defensive coordinator Byron Beatty, his father, resigned from the position. His defensive coaches managed to talk him out of stepping down, but eventually, the elder Beatty cut the cord. Kahuku's longtime DC has watched from the bleachers since.

"When he told me before this season, I wasn't really surprised," B.J. said. "But the feeling I have is that he left before we have another chance to win a state championship. I was gonna attempt to try and talk him out of it, but I knew his heart was set on it."

For a returning defense that was arguably the most talented in the state, adjusting without their longtime coordinator wasn't easy.

"There was a different feel on defense. Our first couple of weeks without him felt kinda weird. Our work ethic wasn't the same," B.J. said.

"We got the defense together after the first couple weeks. We were kinda lazy. I got together with the defense and told 'em we need to act the way we did when my dad was around, with nobody fooling around," he added. "I don't think we'd be where we are right now if we hadn't gotten our act together."

PAUL HONDA / PHONDA@STARBULLETIN.COM B.J. Beatty, right, tried to get around 6-foot-6, 330-pound sophomore tackle Patrick Au during practice at the Red Raiders field.

Kahuku is 11-1 going into the state title game and has been ranked No. 1 in the last five Star-Bulletin Top 10 polls. The Red Raiders are a classic, old-school team built on defense and a potent running game.

"We tease the offense. We're their big brother. We take pride in working harder than they do, putting more on the line than they do," Beatty said. "Our defensive coaches want us to build momentum, hitting, getting to the ball."

Getting to the ball isn't just a phrase.

In their last six games, the Red Raiders have a turnover edge of 30-3. Junior defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu (6-1, 250) has been such a force inside, opponents fail to control the interior. Tuipulotu recorded five sacks in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship game win over Aiea.

Those kind of numbers help Kahuku forget the tension that existed in recent years between ex-coordinator Beatty and head coach Siuaki Livai. If it had been a matter of simple Xs and Os, Beatty might still be the DC. In this case, it was a matter of addition by subtraction for two strong-willed individuals when Beatty stepped aside.

For B.J., being the son of the ex-DC hasn't been a problem. His performance on the field and focus in practice remain stellar.

That doesn't mean things were smooth.

"It was sour between me and him," B.J. said of his head coach. "Last year, I didn't get special treatment. He treated me the same as anyone. This year, we had an episode earlier. Since then, we don't really come in contact with each other that much."

As a measure of maturity, the coach and player have let the past stay in the past. For B.J., it has been a lesson in humility, surrendering personal feelings for the sake of the team's goal. His relationship with the defensive coaches has never changed.

"They're real close with my dad," he said. "They still coach the same as before."

B.J. WAS A sophomore starter in 2003, the last time Kahuku won a state title.

"I was still learning, trying to take it all in," he said. "The last time Kahuku (had been) in a state tournament (2001), I was in the stands. I had to step back and relax."

Time has given him a chance to grow.

"Now I'm more mature, and it's a lot easier. I'm not tensed up like I used to be. That experience helped me with the future," he said. "Before we go down to the field, I see it in some of our guys. I remind them, 'This might be your night. Your number might be called.' "

Veteran D-line coach Fatu Fiso is the one who calls those numbers.

"He's pretty interesting. He's one of those high-energy guys who gets you going before a game. Right before we get out through the tunnel, he'll tell the big guys about Chris Kemoeatu's days, yelling, screaming, slamming the wall, getting to that level of intensity," B.J. said.

Low key off the field, Beatty is a typical Red Raider. Game time is when the warrior within comes out.

"If a game's not going the way we want, the defensive captains get everyone together and we talk. If the offense isn't scoring, we'll tell them the defense will do it," he said.

During the winter, Beatty's passion is soccer. What futbol coach wouldn't want an athletic, tough 6-2 goalie? The rest of the time, he prepares for football. He can't escape it.

BYRON BEATTY WAS A standout at Kahuku before moving on to Brigham Young, where he was a linebacker.

"We both have the love for football. We both played defense. He enjoyed pounding on guys, and I enjoy that, too," B.J. said.

"My grandma (Laverne Beatty) tells me about his old days at Pop Warner, and the name I have to live up to. She'd bring out the old newspaper clippings," B.J. said. "I used to be like, 'Ooh, that's what I gotta live up to? I'll try and live up to it.' "

His uncle, Chris Naeole, plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. They live down the road from each other in Kaaawa.

"I like seeing him play, I like calling him up and rubbing it in. Me and him kinda go at it when he comes home," B.J. said of his 330-pound uncle. "I tell him, 'You wanna go out in the yard?' He takes it easy on me."

B.J.'s mother, Abigail, was into track and cheerleading back in the day, meeting Byron in high school. B.J. was the first of four children for the high-school sweethearts. Aubrey, 13, plays soccer. Bryce, 5, is the baby. Bronson, 11, plays basketball and football.

For B.J., it wasn't easy being a red-haired kid, the only one for miles.

"My mom's mom has red hair. It's a distinction. I always used to get teased about it," he recalled. "But going through elementary school, it didn't really affect me after that."

The numbers for Beatty have an effect on recruiters: a 4.78 time in the 40 at the Nike Camp in Stanford, Calif., 17 reps at 185 pounds in the bench press, and a maximum squat of 550.

But when he goes to Bronson's game at Koolauloa, B.J. forgets the numbers. He walks over to the sidelines, that once-familiar place, and goes face to face with kids.

"I tell them, 'Don't put your head down. That's exactly where I was standing.' "