GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kalani junior varsity players Aaron Nishimura and Sharoon Joseph drilled during practice yesterday, the first day most high schools held official practices. The Falcons have historically enjoyed healthy numbers on the JV level, but haven't had good turnouts for their varsity teams.
Back to work
Kalani is among high school
teams holding their first
practices yesterday
Except for watching some game film in preparation for this season, Kalani High School football coach Greg Taguchi isn't much for replaying the past.
Ask where the Falcons' current losing streak stands, and he shrugs matter-of-factly.
"I'm not much of a stat guy," Taguchi said with a smile. "I don't know."
For the record, the streak is at 18, although the Falcons were much-improved last year despite a second consecutive winless season.
But casual observers of the program would be wise not to mistakenly blame Kalani's lack of a better won-lost record for a lack of commitment. The Falcons opened fall camp yesterday in full stride, beginning with sprints at 6:30 a.m. in full view of early-morning commuters on Kalanianaole Highway.
Indeed, by the time the average Kalani student reached campus for the first day of school, members of the Falcon football team had already held their first practice of the season (they would have another practice in the afternoon), showered and finished breakfast.
Said Taguchi, "They were the first people at the school."
Except for Taguchi himself, of course.
"I should be first here and last to leave," said Taguchi, whose team opens its regular season against Kapolei on Aug. 29.
Yesterday was the first day of official practice for most of Hawaii's high school football teams.
At a glance, while Taguchi's task of building the Kalani football program would seem formidable, he is also, from all indications, ideally suited to the program. A former player at Kalani under Walter Ishikawa in the mid-1980s, Taguchi returned to coach at the school as an assistant in 1988.
"In my four years here (as a player), I think we won only one game -- that was the varsity in my freshman year," Taguchi said. "I think one reason we've struggled over the years is a lack of participants and a lack of interest in the sport in the community. I suppose we have kids (from Pop Warner programs in the community) who end up going to private schools, so we lose some kids there, but I don't think that's an excuse."
Taguchi was Kalani's head coach from 1994 to '98, guiding them to a 3-3 campaign in 1997, which equaled the school's best win total in the last decade. And in 2000 and 2001, he was an assistant to Ron Dement before taking last year off. His current staff includes Jason Tanaka, Shannon Hirai, Scott Melemai, Adam Treinen-Aea, Cyril Pires, Jarrett Hew, Robert Kratzke and Ishikawa.
"I've always believed we could be successful," he continued. "If you have the right attitude, the right type of kids coming out, and they believe in the system, you can be successful. I'm happy to accept the challenge. I wouldn't trade the lessons I learned from football -- win or lose -- for anything. And I wouldn't trade my years playing here -- even though we didn't win (much)."
Success, Taguchi is quick to point out, can be measured by more than wins and losses.
"It's all about commitment, attitude and character," he added. "Can you persevere? Are you a good person? Are you a respected member of the community? Those are character traits that will carry you through life. It's gratifying to see kids become better people. The small victories are very important.
"My challenge to a lot of the kids is, 'Hey, step up and make a difference here,' " he continued. "The people who play here have had to hear negative comments. You can be one of those guys who believes in himself and what he's doing and make a difference, or you can be one of those guys who just stands on the sidelines making comments."
A lot of Kalani's struggles on the field have come as a result of its small rosters -- small in number and small in size. Twenty-five Falcons are taking part in this preseason, led by a trio of seniors in linebacker Hoang Nguyen and linemen Jason Deguzman and Shane Pfieffers.
"We still lack numbers on the varsity, although we have sufficient numbers on the JV, but I'm very proud of them," Taguchi said. "In the offseason, I've been real pleased with the people who have come out. The commitment from the kids is something I haven't seen before, so maybe they've decided they want to make a difference, and these are the things they have to do to make a difference."
Taguchi has also avoided the temptation to bring up several members of a 34-member junior varsity team, hoping to benefit more later by keeping the group intact.
"The turnout from the underclassmen has been really good this year," he said. "We tend to lose a lot in the transition from JV to varsity. I don't know the reason, but it's something we have to work on -- to make sure those who come out freshman year stick it out all four years. If that happens, the program can grow in participants."
For the present, Taguchi says the Falcons made progress during spring practice and in their 7-on-7 summer passing league, where they competed against Castle, McKinley and Farrington, among others.
"A lot of positives came out of the summer," he says. "We've grown as individuals, and we've grown as a team because of the sacrifices the kids have made. I'm very proud of them and optimistic about the season. I don't think I'm back to rebuild anything. I'm just back to share what I know about the game and how the game can help you as a person."
High school football non-league games around the state start Aug. 22.
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