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It’s still
Tanuvasa’s time
Pearl City keeps its football
program in the family after
the death of its head coach
The world of football, especially in the trenches, is unforgiving, even brutal.
The universe of a teenager can be far more stifling, even if the strain is far more mental than physical.
Chris Maake faced plenty of pressure situations on a Pearl City squad making a run for the playoffs. After years of downslide, the Chargers were rejuvenated in recent seasons under a new coach.
Maake, a sophomore, started on the Pearl City offensive line. Being talented and being ready, though, are two different aspects. A youngster on a senior-heavy squad, Maake could easily have become isolated.
Instead, he flourished.
"I don't have a father, so Coach taught me a lot, about being a man. How to respect your elders," Maake said.
Pearl City reached the playoffs, capping its finest season after a long dry spell. The offseason arrived, and Maake relaxed at home one evening, enjoying the NCAA basketball tournament on TV.
"Afterward, I was watching the news and they said, 'Pearl City's football coach passed away.' I thought it was a mistake," Maake said.
Onosai Tanuvasa Jr. died in San Diego. Tanuvasa, helping his family make arrangements for the funeral of one of his brothers, suffered from cancer. His kidney gave out before he even boarded the plane from Honolulu International Airport.
"We're just going to play. Everything this season is for him," Maake said.
Onosai Tanuvasa was 52 years old.
WATSON TANUVASA WAS barely out of diapers when older brother Onosai made a name for himself as a running back at Farrington High School. Ten years younger, Watson took to the game of football as naturally as Onosai.
"We played a lot on the streets at Kam IV housing," Watson recalled. "There were a lot of us who loved to play, like the Nogas."
At 42, Watson Tanuvasa is where he has always been meant to be, even in the face of tragedy.
"We got our discipline from our father (Onosai Sr.). His standards were far ahead of his time," Watson said. "We've continued what he started."
The family lived in Salt Lake for a time before moving back to Kalihi. Watson became a player of the year at Moanalua. And when his playing days were done, so was his connection to the game -- until last year, when he became a linebackers coach at Pearl City.
Managing the Nimitz location of City Mill certainly placed constraints on his time, but Watson was content.
Then, Onosai passed away. The Pearl City staff, so dependent on its visionary and leader, was paralyzed with heartbreak and surprise. But, slowly, they gathered their composure.
After a week, the staff moved forward, and spring ball ensued.
"We had a meeting on April 12. We just kept going on," Watson said.
By May, the athletic department named Watson Tanuvasa as the Chargers head coach. The relationships of a veteran staff made the transition easier.
"The kids asked, 'Are you gonna be like your brother?' I thought about halftime against Mililani," Watson said. "We were losing and he went crazy. His heart was in it, and he had to shock them into fighting back. We lost that game, but they never gave up. They kept fighting."
FOR SHANE TANUVSA, "coaching" and "dad" are words joined at the hip. After high school -- with the exception of his college years on the mainland -- Shane spent every football season coaching with Onosai.
"My uncle reminds me a lot of my dad," Shane said.
The similarities have a bittersweet taste for the 29-year-old offensive coordinator.
"We're still trying to cope with it. It's hard, but we're a tightknit family."
In Onosai's three years at the helm, leadership became a matter of trust from the top, down.
"My dad didn't micromanage. He entrusted the offense and defense to these coaches," Shane said. "He was the motivator. He got the kids going."
He also got his coaches going. "I always thought, 'I'd never coach without my dad,' " Shane recalled. "But with my uncle, it's easy."
The sudden loss was especially painful for the younger children: Michael, a recent Pearl City graduate, and Karly, 14. Though Onosai's health had been declining, it wasn't obvious.
Karly was there, in San Diego, with her father.
"To the end, she told him, 'Dad, you gotta fight it.' And he kept fighting," Watson said.
After his death, the prospect of attending Pearl City, with so many reminders of her father, was too much to bear. Karly transferred to McKinley.
"I brought her up here last week," Shane said. "She's still having a hard time."
SLOWLY EVERYONE HAS come to grips with the loss of Onosai Tanuvasa. Practice at Pearl City had a different feel, at least in preseason.
"His energy's not here," Maake said.
When Onosai passed, there was absolute shock among the players. Nobody knew he had cancer.
"I was asking, 'Why?' Every day at practice, he was fine," safety Steven King said. "For some of the players, Coach 'Sai was like their father."
King, a senior, doesn't hesitate to remind some teammates that time is valuable. After all, if there is a legacy that Onosai Tanuvasa left behind, it is the importance of giving maximum effort and total focus, not later, but now.
OIA Red West
AIEA NA ALII
Coach: Wendell Say2003 record: 6-1 White, 10-2 Overall
2003 postseason: OIA White champion, State Division II champion
Players to watch: QB Kali Kuia, DT Rocky Savaiigaea, DB C.J. Tausaga, LB R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane, SS Aveni Leung-Wai
Outlook: A combination of size, talent and Say's success over the years has many West coaches leery of Na Alii. But, "We've got a lot of new kids at skill positions," Say said.
Returning starter Kali Kuia passed for more than 2,000 yards a year ago, but suffered an injury last week against Kaiser. Say kept him out as a precaution as Na Alii struggled to a 20-14 win.
Defensively, Aiea is quite bullish thanks to eight returning starters. Kiesel-Kauhane is being highly recruited. Tausaga is "the best DB to not make the all-star team," Say said.
KAPOLEI HURRICANES
Coach: Darren Hernandez2003 record: 7-0 White, 9-3 Overall
2003 postseason: OIA White runner-up, lost to Damien in State Division II first-round
Players to watch: DB Kainoa Kaheaka-Enhada, OL Ikaika Aken-Moleta, QB Jon Medeiros, QB Brad Padayao
Outlook: With the departure of Kapolei's first graduating class, the usually optimistic Darren Hernandez knows the challenge this fall is daunting.
"You just don't replace guys who've been in the system four-and-a-half years," he said.
That leaves Kapolei with one returning starter on defense and two on offense. The marquee player is DB Kaheaka-Enhada. The senior had eight interceptions last year and had six as a sophomore.
Aken-Moleta, who bench presses 350 pounds, anchors the offensive line. Brad Padayao and Jon Medeiros will split time at quarterback.
LEILEHUA MULES
Coach: Nolan Tokuda2003 record: 2-5 Red West, 3-5 Overall
2003 postseason: None
Players to watch: OLB B.J. Fruean, WR Chustin Senas, QB Bryant Moniz, WR Anthony Palomares
Outlook: A year ago, Nolan Tokuda was on the practice field with his JV Mules, running the option for a scout team. The high-energy coach is now in charge of a varsity program that is on the verge of being mighty again.
Sophomore QB Bryant Moniz had 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions last year. Chustin Senas caught 17 of those touchdown passes.
Fruean is being recruited by Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Washington, Colorado and Hawaii, Tokuda said.
MILILANI TROJANS
Coach: James Millwood2003 record: 7-0 Red West, 9-3 Overall
2003 postseason: Fourth place in OIA Red playoffs, lost to Saint Louis in State Division I first round
Players to watch: LB Aaron Pooloa, ILB Michael Suan, DE Ian Kamaka, OL Sene Ma'afala, WR Jon Santos, QB Maka Kahoano
Outlook: Red West champion Mililani ended last season losing two postseason games, and fell in the state tournament. The Trojans bounce back with a team that is possibly better than last year's squad. Seven starters return to one of the league's top defenses. Aaron Pooloa, all-league as a safety, moves to outside linebacker this fall.
Millwood believes Suan is up to the task of replacing Mikhail Mabry as the playmaker in Mililani's 4-3 scheme.
Offensively, Mililani has speedsters in the backfield and tremendous size up front.
Being a favorite, though, takes some getting used to. "It's different," Millwood admitted. "Ten years before, it was always Waianae. I'm hearing good things about Leilehua, Aiea, Kapolei coming up. The division as a whole might be tougher than last year."
NANAKULI GOLDEN HAWKS
Coach: Al Beaver2003 record: 4-3 Red West, 5-4 Overall
2003 postseason: Lost to Kailua in OIA Red first round
Players to watch: QB Jaycee Alapai, OL/DL Raymond Talona, LB Josh Gisa
Outlook: Physically, the Golden Hawks are as bruising as ever. Early scrimmages with Punahou and Kamehameha gave Beaver and his staff reason for optimism. "It's the mental part where we have breakdowns," the veteran coach said.
Nanakuli has no qualms about adopting an old-school, veer option offense. Alex Maiava and Edmund Ybarra will get their touches out of the backfield.
"Alex Distajo and Ili Peneku can both go vertical," Beaver said of the two wide receivers.
Defensively, Nanakuli will stick with its 4-3 defense. Josh Gisa could become an anchor. Beaver is also counting on senior corners Julio Jesus and David Balacao.
PEARL CITY CHARGERS
Coach: Watson Tanuvasa2003 record: 5-2 Red West, 6-3 Overall
2003 postseason: Lost to Farrington in OIA Red first round
Players to watch: FS/K/P Steven King, CB Tommy Iinuma, CB Tommy Owens, C Kurt Wakatsuki, RB Royal Kaua, RB Andrew Blue, OL Chris Maake
Outlook: The Chargers lost key components at quarterback and on the line, and depth remains a vital issue. But the Chargers could have enough talent at the skill positions to make a run for the title.
They won't hesitate to open the field with a four-receiver set, especially when backs like Kaua possess good hands.
"Passing is what separated Kahuku and Saint Louis from the rest," Tanuvasa said.
Tanuvasa still wants some balance in the offense, which won't be easy, with just one returning starter in Maake. Chris Wakatsuki, a junior center, saw significant playing time last season.
Defensively, Tommy Iinuma hovers on one corner. Tommy Owens, a converted defensive end, is on the other. Owens was part of the Pearl City relay team that won an OIA title.
WAIANAE SEARIDERS
Coach: Dan Matsumoto2003 record: 3-4 Red West, 3-6 Overall
2003 postseason: Lost to Kahuku in OIA Red first round
Players to watch: OL Sean Savini, DB Chad Puha, QB Kala Honda
Outlook: The Seariders may not dominate anymore, but turnout remains mammoth. An improved offensive line, as well as the throwing arm of Honda, give Searider fans optimism.
Savini's explosiveness gives him an edge as the noseguard in Waianae's three-down linemen set.
The Seariders spent much of the preseason working on a shotgun formation, but will still have elements of a two-back option attack. Matsumoto is counting on his defense to step up for the time being. "It's rough. We're still learning a new offense," he said.
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