Kalaheo Mustangs

Head coach/Offensive coordinator: Nelson Maeda (23rd season, 1st at Kalaheo)
Defensive coordinator: Harry Paaga

Players to watch: QB/DB Reis Weber (6-2, 185, Jr.), RB/LB Damian Ruano (5-9, 170, Sr.), K/LB Angele Seltmann (5-0, 155, Jr.), WR/LB Isaiah Akiu (6-0, 165, Sr.), WR/DB Jymien Lipscomb (5-11, 165, Jr.)

Coach's words: "Kalaheo will be very young and inexperienced. Our goals are to instill and embrace the One Team concept and be competitive in every game. We want to play hard for four quarters to the best of our abilities and proudly represent Kalaheo High School, its alumni and communities. Coming off of the COVID-19 year and a struggling season prior, we are in a rebuilding mode and look to do so from the foundation left by our predecessor, coach (Darrell) Poole, who did a nice job. Team concept, discipline and conditioning will be integral to our program success. The competition in Division II will be fierce, as Kalaheo will be outmanned in every game, but we look forward to and hope to meet the challenge." - Nelson Maeda

SL's take: After 20 years as head coach at Castle, Maeda parted ways with the program after the 2016 season. He spent the next three years as special teams coordinator at Aiea before being hired to the helm at Kalaheo in early March of last year - just days before the coronavirus seemingly took over the world. The last season that was held in 2019 saw the Mustangs go winless. They were shut out four times and average a meager 7.4 points per game. In fact, the last time the Mustangs won a game was on Oct. 13, 2018, when they closed out a four-win season with a 22-7 victory over Kalani. This season, however, could be another dire one, as turnout has been extremely low. Akiu was the starting QB as a sophomore, while Ruano was an OL and DL in 2019. Lipscomb, a transfer from Colonial Forge HS in Stafford, Virginia - where he also basketball - brings speed and quickness. Maeda's teams over the years have always been supremely conditioned and that expectation should certainly be there as well with this group, no matter how few they may number; They will surely need to be well-conditioned for the 'ironman football' that lies ahead in the next few months. With a roster in the 20's, most players will have to play both offense and defense - and like at least a bit of special teams as well.

SCHEDULE

Fri Oct 15	@ Pearl City		L, 42-7
Sat Oct 23	Nanakuli	at Radford	L, 49-0
Fri Oct 29	@ Kaiser		L, 44-7
Sat Nov 06	Kaimuki	at Kaiser	L, 34-6
Sat Nov 13	@ Waialua		L, 21-15
Sat Nov 20	McKinley	at Kailua	W, 34-22
Sat Nov 27	@ Radford		L, 42-0
Sat Dec 04	Kalani	at Kailua	L, 41-0