One would be mistaken to overlook Charleston "Charlie" Salazar or what he's capable of on the football field. 

Salazar, a junior running back/defensive back for the Keaau football team, has been a standout in each of his three varsity seasons with the Cougars. Over the course of his prep career, Salazar has accumulated nearly 3,000 yards from scrimmage and more than 25 touchdowns. 

"He's definitely a playmaker," Keaau coach David Murray said of the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Salazar. 

Murray likens Salazar to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara for his versatility.

"He's a very slashy runner. Really he can play any position, including slotback, but he's also able to run in between the tackles and he's got great vision and hands," Murray said. "He's a guy that can go to the house at any time. When he plays he actually makes some moves that make our offensive line look really great."

As a 135-pound freshman back in 2023, Salazar registered 120 carries for 685 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) and four touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 95 yards and a TD. The following season Salazar posted 108 carries for 834 yards (7.7 per rush), as well as 14 receptions for 242 yards and nine total TDs. 

The Cougars posted identical 5-5 records in each of Salazar's first two seasons. They have once again complied a 5-5 record thus far this fall heading into the Big Island Interscholastic Federation playoffs this weekend. 

Salazar, to be sure, has played an integral role in his team's success in 2025. He sits 75 yards shy of reaching 1,000 rushing yards on the year. Salazar is averaging five yards per rush and has tallied 185 carries on the year. Additionally, he has hauled in 18 catches for 204 yards and has accounted for a dozen total touchdowns. 

Murray noted that Salazar took on a heavy workload early in the season while first-year quarterback and Leilehua-transfer Trustin Gomes got acclimated with the offense. 

"Charlie knew that he would be taking a little bit extra carries and he's put together a great year so far. He's almost at a thousand yards and that's what (benchmark) that every running back looks to achieve for the season. He's also got some receiving yards so he's expanded his role where he can be that three-down type of back," Murray said. 

Salazar has proven to be a workhorse in the offensive backfield. In Keaau's second game of the season — a 34-19 loss to Open Division-member Campbell — he carried 29 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. A week later, in a 24-20 win over Hilo to open league play, Salazar ran for a career-high 235 yards on 27 carries, including a touchdown. 

Just seven days after that, Salazar followed up that performance with a 26-carry, 157-yard effort in a 20-14 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii. 

"He knows that he's a very big part of our offense and as much as he would want to have the ball, he also gives suggestions about getting the ball to his teammates because he understands we've got to be balanced," Murray explained. 

As Murray explains, with opposing defense paying more and more attention to Salazar and the run game, the Cougars have had to open up their aerial attack with Gomes, who has passed for nearly 2,000 yards with 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. 

"Charlie looks at the whole big picture and knows that we need to spread this out a little bit. He'll point out that they're loading the box, so let's spread the ball outside, so he's very intelligent — very maka'ala — really aware of everything going on, so he's been great. He's one of those player-coach types on the field," Murray added. 

Salazar isn't just a playmaker, however. He's also a leader and has been since the day he stepped foot onto the Keaau campus. 

"When he first came in as a freshman he was really vocal, which is uncommon coming out of the intermediate league and as the year went on and he started being the guy that would be taking those carries, he grew into that leadership role. Last year as a sophomore, he took on more of that role and was able to express himself and encourage his teammates and make sure that everybody is supporting each other. Not many guys are that born-leader type and you can definitely see that for him it's natural," Murray described. 

It's not just that Salazar talks the talk, as one of the team captains, he most definitely walks the walk as well. 

"He's very vocal and he gets real comfortable with his teammates and will look for accountability from them, but he's right there with them and he'll be one of the first ones to be there to help you celebrate and give you the accolades when do make a play that the team needs; He's been great for the past three years," Murray said. 

When Salazar was a freshman and sophomore, the Cougars followed the lead of their bona fide leader in QB1 Diego Pettypool, who put together a decorated career over his three years as the starting signal-caller. However, since Pettypool graduated last spring, much of the leadership void he left behind has been filled by Salazar. 

Salazar has been instrumental in helping Gomes find his bearings in just a matter of months. 

"They've become like best friends. They've got a good yin-and-yang type of relationship where they feed off each other. Coming into the season Charlies knew that with us losing a guy like Diego Pettypool, who had been our quarterback for the past three years, it was his time to take on more responsibility. When we were having the QBs tryout, Charlie stepped right in and tried to help everybody feel comfortable about the situation," Murray said. 

Salazar's freshman season was also Murray's first as head coach after he was elevated from offensive coordinator following Ian Van Cleave's departure from the program. Prior to joining the Keaau staff, Murray was an assistant at Hilo High in 2018 and 2019. Murray described the nature of his relationship with Salazar. 

"It's great because I'm able to come to him and talk when there's things that need to be addressed and he's able to come and talk to me and we both understand that there's no hard feelings toward anyone and at the end of the day, the success of the team is what we're about. I like to have my players share their opinions with me and he's able to be that guy where I can say, ‘I need this done,' and if he sees something going on, he'll reach out to me and I'll go handle it," Murray said. 

While Salazar's offensive prowess has been well-documented, his exploits on the defensive side of the ball shouldn't be overlooked. In a season-opening loss to Waianae, Salazar racked up eight tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. 

Despite the heavy workload, Salazar has not missed a game all year — a nod to his work and diligence off the field. Since his freshman year, Salazar has gained nearly 30 pounds. When he's not putting in work on the gridiron, Salazar is often helping his parents in various capacities. 

"Up on the Big Island jobs are pretty scarce and every family loves to have their kids work, so he works on his truck or if his dad needs help with side construction projects he'll try to help with whatever he can to help out," Murray said. 

Salazar and the Cougars participate in a school-based program, Kaana, where they help to plant, grow and harvest food for their community 

"He's also on the class council — I know he was class president as a freshman — so he's very involved with the student body and he's outgoing so everybody knows him," Murray said. 

Salazar recently served as the public address announcer for the girls' flag football tournament during homecoming week at Keaau. 

Even more recently Salazar put together a solid all-around game where he accounted for nearly 160 yards from scrimmage to help the Cougars eke out a 26-20 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii Friday night. 

Salazar carried the ball 18 times for 103 yards. He opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run less than five minutes into the game. Salazar also hauled in a 28-yard TD pass from Gomes that gave his team a 13-0 lead late in the second quarter. He finished with three receptions for 56 yards. 

"He did pretty well running the ball — he broke the century mark, which is showing success with our o-line — and he's always been dangerous out of the backfield. He definitely did his part and he made the big play when we needed it," Murray said. 

Keaau trailed 20-13 with less than two minutes to play, but got within a point on Jay DeSoto-Osborne's 40-yard fumble return for touchdown with 94 seconds left. It wasn't until Gomes connected with Josef Robinson on a 12-yard TD pass with three seconds remaining that the Cougars pulled back ahead. 

"That was one of those games that you would want to be there for. It was back and forth and with all the elements that both teams were playing with, it could have went either way. It was a great game. Kamehameha came to play and it was great for us that we were able to come out with a W," Murray said. 

The victory was a much-needed one for Murray's squad, which had dropped three of its last four games entering the weekend. Not only did it build some momentum going into this weekend's playoffs, it secured the No. 2 seed in the four-team BIIF Division I tournament. 

"That win was big. It was good to get back in the win column. The games we lost, I would say were on us. The mistakes we made could have been prevented, but I was more proud of the fact that our kids played to the end, that's the biggest part that we could build upon," Murray said. 

Salazar and the Cougars (5-5 overall, 5-3 league) take on Hilo, 6 p.m. Saturday night at Dr. Francis Wong Stadium in one of two semifinals that evening. Top-seeded Konawaena will host Kealakahe in the other semifinal at Julian R. Yates Field in Kealakekua. 

The semifinal winners will face off on Nov. 7 for the BIIF championship and the league's lone spot in next month's First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I State Championships. 

FOOTBALL

Kainalu Alves, Konawaena — Ran 15 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Hilo 

Jay-Sean Aquino, Damien — Made eight tackles and forced a fumble in a win over Iolani 

Zack Bagoyo, Iolani — Made 9 ½ tackles, including one for a loss in a loss to Damien 

Kelton Bell, Honokaa — Ran 10 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Chrys Coelho, Honokaa —  Ran 20 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Jay DeSoto-Osborne, Keaau — Scored on a 40-yard fumble return for touchdown in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Mana Forges, Kamehameha — Threw for 172 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-22 passing without an interception in a win over Punahou 

Zane Fujihara Faavesi, Konawaena — Made six tackles, including 4 ½ for losses and 1 ½ sacks in a win over Hilo 

Josiah Griffin, Iolani — Made 5 ½ tackles, including 2 ½ for losses with one sack, and forced two fumbles in a loss to Damien 

Mikemund Jose, Kauai — Made nine tackles, including one for a loss, and had one pass break-up in a loss to Kapaa 

Kekama Kane, Iolani — Caught 17 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Damien 

Lokuhao Lapera, Konawaena — Made 8 ½ tackles, including three for losses and 1 ½ sacks in a win over Hilo 

Kalae Lindsey, Honokaa — Scored on a 41-yard fumble return for touchdown in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Lii Tamashiro, Konawaena — Intercepted two passes in a win over Hilo 

Kyle Thomas, Lahainaluna — Ran nine times for 108 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Baldwin 

Brazten Tomisa, Damien — Made four tackles, including three for losses and one sack in a win over Iolani 

Shason Tomisa, Damien — Made 6 ½ tackles, including three for losses and one sack in a win over Iolani 

Alani Tuifua, Damien — Threw for 195 yards and four touchdowns on 20-of-24 passing without an interception and ran nine times for 55 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Iolani 

Jonah Wong, Damien — Ran 15 times for 117 yards in a win over Iolani 

CJ Villanueva, Iolani — Threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-34 passing without an interception in a loss loss Damien

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Maddisyn Andres-Martinez, Leilehua — Had 14 digs and 10 set assists in five-set loss to Roosevelt 

Shay Beals, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Had 24 kills in a four-set win over Konawaena 

Tulsi Erlemann, Seabury Hall — Had 20 digs, 11 set assists and one kill in a four-set win over Maui Prep 

Kaycie Garnett, Roosevelt — Had 18 kills, 24 digs, seven aces, one block assist and one set assist in a five-set win over Leilehua 

Surfia Grounds, Moanalua — Had 20 kills, 15 digs, one set assist and an ace in a five-set loss to Kahuku 

Zaylee Hunziker, Roosevelt — Had 20 digs, six set assists and one ace in a five-set win over Leilehua 

Clia Kafka, Seabury Hall — Had 10 kills, 14 digs, one block assist and one set assist in a four-set win over Maui Prep 

Hilinai Kahawai, Roosevelt — Had 15 kills, two solo blocks and one dig in a five-set win over Leilehua 

Destiny Keomaka-Wood, Seabury Hall — Had 36 set assists, six block assists and five kills in a four-set win over Maui Prep 

Kiliohu Kopa-Kaawalauole, Kapolei — Had 18 kills and five digs in a four-set win over Pearl City 

Elenoa Lauhingoa, Kahuku — Had 11 kills, 10 set assists, five digs, four aces and three block assists in a five-set win over Moanalua 

Lamona Lauhingoa, Kahuku — Had 22 digs, six kills, two block assists and one set assist in a five-set win over Moanalua 

Evan LeClair, Leilehua — Had 19 set assists, 19 digs, four kills, one block assist and one ace in a five-set loss to Roosevelt 

Sienna Lee, Moanalua — Had 24 digs, five set assists and two aces in a three-set win over Mililani and had 27 digs, two set assists and an ace in a five-set loss to Kahuku 

Hope Lemaota, Kapolei — Had 22 digs, two aces and one set assist in a four-set win over Pearl City 

Taea Moeai, Kahuku — Had 22 digs, three set assists, one kill and an ace in a five-set win over Moanalua 

Cali Moniz-Kealoha, Leilehua — Had 16 kills, 15 digs, two block assists and one ace in a five-set loss to Roosevelt 

Milaniakai Padilla, Seabury Hall — Had 15 kills, 25 digs and four block assists in a four-set win over Maui Prep 

Ema Presley Gibson, Kapolei — Had 17 kills in a three-set win over Farrington 

Rylie Ramones, Moanalua — Had 23 set assists, 12 digs and one ace in a five-set loss to Kahuku 

Makamae Schilling, Kahuku — Had 14 kills, 17 digs, three block assists, one set assist and an ace in a five-set win over Moanalua 

Anny Scott, Kapolei — Had 42 set assists, nine digs, three kills and two aces in a three-set win over Farrington and had 42 set assists, 16 digs, five kills, five aces and two block assists in a four-set win over Pearl City 

Kira-Lei Smith, Campbell — Had 21 digs, seven set assists and two aces in a four-set loss to Kahuku 

Tilauana Tonga, Kahuku — Had 23 set assists, 10 digs and one kill in a four-set win over Campbell and had 22 set assists, 11 digs and one block assist in a five-set win over Moanalua 

Kadence Wilson, Mililani — Had 16 digs, one kill and a set assist in a three-set loss to Moanalua