After a year away from the program, Bryson Carvalho returns home back to his alma mater as the Marauders' new football coach. ScoringLive file photo

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After a year away from the program, Bryson Carvalho returns home back to his alma mater as the Marauders' new football coach. ScoringLive file photo

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The Marauders will have a familiar face running the varsity football program next season.

Longtime Waipahu assistant coach Bryson Carvalho was selected as the new Waipahu football coach last Thursday. He takes over for four-year coach Eric Keola, who resigned after the 2014 season was over.

Carvalho spent most of his coaching years as an assistant JV coach under previous head coach Sean Saturnio. The JV teams during that time were very successful, even completing back-to-back undefeated seasons during 2006 and 2007. Under Keola, Carvalho served as the head JV coach for one year before becoming the varsity team's offensive coordinator for the next two years. 

In 2014, former Pearl City coach and Leilehua assistant Kai Kamaka took over play calling duties and Carvalho sought out to finish his teaching degree in California. But once the head coaching position opened up, Carvalho knew this was one opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"Once I got the call, I was just kind of speechless," Carvalho said on his emotions after learning he had gotten the job. "For so long it's been a dream of mines to be the head coach at the school. I don't remember if I said anything (right away). I know I choked up a bunch. I was just so grateful to have this opportunity."

While completing his teaching degree might take a bit longer, Carvalho will still be teaching life lessons on and off the field.

"My whole philosophy is to mold and inspire the kids to become the best person that they can be," said Carvalho. "When they put on that Marauder uniform, they represent so much more; themselves, their parents and their community." 

Carvalho, a class of 2003 alumnus, has roots in the option offense playing quarterback under Todd Fujimori and Saturnio in high school. Fujimori, who is responsible for instilling the Marauders' "Black Flag" slogan, ran an I-formation option attack that was similar to what Syracuse ran during Donovan McNabb's college days. Saturnio was a walk-on slotback on the University of Hawaii football team during the days of Paul Johnson and the triple-option.

"I plan to evolve the system a little bit. I want to use a lot of concepts that Sean taught me. I kind of want to spread it out a little bit more, probably going to run a lot more shotgun to try and spread out the defense. We'll see who we have on campus first though. I do have multiple formations in my offensive packages." Carvalho said on his offensive philosophy.

Carvalho will have a chance to look at the available personnel when he meets with the team for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

A player on defense that Carvalho hopes can lead the charge is linebacker Matthew Leilua. Leilua played fullback and slotback as a sophomore before switching to defense last year.

"I'm looking forward to him having a big senior year and to step up and take a leadership role," said Carvalho. 

One of the main points that will be stressed in Tuesday's meeting is academics. In recent years the Marauders have had slow starts to the season due to key players being out with academic probation to begin the year. Waipahu even forfeited its season-opener with Farrington after one and a half quarter of play due to a lack of eligible players and injuries sustain during the game.

"Every kid from now on will be doing grade checks all throughout the second semester. That's something I'm going to monitor a lot closer," said Carvalho. "For the past couple of years our starts have been kind of slow, and that's because we have low numbers to start the season. I'm going to make sure I keep up with people's grades and people's parents to get on their kids to pass their classes."