Hallums was a standout quarterback for the Chargers before opting to play college basketball -- first at Brigham Young University-Hawai'i and then at UH, where he started at point guard during his junior and senior seasons.

"I'm thrilled for the opportunity, it means a lot," said Hallums, a 1984 graduate of Pearl City. "What most people don't know about me is that football is actually my favorite sport, it's a passion for me. I had a chance to play college football, but I thought I was too small and I wasn't as well-versed in football knowledge back then."

Hallums was Leilehua's varsity basketball coach for several years in the 1990s, but also spent a combined 16 years as an assistant football coach at Kamehameha, McKinley, Radford and Pearl City.

Along the way, Hallums said he built "great relationships with some of the coaching legends" in Hawai'i high school football like Cal and Ron Lee, Saint Louis quarterback coach/offensive coordinator Vinny Passas, offensive line guru Brian Derby and Frank Pahia.

"I learned a lot from those guys," Hallums said. "They've all been supportive. And I know I still have a lot more to learn, so I'm going to be picking everybody's brain."

Hallums takes over for Kai Kamaka, whose contract was not renewed after three seasons at the helm. The Chargers reached the O'ahu Interscholastc Association White Conference championship game this past season and qualified for their first Division II state tournament, where they lost to Kapa'a in the first round.

"Kai really brought back the pride to Pearl City football, I thank him for that, and we want to continue that pride," Hallums said. "He established a base of winning that will be hard to match."

Hallums, a patrol officer with the Honolulu Police Department, said he and his staff will aim to develop the players off the field as well as on.

"Pearl City High School is a solid institution, and we want to be helping the kids academically," Hallums said. "We want to win, but we also want to know how they're doing off the field, in school and at home, showing respect. I'm a big believer in that."

Hallums said one of the biggest influences in his life is former Chargers basketball coach and athletic director Roy Ichinose.

"I'm glad I have this chance (to coach at Pearl City) because I feel like I owe it to all the coaches I had, like Coach Ichinose and Coach Pahia," Hallums said. "I'm 45 years old, and I still call my coaches, 'Coach.' That's what I want to instill in our players, to make sure they know and appreciate the sacrifices of the people that came before them."