Papalii to coach Waveriders again

HE WILL EMPHASIZE ACADEMICS, LIFE LESSONS

BY JOE FERRARO | WEST HAWAII TODAY

For Sam Papalii, some things happen for a reason.

Papalii applied for the head football coaching position at his alma mater, Saint Louis, in 2010, and officials there offered him the position before abruptly taking it away.

Papalii, who credited Saint Louis for building the “foundation” of his character, said he wasn’t bitter.

“One door closes, and you move on,” Papalii said.

Another door opened, and Papalii stepped right through. And now, he couldn’t be happier.

Kealakehe Principal Wil Murakami informed Papalii on Thursday that the school had hired him to coach the Waveriders’ varsity football team.

It’s a position Papalii knows very well, having coached Kealakehe from 2001-06 and winning the school’s first two Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I titles in his final two seasons. On top of that, he and his wife, Candy, will live near a host of family members and friends.

“I love Kealakehe High School,” said Papalii, who coached at six different colleges before compiling a 37-10-1 regular-season record with the Waveriders. “(I look forward to) getting the opportunity to work with the kids and utilize the experiences I have.”

A selection committee interviewed Papalii on Monday. Two days later, Kealakehe Athletic Director Mike Hernandez contacted him and told him to meet with Murakami at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. At that point, Papalii knew he’d begin his second coaching stint with the Waveriders.

“They’re not to bring me in to say, ‘Sam, we’re not going to hire you,'” Papalii said. “I want to thank Mr. Murakami, Mr. Hernandez and the committee for giving me my second go-around.”

Papalii had assumed coaching duties as a consultant under Waveriders interim coach Sam Kekuaokalani last season, when Kealakehe won its sixth BIIF Division I title in the past eight years. Kekuaokalani stepped in for Gary Clark, who never returned to the Big Island after taking an extended leave of absence to attend to personal matters on the mainland.

Under Kekuaokalani, Papalii specialized in technique, instructing linemen on finer points of blocking such as hand placement and pad level.

However, when reached by phone Thursday, Papalii didn’t put football accomplishments at the top of his list of goals. Instead, he talked about academics.

Papalii said he will evaluate his returning players’ performance in the classroom before meeting with them for the first time next week.

“As far as our goals, you have to take care of the classroom first,” Papalii said.

Papalii also stressed life lessons.

After his first stint as the Waveriders’ coach, Papalii worked in the mental health field as an employee at Care Hawaii and the Department of Public Safety.

Papalii worked with incarcerated adults — many of them experienced mental illness or substance abuse issues — helping to “stabilize them and keep them from getting arrested again.”

At Kealakehe, Papalii wants to prepare his players for life behind football, teaching them the value of having faith in goals and visualizing success.

“Hopefully, I can (positively) affect their lives before they can be adults,” Papalii said of his players.

Papalii saved football for last, emphasizing the importance of offseason work.

“We want to be well-conditioned, learn to play physical football and be well-coached,” he said.

Papalii said he’d like for the Waveriders to continue their tradition of winning championships. And if that happens, he hopes to do something no BIIF Division I team has ever done: win in the first round of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament.

Along the way, Papalii said, he will stress sportsmanship.

“We want to continue winning, but we want to win with class,” he said.

jferraro@westhawaiitoday.com