A quick glimpse of Kaiser Stadium on a weekday afternoon shows no sign of the misery that was Kaiser football in 2017.
A program that managed to field a team for only one game during the entire season had more than 50 kids going through drills on a hot afternoon last week.
A new coach and a collective recruiting effort within the school to encourage students to participate has erased any doubts about whether the Cougars will field a team in 2018.
“It’s pretty exciting not having to think about whether we are going to play (a) game,” senior Noah Matsumoto said. “My perspective now is instead am I putting in enough work even to start? Every week we have to fight for our position because Coach says we’re not going to start every week unless we earn it.”
Tim Seaman, a longtime teacher at the school and former head coach at Kaiser and McKinley, has been involved off and on with the Cougars football program for three decades.
An assistant on Arnold Martinez’s staff last year, Seaman was named head coach after Martinez resigned 11 days after principal Justin Mew announced the cancellation of the season following an altercation at the school.
A confrontation that resulted in Gregory Tartamella pleading no contest last week to assaulting Martinez, threatening a vice principal and harassing Martinez and a school security guard was the final blow to a season in which Kaiser struggled mightily with player turnout.
Seaman’s first task upon getting the job was to figure out a way to generate more interest.
To do that, he turned to the kids.
“A lot of the kids are in my class and I helped as an assistant last year and felt like there was a bond there,” Seaman said. “I talked to our juniors who were going to be seniors and let them know they needed to take some ownership in helping get kids out. It wasn’t going to be an adult thing. It had to be a peer thing as well.”
Matsumoto, a center fielder on the baseball team, started his recruiting pitch with his baseball teammates.
More than half of the entire team, including a few with no football experience, were out on the field with Matsumoto last week.
“We had to cancel some (baseball) games because we had football (practice) instead,” Matsumoto said. “Some say (they are playing football) because it’s senior year and they want to do something different, and some say they don’t want to see what happened last year happen this year. They want to be part of this group of people who turned the football program around.”
Another important factor to resurrecting the program was the Cougars’ move to Division II in the new OIA-ILH football alliance.
Mililani, Campbell, Kahuku and Waianae, who were scheduled opponents of the Cougars last season, have been replaced by a 10-team division that includes Kaimuki, Kalaheo, Kalani, McKinley, Pac-Five, Pearl City, Roosevelt, St. Francis and Waialua.
The Cougars will host Aiea to start the season in a nonconference game Friday.
“We felt getting this game was important because we need to get under the lights and see these kids play,” Seaman said. “Whenever there’s something new there’s always a sense of excitement, but there’s a lot of unknown with us, I’ll be honest.”
For Matsumoto, Friday’s game will be the first opportunity to play on Kaiser’s recently refurbished home field.
The field was ready to go midway through last season, but the Cougars had to forfeit every scheduled home game.
“It’s pretty cool. Not just that but playing with teammates of mine in other sports (and) people I know from growing up together in the neighborhood I get to play with now my senior year,” Matsumoto said. “For us, we’re trying to change the perspective of how people see Kaiser football.”
DIVISION II CAPSULES
Kaimuki Bulldogs
>> Head coach: David Tautofi, fourth season, 17-13 (.567)
>> Last year: 5-4, 5-2 OIA D-II, OIA D-II semifinals
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/10 Kalani* 7:30 p.m.
8/17 at Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
8/25 Pac-Five* 6 p.m.
8/31 McKinley* 7:30 p.m.
9/8 at Sierra Vista (Nev.) TBA
9/14 Waialua* 7:30 p.m.
9/22 St. Francis* 6 p.m.
9/28 Kaiser* 7:30 p.m.
10/6 Kalaheo** 6:30 p.m.
10/13 Pearl City* 6:30 p.m.
* — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
** — at Alex Kane Stadium
Kaiser Cougars
>> Head coach: Tim Seaman, first season (fifth overall), 18-19-2 (.474)
>> Last year: 0-7, 0-7 OIA Blue, forfeited all but one game
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/3 Aiea 7:30 p.m.
8/10 Kalaheo 7:30 p.m.
8/17 at Pearl City 7:30 p.m.
8/24 St. Francis 6 p.m.
9/7 Kalani 7:30 p.m.
9/15 Roosevelt 6:30 p.m.
9/21 at Waialua 7:30 p.m.
9/28 Kaimuki* 7:30 p.m.
10/5 Pac-Five 7:30 p.m.
10/12 McKinley 7:30 p.m.
* — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
Kalaheo Mustangs
>> Head coach: Darrell Poole, 14th season, 14-38 (.269)
>> Last year: 2-6, 2-5 OIA Division II
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/10 at Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
8/18 McKinley* 5:30 p.m.
8/25 Waialua** 6:30 p.m.
9/8 Pac-Five** 6 p.m.
9/14 Pearl City** 7:30 p.m.
9/21 at Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
9/28 St. Francis ** 5 p.m.
10/6 Kaimuki** 6:30 p.m.
10/13 Kalani** 6:30 p.m.
* — at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
** — at Alex Kane Stadium
Kalani Falcons
>> Head coach: Scott Melemai, third season, 8-7 (.533)
>> Last year: 4-4, 4-3 OIA Division II
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/4 ‘Iolani* 6 p.m.
8/10 Kaimuki** 7:30 p.m.
8/18 Pac-Five* 6 p.m.
8/25 Roosevelt* 6:30 p.m.
9/7 at Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
9/14 McKinley* 7:30 p.m.
9/21 at Pearl City 7:30 p.m.
9/28 at Waialua 7:30 p.m.
10/5 St. Francis* 5 p.m.
10/13 Kalaheo*** 6:30 p.m.
* — at Kaiser Stadium
** — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
*** — at Alex Kane Stadium
McKinley Tigers
>> Head coach: Pat Silva, second season (seventh overall), 21-32-1 (.398)
>> Last year: 1-7, 1-6 OIA Division II
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/3 at King Kekaulike 7 p.m.
8/11 St. Francis* 3 p.m.
8/18 Kalaheo* 5:30 p.m.
8/25 Pearl City* 5:30 p.m.
8/31 Kaimuki** 7:30 p.m.
9/14 Kalani*** 7:30 p.m.
9/22 Pac-Five* 6 p.m.
9/28 at Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
10/6 Waialua* 5:30 p.m.
10/12 at Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
* — at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
** — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
*** — at Kaiser Stadium
Pac-Five Wolfpack
>> Head coach: Kip Botelho, 15th season, 40-94-1 (.300)
>> Last year: 1-8, 0-6 ILH Division II
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/11 at Roosevelt 5:30 p.m.
8/18 Kalani* 6 p.m.
8/25 Kaimuki** 6 p.m.
9/8 Kalaheo*** 6 p.m.
9/15 St. Francis**** 2 p.m.
9/22 McKinley***** 6 p.m.
9/29 at Pearl City 6:30 p.m.
10/5 at Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
10/12 Waialua# 5 p.m.
* — at Kaiser Stadium
** — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
*** — at Alex Kane Stadium
**** — at Aloha Stadium
***** — at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
# — at Aiea
Pearl City Chargers
>> Head coach: Robin Kami, sixth season, 30-20 (.600)
>> Last year: 7-3, 6-1 OIA Division II, OIA D-II final
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/4 at Kealakehe 7 p.m.
8/11 at Waialua 6:30 p.m.
8/17 Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
8/25 McKinley* 5:30 p.m.
9/7 St. Francis 7:30 p.m.
9/14 Kalaheo** 7:30 p.m.
9/21 Kalani 7:30 p.m.
9/29 Pac-Five 6:30 p.m.
10/5 Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
10/13 Kaimuki*** 6:30 p.m.
* — at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
** — at Alex Kane Stadium
*** — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
Roosevelt Rough Riders
>> Head coach: Kui Kahooilihala, third season, 6-10 (.375)
>> Last year: 4-4, 4-3 OIA Division II, OIA-DII semifinals
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/4 at Nanakuli 6:30 p.m.
8/11 Pac-Five 5:30 p.m.
8/17 Kaimuki 7:30 p.m.
8/25 Kalani* 6:30 p.m.
9/7 Waialua 7:30 p.m.
9/15 at Kaiser 6:30 p.m.
9/21 Kalaheo 7:30 p.m.
9/28 McKinley 7:30 p.m.
10/5 at Pearl City 7:30 p.m.
10/12 St. Francis 7:30 p.m.
* — at Kaiser Stadium
St. Francis Saints
>> Head coach: Kip Akana, fourth season, 17-11 (.607)
>> Last year: 8-4, 4-2 ILH Division II
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/4 at Radford 6:30 p.m.
8/11 McKinley* 3 p.m.
8/17 at Waialua 6 p.m.
8/24 at Kaiser 6 p.m.
9/7 at Pearl City 7:30 p.m.
9/15 Pac-Five** 2 p.m.
9/22 Kaimuki*** 6 p.m.
9/28 Kalaheo**** 5 p.m.
10/5 Kalani***** 5 p.m.
10/12 at Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
* — at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
** — at Aloha Stadium
*** — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
**** — at Alex Kane Stadium
***** — at Kaiser Stadium
Waialua Bulldogs
>> Head coach: Lincoln Barit, 16th season, 42-88-1 (.324)
>> Last year: 0-8, 0-7 OIA Division II
2018 schedule
Date Team Time
8/11 Pearl City 6:30 p.m.
8/17 St. Francis 6 p.m.
8/25 Kalaheo* 6:30 p.m.
9/7 at Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.
9/14 Kaimuki** 7:30 p.m.
9/21 Kaiser 7:30 p.m.
9/28 Kalani 7:30 p.m.
10/6 McKinley*** 5:30 p.m.
10/12 Pac-Five**** 5 p.m.
* — at Alex Kane Stadium
** — at Skippa Diaz Stadium
*** — at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
**** — at Aiea
