Growing up in Punaluu, Reginald Torres was a busy, active boy.

“Reggie” knew everybody. Everybody knew Reggie. Above all, he grew up playing multiple sports with a love for learning that was matched by his love for competition.

These days, he and wife Lita have a new love: 10 grandchildren.

“I like to stay young at heart, to stay busy. I’m lucky enough that I can still move with my grandchildren, so I want to keep moving with them as long as I can,” said Torres, who turns 56 in April.

Decades of coaching football, wrestling and judo are somewhat behind Torres now. The state championships — three in football, six in wrestling and two in judo — will always be part of his legacy. He helps out with wrestling and judo because the daily grind is his comfort zone.

“I love running wrestling practice. I just love making them move. You bring passion and energy to the room,” he said. “But we haven’t had it. We closed it down for the past year. Watching them move, it’s fun.”

Son Richard and daughter Elizabeth became state wrestling champions. On the gridiron he last coached at Kahuku in 2013, and as a “free agent” he joined Punahou’s staff as an offensive line coach until 2017. In one sport or another, Torres has been a coach since 1984.

“He loves to teach, the guy. I respect him,” said former wrestler Alen Phillip, a ’92 Kahuku graduate. “I helped coach when my son was wrestling. You walk around the tournaments and everybody respects the guy. A well-liked guy.”

Phillip also grew up in Punaluu and eventually was coached by Torres.

“His mom and my mom are good friends. We kind of grew up together, and when I started wrestling in sixth grade, he was our coach. I had an older brother wrestling on the JV,” Phillip said. “Our head coach let us on the mat.”

These days the two friends meet weekly at Kahuku Municipal Golf Course for 18 holes by foot. The muni is a nine-hole course, so they — Torres, Phillip, Mike Kim and Byron Jeremiah — go through two times. Occasionally, Berto Vendiola joins them.

“Berto is 72, and he walks that course and he moves. That’s my idol,” Torres said. “I like the fourth hole coming off the hill. I got close to a hole-in-one there, maybe (missed) by 8 inches.”

Torres relishes the challenge, learning the nuances of the game.

“I like it because I can’t compete like I used to,” he said. “My body won’t allow me to wrestle or play judo, but golf allows me to compete.”

Back in the 1980s, Torres wrestled in the now-defunct Aloha State Games. He played judo at the senior level.

“With my arthritis and age, I can’t anymore. I’ll roll with the kids, but not in a major way,” he said. “I move slower, so I do more walking and running. A little cardio with some of the circuits I do. Instead of a shorter routine, I do a longer one so I can still burn calories. I try to do stuff for two hours. In the past I could do it in 30 minutes.”

His penchant for being active is still intact. The COVID-19 pandemic means he has multiple roles at Kahuku High School every day.

Torres helps with grab- and-go meal distribution during lunch hour. Before and after that, morning to afternoon, Torres is in the cafeteria, aka the Learning Lab. The coach is in charge of packet distribution — books and assignments — to students. He works with Kekoa Stanton of Kahuku Tech Team as Chrome books come back in and go back out.

It is a gentle authority Torres carries that students feel comfortable with. Coach. Uncle. Friend. Versatility makes Torres a valued utility man.

“He works so hard. He’s my go-to guy,” Kahuku Vice Principal Patricia Macadangdang said. “And in between, he’s cleaning the cafeteria. It is spotless. Wiping down the tables, mopping, empty the trash. I mean, he does everything.”

There is also mobility. In the cafeteria he will walk around the dozens of tables each day. His co-workers usually join him.

“Yeah, they put on the music and they get their exercise. They get their steps in. He encourages and inspires the other guys in there,” Macadangdang said.

Educational assistant Joe Brock is part of the Learning Lab culture.

“He just stays active. Sometimes you can’t sit still. You’ve got to do something more, so you follow in his footsteps, so to speak,” said Brock, who depends on a wheelchair for mobility. “We don’t keep count of our laps. Ten or 15, maybe more, depending how we feel, how much time we have.”

Twice a week, Torres works at Kualoa Ranch. During the graveyard shift, he doubles his effectiveness by working out as he walks.

“I bring my dumbbells and do mostly shoulder work. My shoulders are messed up. That’s why I do other sports like golf. I injured my rotator cuff years ago, but I don’t have time for surgery. I can’t coach with my shoulder in a sling for six months, so I do shoulder work,” he said.

Torres, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds, does daily weight checks.

“I started at 234 in August. I even got down to 210, but I want to keep it from getting back up. I’ll get to 220, but that’s about all,” he said. “I try to stay away from the sodas. I don’t eat heavy meals. I eat smaller meals and I watch what I eat.”

That doesn’t mean he deprives himself completely.

“A cheat meal is a No. 1 at McDonald’s. A Big Mac meal. Small fries, large Coke,” he said.

The rest of the time, he is in motion, the better to keep up with his grandchildren.

“Just trying to stay young, stay busy. That’s what it is, keeping your heart young. Trying to age slowly,” he said. “Our grandkids are constantly around. They keep you busy. My 2-year-old, Rocky, says, ‘Papa, let’s play.’ Sometimes I take him on walks if he’s cranky.”