A little more than a year ago, Andrew Manley was on a scorching hot field at Guyer High School in Texas, working with quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Today, the legendary slinger who led Leilehua to a state championship as a player is now the head football coach at Moanalua.

“I’m fired up. I’m excited. I want to get out there and get working already,” Manley said on Monday afternoon. “The atmosphere and community are awesome. It’s something I can see myself doing for a long time.”

The dominoes began to fall in late October when coach Vince Nihipali stepped down after overseeing Moanalua’s transition from Division I to Open Division. Moanalua was 5-2 in D-I under Nihipali, then 2-6-1 in Open.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have some really great coaches over the years, and Coach Manley is no exception to this,” Moanalua athletic director Joel Kawachi said. “He brings his excitement and experience that we hope will translate into our program continuing to compete at a high level in the Open Division. We appreciate the patience our players and parents gave us as we took our time to find a coach who would be the right fit and a great addition to lead our program.”

Manley was a sophomore when he completed his junior varsity season, then became Leilehua’s starting varsity quarterback. That team rose through the playoffs and state tournament to become state champion in 2007 with a 20-16 win over Saint Louis.

After playing at New Mexico State and Eastern Illinois, he had a brief stint with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL in 2015.

He coached at his alma mater, Leilehua, as an offensive coordinator for three years. Then came a move to the Lone Star State for one year.

“During COVID, we decided to try something new. We loved Texas, but we missed our family. My wife (Joryn) got a good job offer, so we decided to come home,” Manley said.

Last fall, he was the Punahou I-AA offensive coordinator, and the Buffanblu Open Division squad’s quarterbacks coach. High school players today never got to see Manley play quarterback, but he can still grip it and rip it a good 60 yards on a good day.

“All I want is to impact these kids as a coach,” said Manley, now 31. “I want them to believe in me, trust in me. Being a good player in the state of Hawaii has helped, but I want to be a great leader to these kids.”

Moanalua played Punahou in mid-August.

“I’m meeting with the kids next week, but I already introduced myself to all of them via message. I think the team has so much talent, a lot of young talent. Young DBs, young receivers who can make plays downfield, and their quarterback (Tayden-Evan Kaawa) is raw, but he’s out there slinging it. He’s able to make plays with his feet,” Manley said.

Manley was listed at 6 feet, 6 inches by the time his playing career was done. Kaawa is a 6-4, 200-pound freshman. The opportunity to develop under the wings of Manley is precious. The coach plans to be adaptable.

“I’ve been working on a system I would like to run offensively and defensively, but I want to be sure we have the players to run it. I have to be flexible with the kids. I don’t want to be a spread or run-and-shoot offense, or I-formation if we don’t have the right fit. Being able to do different things is something I truly believe in,” Manley said. “We’re trying to put a staff in place that not only knows their X’s and O’s but is high character.”

He also envisions a year-round program that will keep the players as busy as they were under Nihipali.

“Pylon gives these kids reps and chemistry. It’s not 11-on-11, but when you rep a play 40, 50 times, you start to get comfortable with the passing game,” Manley said. “If that’s something I can do, I’m all for it. I don’t like the term ‘offseason.’ There’s only early season.”

With three children, Manley has learned to adapt. His job as a registered behavioral therapist has also developed more balance in his life.

“It’s really made me more patient,” he said.