New St. Louis coach used to pressure

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Sure, he succeeds Hawai'i's winningest high school football coach, Cal Lee (241-32-5).

Yes, he will face the nation's top team in De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), which has a 125-game winning streak, on Sept. 21.

Of course, there's that state championship to reclaim, after 14 consecutive Prep Bowl/state crowns that ended in 1999.

Pressure? Naturally. But so what else is new around Kalaepohaku slope?

"It's not just following Cal," he said. "Just coaching here at St. Louis is pressure because of the expectations here. Any time you follow a legend, there's pressure. But having worked with Cal, I can handle (the pressure) better than somebody who would've been new. It's not as overwhelming. I know the pressure of being successful."

This is not the first time Tengan is following Lee. Five years ago, Lee named Tengan defensive coordinator.

"He's always had the No. 1 defense," Tengan said. "So there was pressure to follow his footsteps in that capacity. But that's been going on for the 15 years I've been here. Everybody expects you to win. They don't care if the (Olin) Kreutzes, the (Chris) Fuamatu-Ma'afalas or the (Tim) Changs aren't here anymore. They don't care who's in uniform. They expect good things from the team."

Reducing the trauma of inheriting the St. Louis program is the return of most of his assistants. Long-timers like Elroy Paikai, Sam Downey and Vince Passas were around before Tengan joined St. Louis' staff and are still there.

"There's no way I could do it with even half the staff being new," Tengan said. "Our staff has so much experience, some with double figures in years of experience. Some were here before I got here. There's no way I could do it with a new coaching staff."

If following a legend wasn't enough, there are other issues at stake: Bringing the state crown back to St. Louis after losing it the past two years to Kahuku and playing De La Salle.

"It just a matter of putting things into perspective," Tengan said of the state title chase. "You have to put yourself in a position to get there. You just can't look at the end of the road."

But De La Salle poses an opportunity Lee never had to encounter.

"Basically, you're hoping this year's team can uphold the reputation of the success of all the past (St. Louis) teams," Tengan said. "If we don't do well in the game, people won't know about St. Louis. They'll say, 'Maybe they weren't that good after all.' You don't want to let down the great teams of the past, put a tarnish on their record."

Tengan has made huge strides in his coaching career. The Kailua High graduate did not play football in high school, but played basketball. But when he came aboard at St. Louis, Lee needed someone to coach defensive backs in the summer pass league.

"It was only a temporary thing for a week or two," recalled Tengan. "Lo and behold, it's 15 years."

Tengan, who also coaches the Crusaders' basketball team, did not think football coaching would last this long for him.

"I've always told Cal, 'If you can find someone better, go right ahead,' " Tengan said.

But that never happened. Tengan was a quick study, picking up tips from the veteran assistants, as well as from Lee, and Lee's brother, Ron, a University of Hawai'i receivers coach, who used to be offensive coordinator for the Crusaders.

"Even though Ron was on offense, I learned a lot from him because he taught me how he attacks defenses," Tengan said. "I picked his mind as much as possible. It helps when you're on the defensive side."

Nothing changes philosophically on the field with Tengan in charge. He will still be defensive coordinator, which is what Lee did while he was head coach until he passed the position on to Tengan five years ago. The Crusaders will still throw the ball on offense.

"Basically, we're the same program," Tengan said. "We're running the same system. There are a few things I've changed, but they're real minor."

Other new coaches

O'ahu

• Jake Kawamata, Leilehua (replaces Cass Ishitani): Former Leilehua assistant under Gary Clark; son Justin was the state's 130-pound wrestling champion last year.
• David Maeva, Kaiser (replaces Tony Gayer): Former champion hurdler from Kamehameha (1986) later became an All-Western Athletic Conference linebacker for the University of Hawai'i. Played several seasons in the Canadian Football League and was an assistant coach at Kailua and Damien.
• Randall Okimoto, Farrington (replaces David Pila): Former Farrington running back helped the Governors to their only Prep Bowl appearance (1990) and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 1991. Later played for Hawai'i.
• Sean Saturnio, Waipahu (replaces Todd Fujimori): Graduate of Hilo High School later played for Hawai'i and coached on Waipahu's JV team.
• Onosai Tanuvasa, Pearl City (replaces Ernest Otake): Former Farrington running back (1969) was the first Interscholastic League of Honolulu player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season. Later played for the University of Oregon and Hawai'i. Was involved in coaching youth football for almost 20 years.

Neighbor Islands

• Wes Kaui, Kapa'a (replaces Gordon Muramaru): Graduate of Kamehameha Schools in 1972. Played receiver for the Warriors for four years.
• Todd Brown, Konaweana (replaces Roy Aukai): Graduate of Parker High School in Waimea. Played for Konawaena from 1982-83.
• Chad Kauhaahaa, Baldwin (replaces Brian Harris): Was an all-Maui Interscholastic League linebacker for Baldwin in 1991. Played defensive end for Utah from 1993-96.

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