WAI'ANAE — A television crew from the ESPN show "Timeless" is on O'ahu this week to do a segment on Kahuku High School's football program and its famed community support.

The Red Raiders were the centerpiece of a USA Today front-page article in 2004, have been a fixture in national rankings for the past five years and are known around the state for their tremendous team pride.

But before there were national high school rankings, before USA Today printed its first edition and before ESPN even existed, Wai'anae was the king of prep football in Hawai'i.

The Seariders (9-3) are trying to make their way back to the top, but Kahuku (9-1) stands in the way again in Saturday's First Hawaiian Bank State Championship semifinals.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.

The clash of O'ahu Interscholastic Association titans also represents a meeting of past and present, as Wai'anae dominated the OIA in the 1960s, '70s and '80s only to see Kahuku take over that role in the '90s and continue to reign supreme.

But Wai'anae's rich tradition still lingers, especially on the sidelines where legendary former head coach Larry Ginoza's son, Bryant, is the defensive coordinator.

"He's a chip off the old block," said head coach Danny Matsumoto. "He has his father's 'football eye,' and there are so many similarities. But most of all, they both have a passion for the game. They're a football family."

Larry Ginoza turned the sleepy Leeward Coast into one big Wai'anae football family soon after taking over the program in 1965. The Seariders went 10-1-1 the following year and won the Rural OIA championship. Over the next 18 seasons, Ginoza's teams won eight more league titles, in addition to nine OIA West titles and five O'ahu Prep Bowl crowns — symbolic of the "mythical" state championship.

Ginoza retired after the 1984 season — with Bryant an all-star quarterback on that team — as Hawai'i's winningest coach. His 20-year record was 189-40-8.

But more importantly, his program's success uplifted the spirits of a remote community beset with modern-day problems and gave kids there hope for a better future.

"To this day, when you think of Wai'anae football, you cannot help but think about Coach Ginoza," Matsumoto said. "I grew up in Makaha, and we used to all look forward to the games on Friday nights. It was the thing to do. He brought Wai'anae football to the forefront, but more than that, he built character on his teams. His players became stronger men in life."

Ginoza, 69, played for Iolani under another legendary coach, Father Kenneth A. Bray. He began teaching and coaching at Wai'anae in 1958, a year after the school opened.

After serving as an assistant for six seasons, he took over as head coach in 1965, around the same time he attended a clinic featuring Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Ginoza said he borrowed a lot of coaching philosophies from Bray and Bryant.

"I liked the way they did things, especially with discipline," Ginoza said. "Father Bray always stressed being humble, so we did some of the same things, like walking out onto the field (instead of running and yelling from the locker room), and no lei after the game. Bear Bryant was the same way, a disciplinarian."

Ginoza said he did not intend to use football as a building block for the entire community, but he is happy the sport made a positive impact.

"We always had tough, rugged kids, and I figured if we could get something going that they like, maybe we can help them out," Ginoza said. "If the kids here don't have something, you don't know what they're going to do."

Former assistants Harry Mitsui and Leo Taaca became head coaches after Ginoza retired and carried on Wai'anae's winning tradition, and Matsumoto guided the Seariders to a state semifinal appearance in 2000, his first year.

But the program fell on hard times in 2003 and 2004, going a combined 5-12 and missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 1983.

"I think it's tougher for Danny; kids are different now and he doesn't have as much faculty on his staff," Ginoza said.

Wai'anae rebounded this year in a big way, opening the season with a shocking 30-20 victory over perennial power Saint Louis. The Seariders' 9-3 record is their best since 2000.

"We had too many individuals last year," said senior quarterback Henry Keomalu. "This year we came together as a team."

Although the win totals went up and down recently, the tradition stayed strong with several alumni coming back as assistants. This year's staff includes former Wai'anae players Sam Bailey (offensive coordinator), Eddie Holt (running backs), Walter Young (offensive line) and Bernard Beaver (defensive line).

JV head coach Faigata Lave and JV assistants Lance and Lyman Panui also are former Seariders.

And of course, there is Bryant Ginoza, who has been on the staff for about 15 years and also serves as varsity assistant head coach.

"I never pushed him into coaching," Larry said, "but he's been around football his whole life."

Larry and Bryant, 38, will often talk about strategy but Bryant says his coaching style is his own.

"We have different personalities," Bryant said. "He was more stern. I yell too, but not as much at the players."

This year's players are trying to carve out their own piece of Wai'anae football history, and the Searider tradition appears to be back in full force.

"When we played for Makaha Ali'is (Pop Warner), we used to go to the games after practice on Fridays," Keomalu said. "(Former Seariders) Nate Jackson and Lono Manners, we used to look up to them. Last year was not too good, but now we have more fans and the community is more involved."

Just like old times.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.