When Vavae Tata got the job as head coach of the storied Kahuku football program back in April, he knew that he wanted to assemble a staff that he could rely upon as well as one that knew the community.

The Red Raiders will have a tinge of "Crusader blue" on the sidelines this season. Among the assistants that Tata — a 1994 graduate of Saint Louis — hired are three other former Crusaders who are hoping to help Big Red to state championship number eight in 2015.

Tata, an all-state defensive lineman at Saint Louis, was selected from more than 30 applicants and had collegiate coaching stints at UCLA — where he also played football — as well as Stanford, San Jose State and most recently, Vanderbilt.

"It's been quite an uphill battle (transitioning from college football to high school) and it's been interesting, but at the same time, I love it because it's all about the kids. I would work for free, but don't tell my boss that," Tata joked. "It's been a joy, it's been a great experience so far and I look forward to the season."

After getting the Kahuku job, It didn't take Tata long to figure out some of the familiar faces he wanted to surround himself with.

"Actually I reached out to one of my classmates, Les Kekahuna — he played defensive back at Saint Louis — and I reached out to him because I think, he was in the process of getting into coaching," Tata said. "He was helping out with the Big Boys (league) and now he's getting the opportunity to move up to coaching the high school level, so I'm excited for him."

Kekahuna will coach the defensive backs, while Gerald Welch — a prolific pass-catcher in his days at Kalaepohaku and later at the University of Hawaii — will coach the slotbacks. Perhaps the most notable figure Tata hired was former Saint Louis quarterback and head coach John Hao to the position of offensive coordinator.

"John is about three or four years older than me, (but) we've just always bounced ideas back-and-forth and kept in touch, but it's great to see Johnny back on the field, back on the gridiron doing what he does," Tata said.

Hao went 15-6 in two years of leading the Crusaders but was not retained following the 2009 season. He then served as an assistant at Kamehameha until 2012, but hasn't coached since.

"When (Tata) came back here and I found out he got he head coaching job here, I knew he had (Kekahuna) on board, so he gave me a call and I told him, ‘Yeah, sure. I would help out,' " Hao said. "I know he had to put a staff together in a short amount of time, so me and him met a few times and I asked him if it was OK if I could just pick my (offensive) staff, so I just ended up grabbing guys I knew from the community."

Hao, who graduated from Saint Louis in 1991 before going on to play at UH, played on the same Crusader team as Tata's older brother, Pulou.

"Vae played maybe four or five years after I did, but I played with his brother," said Hao, who noted that he played against longtime Kahuku assistant Walter Santiago. Santiago, a former quarterback, is now an assistant principal at his alma mater and was among those administrators who helped pick Tata back in April.

Instead of exclusively hiring former Crusaders, Hao knew he needed to bring on those most familiar with the neighborhood.

"You want coaches on the staff that are from the community and I know Vae and myself are not from here, so we knew we wanted going to need as much neighborhood coaches as possible," Hao said. "We have Junior Mataafa (running backs), we have Loga Fonoimoana (wide receivers), Makoa Freitas (offensive line) and we have Gerald Welch all living in this community so it's good. A lot of these guys work at the school so they get to watch the kids, too."

Hao said the coaches have meshed well thus far.

"We all work well together, that's the main thing and there's a lot of loyalty amongst all of us coaches here," Hao said.

Tata has essentially given Hao free reign over the offense, thanks in part to the trust in each other established over their long friendship.

"That helps," Hao said. "It always does and of course, it's basically going to come down to if it works then we'll keep it and if it doesn't then we'll adjust, but I meet with Vae and I discuss what I'm going to do and of course, he gives his overall approval, but he has never told me ‘No, don't do this' or "No, don't do that,' so we meet and it's actually a mutual agreement on what we're going to run."

Tata is the second head coach in as many years at Kahuku, replacing Lee Leslie, whose team went 9-3 and reached the Division I state semifinals last year.

"It's been fun, but at the same time it's been on the grind ever since I've gotten here and the community has been very helpful, administrators as well, so I've just been having fun," Tata said.

However, Tata understands that in a community where hoisting a state championship is an expectation every fall, the fun only lasts as long as the wins keep coming. Not that it worries him any.

"I welcome pressure," Tata said. "I love pressure. I work well under pressure, I guess, but I'm excited. I can't wait to see our defense and our guys fly around and I think we'll have some fun this year."

- Kalani Takase