LIHUE — Kauai High School’s varsity football team enjoyed a fruitful 2013-14 season in which it won the Kauai Interscholastic Federation title and was runner-up in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II football state tournament. The team’s aspirations are
LIHUE — Kauai High School’s varsity football team enjoyed a fruitful 2013-14 season in which it won the Kauai Interscholastic Federation title and was runner-up in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II football state tournament.
The team’s aspirations are just as high as it prepares for this season.
The Red Raiders, however, have already hit a few roadblocks. Head coach Tommy John Cox said all of his players aren’t available because of injuries and academic eligibility. He hopes to have his full squad by the start of the KIF season.
“Right now, we’re trying to get past all the stuff that’s been going on this summer with our ineligibles, injuries and some guys leaving. I’m just asking them to focus. Win or lose, it’s still preseason. We got lots of work to do. The main thing is that we are ready by Sept. 5,” Cox said. “Everybody likes to win, but I think our focus is changing a little bit. Getting guys reps and stuff like that to get ready for the regular season”
Senior linebacker Kelii Efhan injured his knee two weeks ago. He won’t be participating in preseason games, but should be ready for the first league game.
“It sucks because I want to be there when the team forms with how they play and just (having) that brotherhood. When I come back, I’ll be there and we’ll bond,” Efhan said. “It’s making me very anxious. I have a lot more fire, but it’s also making me sad just thinking that after this (season), I won’t be playing for Kauai High anymore.”
Though he would like to have Efhan on the field, Cox won’t rush his return.
“We’re not going to ruin a kid’s life just to play a couple of football games. He’s going to sit out as long as it needs to get that thing to 100 percent,” the Red Raiders coach said. “We’ll see, but we got other guys that have been working out there. They just got to step up. All of these guys have got to step up.
“Having all these other guys playing in these preseason games that may not have gotten a chance to play, it’s only going to help us. It will give us some more depth in the regular season,” he added.
Sophomore quarterback Aaron Renaud returned to Kauai after spending his freshman year at Saint Louis School on Oahu. He will be the team’s starter.
“I don’t really (let it) get to me that I’m a sophomore. I’ll just play with these guys and show them that I have the ability to compete with them,” Renaud said.
Cox said Renaud should fit in fine as his starting QB.
“I’m sure he’ll hit some rough spots here and there, but that’s expected out of a young kid. But he’s got all of the tools, ability and the smarts to get it done. I have the utmost confidence in that kid,” Cox said.
Kauai will travel to the Big Island and play Konawaena High School on Saturday. Kauai is No. 4 on scoringlive.com’s HHSAA Division II preseason rankings and Konawaena is No. 5.
“We just got to go out there and do everything we’ve learned,” Renaud said. “We have trust in these coaches. We have good coaches. We just got to do what they teach us and do our jobs. We should be fine.”
This will be coach Cox’s second and final year as Kauai’s varsity head coach. He will step away from the program at season’s end to focus on his family.
Prior to his two years as varsity coach, he spent five years with the school’s junior varsity team.
“I think it’s a good time to step down. I think I’ve put in my time here with these kids. These kids graduating this year, they were with me as freshmen my first year as JV head coach,” Cox said. “I’m not going out on a bad note, win or lose. I had lots of good times.”
