His lifelong dedication to the game was rewarded with winning the state's inaugural Division II football championship with a 9-7 win against Damien.

Say is The Advertiser's Coach of the Year.

'Aiea's season got off to an inauspicious start, a 14-7 loss to eventual O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division champion Mililani. It had a setback toward the end of the regular season with a 44-24 loss to Kapolei. But Say guided Na Ali'i to five consecutive wins en route to the state title.

Say said the key to 'Aiea's success is stability. He has surrounded himself with a talented staff that is loyal to the program.

"A lot of times, coaches don't come back," Say said. "The good programs, like Saint Louis and Kahuku, their coaches have been there for years. That's part of their success."

But it all comes back to Say, the most tenured coach in the OIA and second-most tenured on O'ahu behind Iolani's Wendell Look's 13 seasons.

Coaches usually leave coaching to return to school to secure credits to boost their pay as teachers. Say, 47, managed to earn his master's degree in teaching in 2000. He took classes at night, sometimes arriving late for class because of practice.

"My profs used to make fun of me," Say recalled.

Say said attending classes at night meant doing homework after putting his three children to sleep.

"That first year, I didn't think I'd make it through," he said. "Once I got used to it, it worked out all right."

Say said his wife, Lili-Ann, has been understanding in his passion for coaching.

"My wife has been real supportive because (coaching) has taken away from us a lot of things," the Linfield (McMinnville, Ore.) alumnus said. "It's been great doing something you love. I went to college because of football. Coach (Ad) Rutschman had a big influence on me."

Say, a 1974 graduate of Leilehua, said he does not know when he will give up coaching. Although he did promise his wife he would quit if he his team won a Prep Bowl.

"But I didn't say anything about state championships," joked Say.