Johnson resigns at Kailua

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kailua High School football players said yesterday they did not notice any major friction between head coach Darren Johnson and his assistants last season, and Johnson said that's because there was none.

JOHNSON

"I thought everything was going good, and then (the past two weeks) there was all these questions in everybody's head," said junior Ryan Rodrigues, who was in the offensive line rotation last season. "We finally got one answer, and everybody was surprised."

Johnson, who compiled a record of 58-29-1 in eight seasons at Kailua and guided the Surfriders to O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship games the past three years, said last night the players had no reason to think anything was amiss.

"There was nothing wrong," said Johnson, who said he ultimately decided to resign to complete work on a bachelor's degree. "I just gotta take care of my personal goals right now."

Kailua athletic director Mel Imai referred to Department of Education policy on personnel issues in explaining why the complaints could not be disclosed. He said on April 16 that a gag order had been placed on all parties involved. Johnson said he will stay on at Kailua as an educational assistant for now.

The Surfrider football players, meanwhile, are still trying to figure out what happened.

"We never knew any of this was coming," said junior running back Kekoa Sua, who was a first-team OIA Eastern Division All-Star last season. "Everything was all good last season, but then (now) it's like, 'What happened?' I found out in the cafeteria this morning. Everybody was in shock."

Rodrigues and Sua both said they thought the football program was running smoothly with Johnson at the helm.

"We were happy, it was a good system," Rodrigues said. "I thought it had good organization. We had good coaches at all the positions — offensive line, running backs, defensive backs ... it's a big loss for the program."

Sua, who was called up from the JV as a freshman late in the 2001 season, said he also was satisfied with the way the team was run.

"It's hard, because I grew up around D.J. the last three years," Sua said. "I thought he was a good coach. If you made a mistake, he corrected you on the spot."

When asked if he would return to play for Kailua in the fall no matter who was named head coach, Sua replied, "I really don't know."

"I think it will affect the program," Rodrigues said of Johnson's resignation. "A lot of the players were close with the coaches. They spent a lot of time with us on workouts and fundamentals."

The investigation began immediately after the complaints were filed, but was not completed until 10 days later. At about 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Johnson told The Advertiser, "I'm still the football coach at Kailua, I still work there."

Imai said he met with Johnson and Kailua principal Francine Honda until about 9 p.m. Monday, and the result was Johnson tendering his resignation.

"It was his decision and his call," Imai said. "He wanted to do it."

Imai said although the investigation was complete by Friday, he and Honda were not able to meet with Johnson until Monday night.

"We all have other things we need to work on during the week, so we couldn't just concentrate on this," Imai said. "That's one of the reasons it took so long. That, plus we really wanted to get everything clarified in writing and double-check everything, and we needed to sit down with Darren to talk about it."

Johnson said the assistants' complaints were not the impetus for his resignation, and that the timing was right for him to go back to school.

"What happened, happened — and now it's time to mend everybody's wounds," Johnson said. "They'll find a good coach, and the kids will carry it on."

Imai said he will advertise for the vacancy and hopes to fill it by May 24, when spring practice begins.

For the players, the new leader can't come soon enough.

"We're still wondering who will coach Kailua," Sua said.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.