Moanalua In Search Of New Football Coach After Vince Nihipali Steps Down

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It was a short and relatively successful tenure for Vince Nihipali as the high school football head coach at Moanalua.

The former defensive coordinator at Mililani and assistant at Campbell, Nihipali’s departure was first reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Monday.

Na Menehune athletic director Joel Kawachi told Bedrock Sports Hawaii on Tuesday that he will be taking applications to fill the vacant position after the football season is over.

A former Kamehameha player who graduated in 1990, Nihipali’s Moanalua squad went 2-6-1 overall this season, finishing 1-5 and in sixth place in the seven-team OIA Open Division. That (top-tier) level of play was new to Na Menehune for the first time.

In his first season at the helm in 2021, Moanalua went 5-2 overall, including 4-1 in OIA Division I for the regular season title. In the league championship game, however, Na Menhune lost to Aiea 17-14.

“One of my goals was to get to the Open Division and stay there, and we did that,” Nihipali told Paul Honda of the Star-Advertiser. “The turnout’s been great. I just feel like it’s the perfect opportunity to leave and the next guy can step in and do well.”

This fall, Moanalua had more than 120 players on the varsity and JV teams combined under Nihipali, who cited family reasons for leaving the post.

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