Q and A with Kapolei High School Head Coach Darren Hernandez
#1 – Kapolei had a remarkable football season this past fall – tell us about it?
I have been the only head coach in Kapolei high school’s history. I chose the school colors and designed the logo. So I have seen everything, being here since the school opened in 2000. We had a great season, finishing 10-3 and ranked #3 in the state. We had the best season in our young history (we started playing varsity football in 2002). Kapolei has always been known to have a tough defense, but we were inconsistent on offense over the years. This past season was a record breaking one on offense for the Hurricanes, as we led the state in passing offense and passing touchdowns.
#2 – Former college and NFL head coach June Jones was your offensive coordinator in 2016 – How did it happen?
I have known June for many years. I took over the program at Kapolei the same year that June took over at University of Hawaii. I always admired what he was able to do with the Run ‘n Shoot, having the opportunity to speak to him about it and also having the chance to speak to Mouse Davis when I was an assistant coach for the Hawaiian Islanders of the Arena Football League, I knew that we would switch from a predominantly run oriented team, to a passing team. In 2015, our freshman quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, threw for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns in his varsity debut. June was intrigued. He came to watch practice and marveled at the young phenom. June put in a couple of plays and the next week, Taulia threw for 484 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tagovailoa finished his freshman season with 22 touchdown passes as we finished 6-4. We were eliminated in the second round of the league playoffs. During the off season, June and I spoke and he became my offensive coordinator for the 2016 season. It turned out to be a match made in heaven.
#3 – Your quarterback had an outstanding season. What did Coach Jones work on with him to maximize his ability?
Our QB had a record breaking season. He threw for 3,919 yards, 42 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions, more than doubling his freshman numbers. Those stats are second best all-time in Hawaii high school history. His 534 yards passing in a game is second all-time in Hawaii. June really worked on his reads, honed his already quick release and improved his patience in the pocket. June’s influence also produced record breaking performances from our slotbacks. Senior Jaymin Sarono set a state record for receptions with 113 (for 1,133 yards) and 22 touchdown receptions. Our other slot, Wyatt Perez, hauled in 68 receptions for 919 yards and 13 scores. His tutelage also helped our offensive line, where our protection was outstanding. We gave up an average on one quarterback sack per every 55 pass attempts.
