Leo Abellera’s team motto during his first stint as Keaau football coach was simple and practical: just have fun.
As impractical as it may sound, it wasn’t long before reaching that goal became complicated.
“We started winning,” he said. “The pressure to keep on winning, and you forget to have fun and are more worried about winning.
“Same approach here. Let’s have fun, but let’s try to win a game. One game.”
Abellera helped build Keaau High and its football program from the ground up. He’s taught math at the school since it opened its doors in 2000, and he guided the Cougars to their first winning season in 2005.