Kahuku head coach Carvalho still waiting for court decision on reinstatement

The biggest story heading into the 2025 Hawaii high school football season is the ongoing saga involving the Kahuku High School program and former head coach Sterling Carvalho.

With less than two weeks until the Red Raiders’ season opener, Carvalho's lawsuit against the Hawaii Department of Education and multiple other individuals connected to his termination in March is still in limbo. Carvalho testified in a hearing on Monday, July 28, seeking an injunction that would restore him to his former position as head football coach at Kahuku. That ruling hasn't come, yet, with the Red Raiders' first game against Honolulu's St. Louis slated for August 9.

As reported in multiple sources at the time, including Hawaii News Now, Carvalho was abruptly terminated on March 31. A vague statement mailed to parents from Kahuku principal Donna Lindsey stated, simply, “Coach Sterling Carvalho will no longer be serving as the head coach of the KHIS football program."

KHON Channel 2’s report on July 18 shed more light on the details of his termination including a copy of the termination letter that states he was fired due to misconduct that was confirmed in an investigation by the DOE. Specifically, he was accused of creating a hostile environment for a former player, Tavian “Manoa” Hallums, after the player's father had made a social media post critical of the coach. Both the player and the father – Kalani K.G. Hallums – are named in Carvalho’s suit as well.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Kahuku with the opening game coming against the same St. Louis squad they played in their most recent game last year on November 29. The Red Raiders had won three state titles under Carvalho heading into that contest and were expected to add another trophy to their case. Instead, they fell in a 17-10 upset in Hawaii's Open Division state championship game.

In retrospect, it was, perhaps, more of a reflection of just how little separation there was between the two island powerhouses a year ago. After all, Kahuku escaped in last year's season opener against St. Louis by a single point, 14-13. While they should be well-positioned to make a run at the title again even if Carvalho is unable to return, the reality is, there may not be much separating these two teams again in 2025.