Hawaii Kahuku football coach Sterling Carvalho out after four straight state finals

Sterling Carvalho went 59-18 in six seasons as Kahuku’s head coach.

Big news from the Big Island. Shocking news in the world of high school football.

Kahuku's Sterling Carvalho is out as head football coach. The news was first reported by the Honolulu Star Advertiser's Billy Hull.

Carvalho was 59-18 in his six seasons at the helm and took the Red Raiders to four straight state championship finals. He won three Open Division state titles in a row from 2021 to 2023.

Kahuku went 9-5 this past season before falling short in the Open Division state final to Honolulu St. Louis, 17-10.

Kahuku football coach Sterling Carvalho. / Heston Quan

Kahuku won 32 consecutive games against Hawaii opponents starting in 2021, but the program's greatest feat under Carvalho was when the Red Raiders stunned top-ranked St. John Bosco (CA) — the defending national champions at the time — 30-23 at home in September of 2023.

A letter to football families was issued from school principal Donna Lindsey:

"Coach Sterling Carvalho will no longer be serving as head coach of the KHS Football Program. Plans are in place to ensure continued support and stability for our student athletes and the Football Program. An interim head coach will be assigned while we begin the process of selecting a new head coach."

Letter from Kahuku principal Donna Lindsey to Red Raider football parents about the news of Sterling Carvalho no longer being coach. / Kahuku School

Kahuku hosted 2024 National Champions Mater Dei (13-0) in 2024 and fell 38-7. The Red Raiders are scheduled to take on Mater Dei again in 2025, but in California, on September 5.

---

Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school sports news.

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: 

Download iPhone App | Download Android App