KEALAKEKUA — It’s an end of an era.
That is really the only way to describe the departure of Konawaena’s Guy Miranda, who retired recently to spend more time with his family and work on his new farm.
Miranda has been a staple at Konawaena High School for nearly two decades as head coach of the girls soccer program. During that time, he racked up six BIIF championships, several runner-up finishes and a semifinal berth in the HHSAA state tournament.
Despite all the accolades, Miranda is most proud of his commitment to the education of each one of his players over the years, while watching them both succeed in college and in life.
“Seeing their success was really all the payment I ever needed,” Miranda said.
It was with a heavy heart that Miranda stepped away from the program, but now with five grandchildren, the coach thought it was the right time to do so.
“I loved coaching, and I still have a passion for it, but I have already spend so much time away from my kids already,” Miranda said. “I never got to see my kids play soccer unless they played against us.”
Miranda knew that he couldn’t do both and he also knew that it would not be right to continue coaching if he wasn’t fully committed.
“One thing about coaching girls, they have to believe that you care and you want to be there,” Miranda said. “I am going to miss it. I am going to miss them. I was up there visiting the other day and I looked at the field and all I wanted to do was cry.”
Miranda is being replaced as head coach by his assistant and former player KaUa Wall. Wall played college soccer at Hawaii Pacific University and also played semi-professional soccer in Seattle.
“She is a tactical coach who teaches good conditioning and she knows how to communicate,” Miranda said. “There are a lot of talented kids coming up over the next two years so I don’t think this team will skip a beat.”
One of Miranda’s favorite memories at Konawaena was the 2015 season, when the Wildcats defeated Kaiser in the Guava Bowl in the preseason and then in the state quarterfinals, advancing to play Mililani in the semis, a first for the program under the coach.
“We were really close to making the championship game. There was just one little mistake at the end that cost us,” Miranda said, recalling the game. “We had a chance to tie it, but could not get the goal.”
Miranda also noted the 2005 season, in which his girls won their first BIIF title under his reign.
“We defeated Hilo in Hilo for the title,” Miranda said. “Kirstee Biven scored the winning goal.”
With those memories now embedded in the past, the newly retired Miranda will have a lot more free time to hang out with his grandchildren. He will also be working on his new home on a two and a half-acre plot of land above Makua Lani.
Miranda was previously living on a one-acre farm, which he recently sold to his son, who had returned from the mainland after a seven-year absence, so he could raise his family on the Big Island.
On his new land, Miranda hopes to grow avocados, lychee, ulu, mountain apple and various citrus fruits. He also wants to have a small section dedicated to native plants.
“We had this land and my wife and I never really did anything with it,” Miranda said. “So we decided to let my son raise his family in the same place he grew up and we will move to the new land.”
Despite being retired, Miranda still plans to hang around, teaching anyone who is will to make a trip to his home to learn about the beautiful game of soccer. He regularly does training over the summer for any of his girls that want to play at the college level. That invitation is still open.
He also doesn’t plan on missing the Guava Bowl, a preseason contest that features a match between the Wildcats and friendly their friendly Kaiser Cougar rivals.
