Ex-Kahuku football coach Sterling Carvalho named Saint Louis coach

Sterling Carvalho has been named football coach at Saint Louis, marking a fairly brief search by the school.

The former Kahuku coach confirmed the hiring on Tuesday afternoon.

Carvalho led Kahuku to three Open Division state football championships in 2021, ’22 and ’23. Following the ’24 season, the DOE suspended Carvalho after a complaint by a parent of a player. He was never reinstated despite strong community support.

This year, he coached a flag football team from American Samoa, and in recent weeks, was rumored to be in the running for the vacancy at Saint Louis.

The Crusaders released Tupu Alualu at midseason, naming Leonard Lau interim coach. Hit by an exodus of players transferring out in the offseason, the Crusaders shut down its JV team to fill the gaps with talented sophomores. Saint Louis remained one of the better defensive units statewide, but had the toughest nonconference schedule in recent memory. The Crusaders went 1-3 in ILH Open Division play (1-8 overall).

With young children, Carvalho had mentioned during the crisis at Kahuku that he would have more time to see his nephews play at the college level and spend time with his children. However, the man who sparked a Pylon team on the North Shore that led to Kahuku’s offensive evolution still has the coaching itch.

He was 59-18 at Kahuku, leading the program to four OIA titles. His ’23 squad shocked St. John Bosco (Calif.), 30-23. The Braves were ranked No. 3 nationally.