The Kahuku Red Raiders are moving forward, with or without a few rebels.

The latest chapter this season unfolded yesterday when an adult who is not part of the football program came to the team's lockerroom and attempted to have the team walk out on coach Reggie Torres.

Thirty players sat in the lockerroom while the rest of the 94-member team was on the field preparing for practice. By the time the discussion in the lockerroom was done, all but three players stayed behind. The rest joined their teammates at practice, Torres said last night.

For Torres, it's a book that simply won't close. The Red Raiders are ranked second in the Star-Bulletin Top 10 and off to a 4-0 start in league play. All the controversy comes on the heels of their state championship a year ago.

A petition signed by some community members was submitted to the administration last week Monday calling for Torres' resignation. Those concerns were addressed in a discussion between Torres and the team last week, and they regrouped before going on to defeat Farrington 27-7 on Friday.

Torres said his concerns about excessive celebration and the haka reached a compromise. "I told them, we can do the haka as long as we don't disrespect the culture and don't taunt. We can't have it 80 guys do it right and 10 guys do whatever, like in the past," he said.

The Red Raiders performed the haka before the Farrington game, their last home date of the regular season.

Torres, a longtime wrestling and judo coach, and a member of the school faculty, said that disciplining his players for excessive celebration is basic common sense. Though some players want a return to a style that prevailed under previous coach Siuaki Livai, Torres won't have it. The team then had its share of penalties during the Farrington game, he said.

"We made some adjustments on Monday. You can't do excessive celebration. You get 15-yard penalties," Torres said. "When we celebrate, we will celebrate as a team."

Torres hopes the team continues to draw closer together. "We're moving on. The kids know the importance of unity," he said. "What we're doing together is finding a medium."

In the meantime, principal Lisa Delong continues to support Torres, he said. "We're getting a ton of support through e-mails and phone calls. Our principal is getting phone calls."

On the whole, Torres said, he serves the student-athletes first and foremost. "If the kids don't want me, I won't coach. I'm coaching for them. If they sit down and we talk, they'll get their way," he said. "They want me to be more happy, but it's hard to be happy when all this outside stuff is coming down on my shoulders."

Kahuku visits Castle tomorrow night.

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