‘It’s all about the kids’
For Tyson Valle, coaching football is more than just the X’s and O’s or putting points on a scoreboard — it’s an opportunity to help young athletes become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the field.
And when it comes to that, Valle is on a winning streak.
Valle is the head football coach at his alma mater, King Kekaulike High School. Since he stepped into the role in 2019, he’s taught his players how to pass, catch and tackle, all while imparting the values of perseverance, personal integrity and teamwork. The No. 1 goal, he said, “is to make their high school years a positive experience… and the best possible time of their lives.”
A 2001 King Kekaulike graduate, Valle was among the first to fill the hallways and classrooms of the newly built high school. On the advice of his intermediate school weightlifting coach, he decided to give football a try his freshman year and instantly fell in love with the sport. The school’s stadium and gym had not been built yet, so the then-middle linebacker and his teammates practiced on an open grassy space surrounded by pineapple fields.
After graduation, Valle put football behind him — but not for long. A few years later, he agreed to help a friend coach a Pop Warner team in Wailuku and quickly discovered he had a knack for it. In 2011, Valle returned to his alma mater as a newly hired assistant coach for the junior varsity team, later becoming the team’s defensive coordinator, and eventually, its head coach. Valle took a two-year break from coaching that he says ended when his wife, Makana (who is a 2003 King Kekaulike graduate), told him: “The kids need you.” Valle was back on the football field for the 2016 season, but this time, as King Kekaulike’s co-head coach with Dennis Dias.
In 2018, he and Makana debuted Upcountry Na Ali‘i Football, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that actively supports King Kekaulike Na Alii football student-athletes and the Upcountry Na Alii Big Boyz team, which is part of the Maui Big Boyz Football League. The nonprofit provides opportunities for intermediate school-age youth to not only learn the fundamentals of football, but also how to play it safely when they reach high school. It also supplies equipment for the players and covers the costs for them to participate in football clinics on- and offisland. For high school-age players, Upcountry Na Ali‘i Football provides funding for clinics, travel expenses and meals during the offseason.
Valle doesn’t hang up his coach’s hat at the end of King Kekaulike’s football season. From January to April, he’s working with the Upcountry Na Alii Big Boyz team; he also leads a weekend-long campout every summer for King
Kekaulike players. For these high schoolers, Valle says the season isn’t over after the final game.
“We still need to make sure they do well academically, graduate, and move on to bigger and better things,” he said.
Beyond helping them shine on the field, Valle helps these young athletes plan for their futures, whether it be attending college, finding a good job or serving in the military after high school. “We want to make sure they have a plan,” he said. “That’s what we’re here for—the kids. It’s all about the kids.”
Valle became the sole head coach of King Kekaulike’s varsity team in 2019, and three years later, led the team to the Division II state football championships for the second time in the school’s history. They didn’t bring home a state title, but Valle will be the first to tell you that winning isn’t everything. He says the most important thing is that his players build friendships, make memories and thrive in life. Winning, he said, “is just icing on the cake.”
For Valle, the greatest joy is seeing his players succeed after high school, no matter what path they choose.
“When I see that they’ve made it, that they’re doing well… that’s the greatest reward,” Valle said. “It hits me right in the heart.”
To learn more about Upcountry Na Ali‘i Football or to inquire about donor opportunities, email upcountrynaalii@gmail.com or visit the nonprofit’s Instagram page at @upcountrynaalii.
stands in the bleachers of the King Kekaulike High School Stadium, a field of dreams for Valle and countless Upcountry players and fans this season. For Valle, who also runs a nonprofit for youth learning the game, the development of the kids and the lessons they’ll learn for the future are at the heart of what he does.