Pausing every 10 seconds or so to catch his breath and fight off the tears quickly flooding his eyes, Reid Aiwohi read a one-page statement to Circuit Court Judge Michael Wilson yesterday expressing his deep regret for an incident last fall that resulted in his arrest for second-degree assault.

"I should have never stepped onto the field; coaches and players belong on the field, and parents and fans belong in the stands," said Aiwohi, a former football parent who punched Castle assistant coach David Mahelona in the face following an O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoff game on Oct. 20, 2006. "I just want to move on and put this behind me."

Wilson, however, said, "This case really is about David Mahelona, who has shown himself to be an example of a dedicated coach who is helping children at a time in their life when they need role models. He has distinguished himself as a man of great character, who has put the interest of the community above his own ego, and yet was faced with one of the most stressful situations a person can face ..."

In a letter to the court, Mahelona — a former Castle teammate and close friend of Aiwohi's — did not request jail time.

Wilson, saying there might have been "a big difference" if he did, sentenced Aiwohi to five years' probation and 100 hours of community service, and ordered him to seek anger management counseling and pay fees toward restitution.

"You put your welfare in (Mahelona's) hands," Wilson told Aiwohi, a father of three. "If he decided otherwise, you very likely would have had to go to jail."

Wilson mentioned the "added measure" of penalties for second-degree assault on an education worker engaged in performance of his duty. High school coaches — even ones like Mahelona who have full-time jobs off campus — fall under that category, and assaulting them is considered a felony.

Wilson also praised Mahelona for showing tremendous self-control in not retaliating after being struck in the face.

"He did not respond in a violent way to violence," Wilson said. "He is an unusual man in our community, by his actions of seeking a lawful way to respond to an action that can be humiliating ... I have great respect for him."

Mahelona, speaking to The Advertiser by phone after the sentencing, said Aiwohi's sentence probably "would have been stiffer if he wasn't my friend." He said he did not want to attend the hearing because he did not want to succumb to emotions after seeing his former teammate.

"If I saw him there and listened to him talk, I might forgive him right away" and perhaps ask for more leniency, Mahelona said. "I felt like I had to make a statement for all the other coaches, so that maybe someone will think twice before doing this to them."

Castle athletic director Richard Haru, who also serves as the OIA's safety and security officer, said that is an important statement to make.

"Nowdays with athletics, the emotions run so high and people are reluctant to control their emotions if they know nothing is going to happen to them," Haru said. "It's hard to find coaches, and even harder to find good coaches. Incidents like these make it even more difficult.

"The demands of our society are great, and it's often a major sacrifice for our coaches. We gotta do what we can for them."

Nonohe Botelho, a victims' advocate for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, said Mahelona's is one of three cases she is working on involving a high school coach being assaulted. A coach was allegedly assaulted during a post-game melee in February after the 'Aiea-Thompson Academy boys basketball playoff game, and Campbell football coach Tumoana Kenessey was allegedly assaulted by a parent last month.

"Something should be done to make the coaches and players feel safe," said Melissa Mahelona, David's wife, during testimony yesterday. "The kids need something more positive to look at."

Read Wes Nakama's blog on prep sports at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.