KAHUKU — As the 2008 Hawai'i high school football season kicks off tonight, Kahuku has turned all attention to its opponent, in this case fellow perennial power Kamehameha.

And the Red Raiders, who face the Warriors at about 7:25 p.m. at Aloha Stadium, are determined to keep things that way for the next 3 1/2 months.

"We talked about last year, and the main focus this season is to just play football," senior defensive back Jray Galeai said Wednesday afternoon. "That's why we're here, to play football and have fun."

Things were not always fun for Kahuku last year, when turmoil surrounding dissatisfaction with head coach Reggie Torres caused Page One headlines and threatened to fracture the football-impassioned community. At one point, about half the team walked out of practice in protest and a petition was circulated around town to demand Torres' resignation.

The issues eventually were resolved, but only after several meetings between players, Torres, parents and Department of Education and Kahuku administration. The season then ended prematurely with a stunning upset loss to Kapolei in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association quarterfinals.

"Everybody just wants to move on," said Torres, who is beginning his third season at the helm. "The kids saw what happened last year, and they don't want that to happen again."

To that end, in the offseason the Red Raiders formed a "leadership committee," with about 10 players representing each of the positions (defensive backs, linebackers, receivers, etc.). The committee will serve as a liaison between the rest of the team and Torres, in an effort to improve communication.

The committee already has met with Torres to review his list of team rules, some of which were at the center of last year's dispute.

"I sat down with them to determine the policies for this season," Torres said. "We went over the requirements, rule-by-rule, and I got their feedback. They actually kept all the rules, maybe tweaked a couple. I'm proud of them."

For example, one controversial rule last year involved Torres' insistence that the team eat lunch together every day at school.

"I gave them a choice (this year), and they wanted that (to keep the rule intact)," Torres said. "They want to be together and look out for each other."

Another point of contention last year was Torres' effort to curb on-field celebrations, but this year's group has agreed to tone it down.

"We want to do things as a team, no individual (celebrations)," said Galeai, who serves on the leadership committee. "It's all up to us now, everything is on our shoulders. I think it will help us be closer as a team."

Galeai said he noticed a difference during conditioning workouts in the spring and summer.

"The offseason was very intense, it brought back memories of losing," said Galeai, last year's starting quarterback. "Now we're getting excited to play again, we want to go out and play football the best way we know how."

And as for any chance of last year's turmoil recurring?

"We're 100 percent behind our coach now," Galeai said. "Our coach is doing a good job."

EXTRA POINTS: OIA executive director Dwight Toyama has reiterated that artificial noisemakers are not allowed at football games, following the guidelines set by the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association. ... Galeai has moved to defensive back, where he expects to play in college. He has made a verbal commitment to attend Brigham Young University.

Read his blog on prep sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com