After 13 seasons running the show from the Kailua bench, longtime Surfriders coach Walter "Wally" Marciel is trading in his whistle for the president and CEO seat at Damien Memorial School in Honolulu. He told his players he would retire after the state tournament, closing out a coaching run that has stretched nearly four decades across Oʻahu prep sports.
Damien names Marciel president
Damien's official leadership page now lists Marciel as the school's president and CEO, making his move from the sideline into campus leadership official. According to Damien Memorial School, the listing formalizes his shift from coaching to running the school.
The change was first reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which noted that Marciel left his coaching post at Kailua after telling the Surfriders he would step down following the state tournament. As the Star-Advertiser reported, Marciel spent 13 seasons at Kailua and has been a fixture in Windward coaching circles for decades.
A Windward lifer with a long resume
Hawaii Catholic Herald notes that Marciel is a Damien graduate from the Class of 1979 who grew up in Kailua and has now returned to his alma mater in a leadership role. Kailua's recent on-court success, including an OIA Division I title in 2025, was chronicled by ESPN Honolulu, and the Hawaii High School Athletic Association keeps a public record of the program's playoff runs under Marciel.
Campus plans include a 100-yard field
Marciel arrives at Damien as the school is pushing a campaign to finish its De Veuster Multi-Sport Field, a project the school says will host softball, soccer and a 100-yard football field. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that making room for a full field will require removing a structure and cutting back a hill, and that the property's natural well could help irrigate a grass surface. Damien's campaign page lists a $450,000 goal to finish the project, and the Damien Memorial School field page lays out the fundraising drive and the school's vision for the site.
What it means for Kailua
Marciel's departure follows a season in which the Surfriders reached the state semifinals, a run that included Kailua's semifinal loss to Punahou and Kahuku's eventual state title. Spectrum News covered those outcomes and captured the end-of-season feel around the program.
With Marciel shifting into administration, Kailua now faces a coaching transition as it tries to sustain the momentum he helped build over more than a decade on the Windward side. The move also hands Marciel a new set of priorities: day-to-day school leadership and oversight of the push to complete the long-planned on-campus field.
"I am very grateful to give back to the school that I graduated from," Marciel told the Hawaii Catholic Herald about returning to Damien in a leadership role. As he pivots from coaching to campus leadership, Marciel will be tasked with guiding the field campaign while Kailua begins a new chapter without him on the sideline.
