Saint Louis School football coach John Hao told The Advertiser yesterday that Monday's confirmation about Ulima Afoa's departure as athletic director "doesn't affect" his plans to stay on as head coach.

Afoa hired Hao in July 2008, about one month after taking on the AD job.

"It doesn't affect my decision, I'm here for the kids," Hao said. "We have a new principal (Pat Hamamoto) and will have a new AD, but that doesn't change my (plans). I'm here for the program and the school."

Rumors had been circulating for the past couple months around the status of Afoa and Hao, after the Crusaders' once-dominant football team lost all four games against Interscholastic League of Honolulu rivals Kamehameha and Punahou.

Saint Louis president Walter Kirimitsu confirmed Monday morning that the school is going to "make a change" in athletic directors, hoping to hire a new AD within the next month. He said the new athletic director would evaluate and make decisions on the status of all current coaches, including Hao.

But Hao said the football program is moving forward as if nothing will change.

"I'm going to have our offensive line coach (Doug Nomura) start his guys working out March 1 (for offseason conditioning), and two other coaches, Leonard Lau and Rick Lumford, will be handling the skills (position) workouts," Hao said. "We cannot wait on this. If I get fired, I get fired, but no matter what happens, the bottom line is the kids cannot lose out.

"Everybody needs to see that."

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