Whether you're standing right next to the field or perched high above it in the coach's box, coaching high school football is no easy task. Now try doing it from 3,500 miles away. That is what Fenumiai "Numi" Ilalio Jr., offensive and defensive coordinator at Service High School in Anchorage, Alaska, did for seven games this fall.

A member of the Alaska Army National Guard, Ilalio was deployed to Fort Riley, Kan., after the team's fourth game. But that didn't stop him from coaching. He stayed in contact with the rest of the staff via cell phone during his breaks in training, and evaluated game film as he received it in the mail.

"He was in contact with us three to four times a week," says Service Head Coach and Athletic Director Jason Caldarera. "A lot of his communication was to motivate the team, and some of it was schematic. Often, he'd give us a base defense to start with and we'd make adjustments accordingly."

Although the Cougars lost their first game after Ilalio's departure, they rebounded and advanced all the way to the large school state final. The night before the championship game, Caldarera arranged to have Ilalio address the entire team over speakerphone.

"I told them that I was very proud of the job they had done," says Ilalio, who is now in the midst of a year-long tour in Afghanistan. "I also talked to the key leaders on each side of the ball and assured them that if they did what they're capable of, they would be champions."

And they were. Sparked by a halftime phone call from Ilalio, the Cougars rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Juneau-Douglas High School, 22-14. With about seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Ilalio's commander halted a field combat exercise so Ilalio could listen to the end of the game over the phone with his wife, Terri.

"With less than a minute left, we intercepted a pass to secure the game and I just broke down crying," Ilalio said. "My wife said that when the kids came out of the huddle they were yelling, 'This one's for you, Coach Numi!'"

More than anything, Caldarera hopes his team learned a lesson bigger than any football game. "One of the things we discussed as a team was that in life, you're going to have to deal with adversity," he says. "It may be losing someone close to you or something with football, but those things happen. How do you respond to it? How are you going to come back the next day, work that much harder, and improve?"