The Moanalua football team will not be playing home games this football season and will be practicing at local parks, according to a source close to the situation.
Work on the school’s track and football field was supposed to be completed before the season starts, but has been continually delayed.
Instead of home games, Moanalua will most likely play at the scheduled opponents’ home fields. A neutral site is also a possibility. The OIA is in the process of revising the schedule to reflect the changes, the source said.
“Construction for the installation of a rubberized eight-lane, competition level track is currently in
progress,” Moanalua principal Robin Martin wrote on the school’s website Tuesday. “We are very fortunate that this improvement was made possible due to allocated funding. … The efforts of our representatives and senators in our State Legislature were directly responsible for Moanalua High School being the recipient of such an amazing upgrade to our school campus. In November of 2016, the construction on our track began with a timeline for construction that would allow for completion of the track project prior to the start of summer practices for our Na Menehune Football and Marching Band programs. Shortly after the construction began in November, unforeseen issues began to slow the construction progress. Up until the end of June, our school was told that activities on the football field could continue during the construction.
“On June 27, the message to our school changed and we were notified that to ensure student safety, no one would be allowed on the field for any reason until construction is completed. As principal, I had hoped that we could work together with state and district offices to resolve any safety concerns that prompted the sudden and unexpected decision that now stopped all access to our football field. Despite my hopes for some sort of resolution, we have been informed that field access will not be possible for the duration of the project. I am now in the process of working with the district and state to help us in our efforts to allow students to continue with their activities. I am fully aware of all the inconveniences that these programs will encounter and I will continue to seek support, assistance, and alternatives to this unfortunate situation.”
The Moanalua football team was scheduled to have five home games — Aug. 4 vs. Punahou, Aug. 11 vs. Kailua, Sept. 2 vs. Waianae, Sept. 9 vs. Campbell, and Sept. 29 vs. Radford.
Also, according to a source close to Waipahu High, the Marauders’ home field may not be ready before the season starts.
Waipahu’s actual football field, with new artificial turf, is ready, but work on the track has been delayed. If things go according to plans, the work will be done in mid-August and the Marauders can play their home opener Aug. 25 against Roosevelt, the source said. But if there are weather delays, the home venue might not be ready until later in the season.
The site of the Marauders’ nonleague game Aug. 4 against Nanakuli has been changed from Waipahu to Nanakuli.
Moanalua doesn’t need football field, because the band gets equal time! Haha
Why can’t they practice on their baseball field, why local parks?
I remember back in the day, 1970s, when track surfaces was cinder cones. I think Kaiser in 1980 got the first modern rubber track. It was blue color. They got the modern track before the iLH.
Practice on baseball field? Are you serious, even the baseball team rarely practices on it, after the NFL guy said it was the best field in USA.
This happens, Waianae played all road games, had a homecoming at someone’s field a few years ago because of work on the bleachers.
Kahuku and Waianae is in need of new fields, the conditions of both is horrible.
Kahuku will never get a new astro turf field because it’s located in a flood zone, unless they spend $20 million (like Farrington) and build it on the upper campus. The least they (State Senator and Representative) of the district could do….lobby for more bleachers especially on the visitor’s side. Where are they when the school and community need them….nothing…not pushing hard enough like other district politicians are doing.
The local reps for that area should use all monies an allocate it towards academics. The athletics is not the issue there. It’s lack of academic support. Why else is the scores so bad out there? If you spend more money in an area that is thriving and doing well, it will only skew people’s views and slide more bias towards sports. They need to change focus to support education.
Maybe start with some picture books and math books featuring arithmetic and work their way up?