Molokai to Hana commute is a beaut

Molokai is sitting pretty in the MIL 8-man football race, having clinched at least a share of the championship.

The Farmers (6-1, 5-1) did that with a 51-40 home victory over Lanai on Oct. 6.

This latest title comes on the heels of three undisputed titles in a row from 2015 to 2017.

But it ain’t easy being the road team, and it is a little harder for Molokai than it is for Lanai, since the latter is closer to Maui’s two squads — Hana and Seabury Hall.

Here’s an idea of what it’s like for the Farmers to take a trip to Hana, according to sports reporter Rob Collias of the Maui News:

“It takes time,” he said in somewhat of an understatement. “It’s a 45-minute to one hour ferry, and it’s not exactly like boarding a plane, but you still have to stand in line and all of that. And then, the drive from Lahaina to Hana — that’s a four-hour drive, maybe five. They also have to (take more time to) meet at the school before going to the harbor.”

Collias has been told by the MIL that the cost of Molokai’s ferry is $5,000 because — since the ferry is not a daily regularly scheduled service — it is chartered. Lanai’s ferry service, on the other hand, has a daily schedule.

All of those complications — in a sense — helped the Farmers a bit to the title. Here’s how:

There is still one MIL 8-man game remaining — Seabury Hall (0-5, 0-5) at Lanai (4-2, 4-1) on Saturday. The Pine Lads can earn a share of the championship with Molokai by beating the Spartans.

One game — Molokai at Hana on Aug. 24 — was canceled due to Hurricane Lane. That game eventually may be officially called a forfeit by the Dragons. It all depends on the outcome of the Seabury Hall-Lanai game, according to Collias.

In simple terms, if Lanai wins Saturday, it will share the title (the league chose not to hold playoffs this season and instead is awarding the championship to the team with the best record). If Lanai loses Saturday, Molokai takes the crown outright.

A Dragons forfeit (rather than make Molokai reschedule that fun trip to Hana) would happen if Lanai wins. That would give the Pine Lads and Farmers the same 5-1 league record.

“Hana agreed to it and we’ve already put the forfeit down on the books,” Collias said.

Hawaii Prep World has followed suit, with the Farmers at 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the league (instead of 5-1 and 4-1).

If Lanai loses, there would be no reason for the Hana forfeit and it would come off the books.

In their one matchup this season, the Farmers defeated the Dragons (who did the aforementioned commute going in the opposite direction) 44-13 in Molokai.

In head-to-head competition, Molokai and Lanai split their two games, giving more credence to the co-championship. Before losing that Oct. 6 game 51-40 to the Farmers, the Pine Lads beat Molokai 44-16 at home Sept. 1.

Standings from all the Neighbor Islands follow. Updated: Nov. 25