Punahou garnered nine out of 10 first-place votes to become the first team this season to hold down the No. 1 spot for a second week in a row.
Unlike some ILH teams that traveled, the Buffanblu (15-1, 0-0) were idle from game action last week. They open league play on Thursday against Mid-Pacific, one of four consecutive road games to start the regular season.
‘Iolani (9-4, 0-0 ILH) remains at No. 2 after a busy week at The Classic at Damien. The Raiders stunned Servite, and then Diamond Bar, getting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from guard Noah Bumanglag to reach the semifinals.
Damien (14-2, 1-0 ILH D-II) is a point ahead of Maryknoll for the No. 3 position. The Monarchs, who beat the Spartans in preseason, play D-II powerhouse University on Thursday.
Maryknoll (14-1, 0-0 ILH) also had a quiet week. The Spartans, like Punahou, will open the season with four straight games on the road. They visit St. Francis on Thursday and ‘Iolani on Saturday.
St. Francis (14-9, 0-0 ILH) is home after playing in the Lahainaluna Invitational. The Saints lost to host Lahainaluna 50-49 and California’s Mission Viejo before defeating Rex Putnam (Ore.) and Seabury Hall.
Saint Louis (7-0, 0-0 ILH), Kailua (8-8, 0-0 OIA), Kamehameha (11-4, 0-0 ILH), Kalaheo (9-9, 0-0 OIA) and Kahuku round out the Top 10.
Kahuku (9-4, 0-0 OIA) is in the Top 10 for the first time since Dec. 10. Like the Kahuku girls, the boys are in the poll at No. 10 this week. The Red Raiders will host Kailua on Wednesday.
Moanalua, which lost at Farrington 59-55, dropped out of the rankings for the first time this season.
Moanalua, Lahainaluna, Farrington, Maui, Roosevelt and Waiakea also received votes.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser Top 10
| FOOTBALL | ||
|---|---|---|
| Updated: 10/23 | ||
| RANK | SCHOOL | VOTES |
| 1. | Kahuku (10) | 100 |
| 2. | Miililani | 86 |
| 3. | Campbell | 81 |
| 4. | Punahou | 73 |
| 5. | Saint Louis | 53 |
| 6. | Kapolei | 50 |
| 7. | Konawaena | 40 |
| 8. | Farrington | 23 |
| 9. | Lahainaluna | 18 |
| 10. | Kamehameha | 8 |
If this poll was conducted the same way college RPI/BPI was, Damien’s weak D2 schedule would eventually drop them out of the top 10 now that league play is about to begin.
the poll should also drop punahou and iolani out of the poll because they buy their players and recruit
My son is on the Punahou team and he was never recruited.
@ Punahou. i bet your son doesn’t play.
Pretty sure not one kid on Iolani was ever recruited…..
Kahuku only good in one sport and one sport only. Every other sport…………..nuff sed.
Anyways and kahuku 4 lyphe your the kind of red raiders that make our community look bad. Iolani and Punahou are private schools, how else are they suppose to get there players? U guys act like Brandon Akana not one of the biggest recruiters in the state! Cmon now. No act!
Akana no recruit???
Haha. What Hawaii prep world are you guys living in…almost every school in this state tries to recruit athletes to come to their school and so what….be proud that your school get what they get…if they can get it…. that’s where the real game is lost and won, outside those lines. Don’t kid your selves. The real problem is the Poll itself. Who decides where these teams place? Supposedly people whom think they know because they go to a few games. Coaches that recruit, so I’ll put my favorite team on the top ten list. Why not, it’s all fake news anyways. #helpurschoolrecruit
@Jamoajam
Akana is simply beating Punahou, Iolani, and Maryknoll at their own game. He’s coached the last 3 seasons and hasn’t done worse than going to the state tournament semi-final. He at least wins when he brings in talent unlike schools that do the same and lose. But to recruit and declare D2 is ridiculous.
Local1 he didn’t recruit anyone this year…how are they doing???…so it’s okay to recruit if you win. But if you recruit and you lose it’s not okay? And the last time I checked he recruited Tolu, and lost to Punahou.
@JamocaJay
Akana was a collegiate level player/coach. He can take a mediocre team and would take that team farther than most if not all of the coaches out now. Ok, he recruited Tolu and took a team that otherwise wouldnt even have made it to the state tournament back to the state title game. In the past two seasons, kids from Canada, Samoa, Chicago, etc have shown up on rosters for the purpose of basketball and it wasn’t to play at Kahuku. You know about Tolu because he was the best transfer of anyone that year. Hate on Akana all you like, he’s beating everyone including the ILH powers at their own game.
Like I said. He didn’t recruit anyone this year and how are they doing???? Exactly! Let’s see how far he can’t take this mediocre team.
@ Kahuku 4Lyfe
He does play and plays a lot of minutes.
You guys always say things without knowing any facts.
@JellyJam
Even if he has a terrible season, so what? Thats still 3/4 seasons he would’ve gone to the state tournament semi final, twice to the state final, an oia ship and a state tile to his name. Got coaches out there in their 10+ season haven’t achieved a fraction of that. Put Akana on a consistently loaded team like Punahou or Maryknoll and i guarantee he does better than Matsuda or Grant has been doing.
Imagine that, his coaching prowess, with his superior recruiting skills, at an ILH school? That would be Ridunkulous!!!
He would have much more to offer in recruiting those International recruits, and who knows maybe some of them might even stay after the season is done.
You’re right @Loca1boi, he would be unstoppable.
@Kahuku4Lyfe
I bet you put mayonnaise on your chili. Alot of it.
&
You have a normal Kahuku football shirt for everyday use, like playing rugby or building rock walls, and a “going out” Kahuku football shirt for special occasions, like going to windward mall or zippys.
#whyyougottahbelikedat
#stoppickingonpunahoukidscuzdeyyokidstoo
Do you think ‘Iolani’s tallest player would be 6’3″ if they recruited? Most of the boys on the ‘Iolani team have been at the school since kindergarten and the two boys who came later hardly play.
@Facts
You just gonna forget that Iolani had a dominant 6’9″ player only a few seasons ago? And he had no equal in the ILH for 4 seasons.