It’s been one week since the Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive board voted to create a three-tiered state football tournament format.
Did that really happen? Pinch me.
Sure enough, it happened, and now the general public will get a taste of what it has been clamoring for for a long time.
From this subjective vantage point, the new format is a BEAUTIFUL THING. I don’t speak for everyone in Hawaii, but most people we’ve asked are attracted to the idea of more competitive balance and safety.
The HHSAA didn’t go as far as the proposal that was submitted earlier this year, which called for an Oahu Interscholastic Association and Interscholastic League of Honolulu alliance that would have put $35,000 into every Oahu football-playing school’s budget for three straight years.
But what the HHSAA and its five member leagues did do was create a fantastic scenario where the big boys play the big boys, the medium boys play the medium and the little guys play the little. Boys is somewhat of a misnomer here because girls play football too, just not that many.
Instead of a power conference in which the 10 best teams in the state play each other in the regular season (as was proposed), we now have a POWER state tournament in which those programs who desire to be numero uno at the tippity toppity of levels will play for overall bragging rights.
That division is called OPEN, and rightly so. You got what it takes? Then set your sights on the Open division championship.
By creating this Open division, the HHSAA has ELEVATED THE ELITE and that’s something that has been needed in Hawaii.
And one of the best things about the new format is that it leaves Division I and Division II virtually unchanged, other than the top-notch schools moving up from D-I to Open.
There is an odd case for ‘Iolani, but it’s not the Raiders’ fault that they are the only team left in the ILH that is classified as D-I and therefore get a free pass (at least this year) into the D-I states. They dominated the state at the D-II level and were hounded by the public to move up. They finally moved up to D-I and now they’re getting hammered for being there. Just remember, Punahou, Kamehameha and Saint Louis opted to go to Open from D-I, and Damien, St. Francis and Pac-Five decided to remain in D-II.
So, now does everybody want ‘Iolani to go back down to D-II? Don’t be silly. The Raiders have been theoretically in the middle between D-I and D-II so long and now you want to punish them for being where they seem to belong? They were not really a D-I team last season, but now with the power three moving up, they are a PERFECT FIT for D-I.
Speaking of PERFECT FITS, take a look at the teams that would have been in the three tiers if this format was part the state tournament last season.
>> OPEN: Kahuku, Mililani, Waianae, Farrington, Saint Louis, Punahou. (How awesome is that?)
>> Division I: Hilo, Baldwin, ‘Iolani, Kailua, Kealakehe, Kapolei, Moanalua, Campbell (How awesome is that?)
>> Division II: Radford, Nanakuli, Damien, Lahainaluna, Konawaena, Kapaa (the same teams who actually played for the D-II state title last season and it was filled with epic games).
There have been some who feel the ILH is getting a great deal because, for the first time since the state tournament began in 1999, it will get two teams into the highest division. Some feel the ILH doesn’t need an extra advantage, since those schools can offer monetary help for athletes.
But what some don’t realize is that the ILH does not dominate the Division I state tournament. Of the 16 years of the event, OIA teams have won it 10 times.
“The public schools don’t get enough credit for their success in the state tournaments,” former HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya said. “Some people assume that the private schools dominate, but the facts show otherwise, particularly in the team sports. Time and again, the public schools have shown that they can rise to the occasion and hold their own with the private schools, and I’m confident that the three-tier football tournament results will be no different in the long run.”
Amemiya worked behind the scenes to gather support for the new format, much like he did when he helped usher in Division II to football in 2003.
Others feel that teams from the Neighbbor Islands aren’t getting a fair shake by not being named to the Open, but all three outer-island leagues voted in favor of the format at the HHSAA executive board meeting.
And, when you get right down to it, now those strong teams from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and Maui Interscholastic League — such as Baldwin and Hilo — have a real chance at bringing home Division I hardware. No BIIF or MIL teams have made it as far as a a D-I championship game.
Plus, it hasn’t been fully reported before, but the BIIF and the MIL were asked if they wanted to take part in the Open division this season and both declined.
It might seem like a small thing, but these schools get to retain that Division I status, something they would not have been able to do do, say, if the new divisions were named D-I, D-II and D-III. Just another reminder that D-I and D-II are STAYING VIRTUALLY THE SAME, with the exception of the ELEVATION OF THE ELITE to the Open division.
Eventually something similar needs to be done for the regular season to avoid the blowouts we’ve been seeing — like Kahuku 50, Aiea 7, and Mililani 42, Castle 0. Competitive balance? What competitive balance? There is also that safety factor that comes into play when a team, such as McKinley last season, is barely able to find enough players to put on the field and is putting inexperienced players into the front lines of games against powerhouses like Kahuku and Waianae. We could look up the scores from last season, but, without checking, we already know the Tigers gave up close to 200 points and scored 0 against the Red Raiders and Seariders combined.
Do we really want that? Does anybody in their right mind want that?
Definitely not. Change is called for in a big way here, and according to HHSAA executive director Chris Chun, the people in power are listening and that’s why change has begun.
This new format is a GREAT first step. When we’re watching, squads like Baldwin, Hilo, maybe Leilehua and, er … why not? … ‘Iolani in the Division I state semifinals, pinch me again. That would be unreal and … it’ll be the way it’s supposed to be (from this vantage point). Of course, the Mules still have a shot at the Open if they continue to improve as the season goes on.
Who ya’ got in D-II — Lahainaluna, Konawaena, Kapaa … or St. Francis, or Damien or Pac-Five … or any number of D-II classified schools that could get hot at the right time?
And the Open division, well, if you want the ABSOLUTE BEST schools to be in it, you’ve got just what you want.
Three tiers. It makes sense. With more competitive games, revenue and fan interest is likely to rise considerably.
There are those who are still against it. But, seriously, from a fan’s perspective, what’s not to like?
@Nick A., great read and I like this new format but from my perspective nothing has change but for some who are for or against well just let me remind you all again whereas the Kahuku Red Raiders are still number #1 and still the Hawaii High School State Football defending Champions and until proven otherwise and for sure the new format will prove that again and so you see nothing has change; that saying, “you need to knock out the defending champion to be get his belt”. mahalo again Nick,…RR4L.
Not so sure it’s a good idea to have 2 ILH teams in the state football tournament. The ILH football tile means NOTHING now. And you never want to see an all-ILH football state championship game. Having 3 levels for state foootball championships is good. As fas as Iolani goes, they can recruit more players to become competitive in the Open division. I think they recruit just enough players to be able to win their classification, but not too much where they would be forced to play in the Open division and then have to compete with St Louis for players. I seen Iolani destroy Waianaae in the 1980 Prep Bowl. Had Samoan recruits on their team.
@Nick: Thank you for at least honestly stating your subjectivity from the outset. Rare for a news journalist to not be objective (at least overtly so).
I think the gains for the ILH by FAR outweigh any gains by the OIA. Like comparing the distance to the sun vs the distance between Kaneohe and Kailua. Basically automatic State seeding for St Louis AND Punahou (please don’t argue for Kam’s inclusion – it’s a losing argument). Where’s the ‘competitiveness’ in that? There is none. It will just be a showcase of who’s the best recruiter between those two. Why even bother having a season. Just junk-and-a-po for 1st and 2nd place out of ILH, because that would have the same effect.
I’m not sold on Iolani’s alleged ‘predicament’. Too good for D2 but can’t hack ‘Open’ so let’s create the perfect scenario where they can continue to win? Again, where’s the ‘competitiveness’? Again, there is none. Another recruiting bonus for another ILH team.
So now the ILH gets what they wanted without having to pay for it. Is it because they feel they’re already paying too much by covering the tuition of their recruits?
This new format is like having graduation ceremonies for ‘graduating’ from elementary school. Waste time. If the ILH is serious about being competitive we would have a super league. Now that possibility has been set back another decade or so because the ILH no longer has any incentive to do so. They have what they’ve always wanted.
Too bad for St Louis and Punahou they can only field one team at a time. But hey, maybe the HHSAA will consider fielding an ILH ALL-STAR team to represent them in States in future iterations if this new format doesn’t produce more ILH State champs. The road still goes through Kahuku. Oops.
Next time try a little more objectivity. Just a little. Otherwise, nice article.
OIA schools are not competitive with St.Louis and Punahou. Kahuku is the only one that can hang. Look at what StLouis did to Mililani last year and Mills big 3ballers were seniors. It will be lopsided victories when anyone but Kahuku plays Pun/StLouis.
This new format would be excellent and exactly what the state needed for a long time, except for the fact that it should have been done from the get go with the 3 divisions, from regular season to the playoffs, that way everyone has to earn their right to be in the playoffs right from the start. That way no one can complain and what’s fair is fair. If you lose stay home, if you win then go on. Period!!! I know people complain about ILH having the advantage of pulling in talent from all over the state, but it’s been that way for decades and that’s never going to change, it is what it is! Maybe the OIA should remove their restrictions on transfer rules??? So they can be more competitive with the ILH!! But overall this new format is great, nothing worse then being the #3 team and being at home watching the playoffs!!! Just my penny and a half, cannot afford two cents…. Good Luck to all teams this year. Should have a lot of great games this year! Most of which we would never have seen without this new format….
Did anyone ask Damien, Pac-5 or St. Francis about the changes. It seems like the ILH just took care of D1 teams and left the DII teams to fight for one spot. The D1 shouldve played for the top 3 spots and not just give Iolani a free pass. Now Kam will be left out because of this barring a couple upsets. In fact they will need beat someone twice (Punahou or St. Louis) to qualify for the state tournament. That;’s because the ILH has a post season playoff again this year. So Kam could lose all their games and get hot at the end ans win the playoff and get in to the state tournament. The ILH set themselves up for some bad scenarios and a lot of wasted games. And still they get 3 D1 teams playing in the state tournament. Sounds like conspiracy to me….
Just a side note! If kahuku ends up winning it all this year and throws a wrench in the ILH plans of bringing home the KOA! Next year they can reformat again, have kahku’s 1st string play their 2nd string in one division , and keep the rest the same…
So how does the seedings work for the open Div? Is it overall record? What if Punahou, St louis end up in the same brackett? Won’t that hamper the chances for an ILH sweep for states?
According to this Logic if the AFC has the top two teams in the NFL Patriots/Broncos and the winner between these two represents the AFC in the super bowl and loses to the Seahawks. The AFC has a right to cry and say “Hey we had the two best teams we should have won the superbowl! I think we need to create a playoff between the top two teams from the AFC and NFC”
That is basically what is happening. It doesnt matter that Punahou didnt get into the State tourney last year because the best team from the ILH (St. Louis) did get into the tourney and lost against Kahuku. So is the ILH saying that maybe Punahou would have beat Kahuku? so now the ILH wants Kahuku to have to play both ILH teams in order to win a title?
If you cant win your conference your season is done, if your conference champion cant win the big game then your conference (ILH) is not the best conference so stop trying to figure out how to make it easier for your conference to win.
The only one that benefits from this is the ILH. Someone got paid real good
Mathematically the ilh benefits from this whole thing if it turns out the way the they have it set up. But it does make for a more competitive playoffs from the 1st round on….no boring 1st round games…. what will be f’d up is if st louis nd Punahou are 1&2 and end up with 1st round bye’s…
We need to just drop the ILH & OIA period, classifying them as such, seems to be the biggest issue here… Just let the kids play! In the end, the best teams will rise. GREAT for the kids (more opportunity to play for a championship) and GREAT for the fans (will be able to see the best teams go at it week in and week out).
If the ILH is not winning titles it hurts their product and reputation, remember they are supposed to be the best at everything thats why parents pay big bucks and send their kids there in the first place, and to help the cause the schools will grant scholarships or financial aid to the very elite athletes in order to gain an edge on the field, in the case of saint louis losing is not an option so their tactics of recruiting and holding kids back a year are extreme. When I graduated from high school at kahuku at age 17 my friends that went to stlouis were still juniors. if me and a handful of classmates were held back a yr we wouldve beat stlouis in the prep bowl multiple times.
The “open” division is a glorified OAHU PREP BOWL. Let’s see, bring back Cal Lee,check. Bring back OAHU PREP BOWL with extra teams and Mac salad,check. Somebody pinch me, we back in the 1980’s.
IT’S AN AWESOME IDEA! I LIKE IT! THE BEST OF THE BEST! Brada Matt is right, do away with labeling oia and ilh. RRFL! NO SKED UM GO GET UM!
Questions! Can an outer island team ask to participate in the “Open”? If so will they take a ILH or OIA spot? Will the “open” championship be called Oahu Open Championship and not be deemed “STATE” championship? When Baldwin lost to Kahuku on a last second ” hail mary”, in the 2006 semi, Kahuku then beat St Louis 7-6 in the championship. I believe Baldwin had a very good chance at taking it all. If this format was in place that chance would have never been possible. Go OCC!
@theredsea…. the outer islands was asked, they declined….
MrWendall August 30, 2016 at 8:56 am
According to this Logic if the AFC has the top two teams in the NFL Patriots/Broncos and the winner between these two represents the AFC in the super bowl and loses to the Seahawks. The AFC has a right to cry and say “Hey we had the two best teams we should have won the superbowl! I think we need to create a playoff between the top two teams from the AFC and NFC”
That is basically what is happening. It doesnt matter that Punahou didnt get into the State tourney last year because the best team from the ILH (St. Louis) did get into the tourney and lost against Kahuku. So is the ILH saying that maybe Punahou would have beat Kahuku? so now the ILH wants Kahuku to have to play both ILH teams in order to win a title?
If you cant win your conference your season is done, if your conference champion cant win the big game then your conference (ILH) is not the best conference so stop trying to figure out how to make it easier for your conference to win.
So based on that logic, why should the OIA or any other league for that matter be allowed to have more than 1 team?
I, to- am confused with new format. did I hear red/blue 3rd/4th (or) red/blue 5th/6th place can still go to Div.1 tournament? Oct.28? starts all playoffs..so assuming 3 rounds or 11/18,11/19
(champions crowned) -How do you fit these (2) in or send them to Div. 1 tournament, when
Div. 1 has playoffs going already the same time? I thought Ferd lewis column first said this as
“most likely this is going to happen?
@Nick and everybody else:
I have it on excellent authority that for THIS YEAR’S State Tournament…
The ILH #2 Seed team is GUARANTEED to be the lowest seed in the OPPOSITE BRACKET of the ILH #1 Seed. Not maybe… G.U.A.R.A.N.T.E.E.D.
Which means the ILH #2 will be in same bracket as OIA #1 and vice versa. WILL BE.
Do the math = entirely possible that this year’s State Final = ALL-ILH… or an ALL-OIA final. Should either occur, how does that = “revenue and fan interest is likely to rise considerably”??? The direct opposite will happen.
Hey OIA powers-that-be: Remember this the next time you decide to turn down a $3 million offer to create a league with all the top teams in the state. Idiots.
Fortunately, this possibility is only good for this year because the OIA use their leverage to back out of the HHSAA Tournament NEXT year (or at least threaten to do so). They are already locked into this year’s tournament.
ILH got what they wanted and didn’t have to pay any money. Take a bow ILH. Learn a lesson OIA.
RR4L! (we’re the great-OIA-hope this year)
This new format benefits the ILH only!
I agree, the OIA should back out of the tourney next year because they got punched in the face, kicked in the stomach and peeed on by the ILH. The ILH bullied their way in on this one.
The OIA does not need the ILH anyway we got enough teams to make our own 3 division conferences and playoffs. Just go back to the way it was with the OIA champ vs. the ILH champ in a prep bowl. NOW THAT IS FAIR AND MAGNIFICENT
And finally… because I’ve already broken my “one comment per article” rule for this season.
Is it any coincidence that the top guy of HHSAA is also an alumni of the ONLY school guaranteed a State tournament slot?
‘Iolani.
It would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic.
RR4L. Pau dis thread.
yup very laughable, colin kapernick laughable!
For everyone saying the ILH is the real winner in this situation…. (aka OIA fans) do you not realize that the OIA now has TEN teams make state tournament play? Year in and year out the big 3 ILH teams remain in the top 10 rankings, it only makes sense to let two of them compete for a championship. Don’t forget that one of them (probably KSK this year) will get shafted out of the tournament, while EIGHT OIA teams will still get to play on. For those saying the ILH title game will be worthless, how about the entire OIA tournament? If you get to the tournament you’ll play for a championship. The title game for both leagues have increased importance now, as the winner of those will most likely get the two first-round byes in the open division. As not to be biased towards the ILH, Iolani definitely did get too much love with this new format, as they could (and might) lose 6 regular season games and still compete for a D1 state title. Regardless, the HHSAA has hooked us up with what will be an exciting few weeks of football, and now we will really see the best play the best. Aloha
In the end, ainokea where or what league the teams come from. Just pick the top 6 ranking teams and have a tournament. If the top 6 teams all come from neighbor islands… so be it. If they all come OIA… so be it. If all come from ILH… so be it. I just like watch the best vs the best… and not some politically setup game. If at the end Kahuku rank #1 and Waianae #2… then so be it! I no like watch Kahuku #1 vs St Louis #3 just cause from two different leagues. That’s not the best vs the best. Get da point?
Let’s face the facts. There’s many of you that are happy with the new open division and can’t wait for it to happen but never put any thought about how the ILH will always have an edge over the public schools because they have the resources and ability to recruit “blue chip” players from any public school and stacks the team with talented players, similar to what Bishop Gorman has done, and as a result, they have done well nationally. The ILH is totally in favor with the ILH/OIA alliance because they are in a position to have stacked teams and be a contender for the state title every year. The ILH is a boring league and as an example; the OIA has already played 3 conference games and the ILH will be playing their first conference game this weekend and besides that, they have to play each other twice and still have a play-off for the ILH title. With the amount of money spent on recruiting, the ILH would prefer to play a variety of teams instead of the top 4 teams in the ILH. Why hasn’t the ILH pushed for ILH/OIA alliance for other major sports? Because they have enough schools participating in other sports, making it competitive and not boring within the ILH. I’d say if the ILH were on the same page as the OIA in regards to fielding a football team without having to recruit and stacking their team, than I would consider it fair play. Until recruiting is abolished by the ILH, they should never have an ILH/OIA alliance for football.
87 says “If the ILH is not winning titles it hurts their product and reputation, remember they are supposed to be the best at everything thats why parents pay big bucks and send their kids there in the first place,”
no. it really doesn’t. between keeping your kid at kahuku or waianae or going to Kamehameha or Punahou, it’s a no brainer. You send your kid there if you have the funding (and if your kid has the aptitude), because even if their football team sucked, the academics, teaching, technology (campus wide wifi and one for one laptop programs), facilities (and not just football), even the fact that they just have AC in all their buildings, puts their schools LIGHT YEARS ahead of any public school.
Punahou doesn’t attract athletes because they have a good football program. Good football players and athletes go to punahou because of how strong the school and the facilities are.
Not everyone in this world lives to spend their lives talking about their high school football glory days when they could dap all the security guards in golf carts who would turn the other way when they cut class or smoked cigarettes in the bathroom.
Hey Northshore (and all other OIA fans for that matter)
You people should look into the mirror. Your beloved schools recruit also. Just face it already. Mililani should be in the same category as the ILH if you wanna talk about recruiting.
So true. The OIA should align with the outer islands public schools and have a 35 team league. Let the ILH go play each other. Why are ILH recruits returning to their community team? The OIA teams have come a long way since the Prep Bowl. College recruiters are showing up at public schools.
What’s boring is watching Kahuku year in and year dominate the OIA with scores being 28-0, 50-7 etc….I’m sure they rather play St. Louis, Kamehameha, Punahou week in and week out instead trouncing everyone.
As an Iolani alum and an oia school teacher, I can’t say that I like the automatic d1 bid for my alma mater. I think that the ilh d-1 playoff should determine open/d1 participation, just like the oia playoff does. Realistically, most years it would be the puns and saints battling it out in the ilh final anyway with the warriors and raiders batting it out for the d1 spot. And of the big three over the years, Iolani has been most competitive with Kamehameha anyway. If iolani wins, they get the d1 spot, if not, imua goes. Simple.
You want to make it competitive, make everyone earn their spot in the tourney. No freebies, just saying.
From the sounds of it, Kapahulu, Kahuku fans sound scared to compete with the ILH by going up and up against them in a regular schedule and then playoff scenario. They would rather beat up on the same physically outmatched OIA teams and brag about their winning records while only having to get up and prep hard for one ILH game a year.
It’s similar to the criticism that Boise State used to get. Beat up on WAC and mountain west teams, and have to play elite teams once a year, so they have the entire year to prep for them.
When I hear crying about recruiting allegations, as if public schools like Kahuku and mililani don’t recruit, and people who have no idea how the admissions process at ILH schools even work yet they accuse of “athletic scholarships” and coaches going door to door and stealing players straight from Kahuku practices, I hear only one thing..
Fear.
So make your super 32 whatever team super conference consisting of just OIA and outer island teams, and continue beating up on the Aiea high schools 58-0. Be resistant to the fact that a big fish in a little pond doesn’t improve as much as a big fish moving to a bigger pond with other big fish.
A super conference is good for all teams involved, ILH and OIA. More games, more competition, exciting play, and ultimately the kids benefit. The only people who don’t are aging uncles living their high school glory years while watching a homecoming game and drinking beer in their garage whose sense of self pride is wrapped up in a high school they graduated from decades ago.
I feel like some Kahuku fans are afraid of the possible outcomes of this new format. i understand they’re getting a raw deal here just for this season only because it seems Mililani isn’t as strong this year but any other year the 2nd seeded team in this tournament would have hard time too
@The Red Sea
That’s playing the victim if I’ve ever seen it!
1. Kahuku is beatable and not leaps and bounds greater then the other top OIA teams.
– Kahuku only over powers the OIA. Kahukus offensive skills are below that of other OIA schools. Since the 1980’s Leilehua has always had better skilled positions and a better passing offense then Kahuku. Recently Mililani, Kapolei, Moanalua has all had better passing offenses then Kahuku the past 10 years. Is Kahuku beatable year-in and year-out? YES they are, in the 2000’s Kahukus title runs were close wins over the OIA and ILH teams. Dont you guys read articles and listen to the broadcasts about how the other teams “commit too much turnovers”, or “gave the game away” when playing Kahuku??? that sounds like a beatable Kahuku team.
2. The ILH is unbeatable and leaps and bounds better then the OIA (excluding Kahuku) let me explain.
– Because of the ability to recruit – the ILH can stack their teams at all positions. St. Louis has had the best skilled players and offenses in the state since the 1980’s, Punahou stepped up their recruiting and in the 2000’s are right behind STL with the best skilled position players. Because of this advantage PUN/STL have always crushed the OIA in title games. 2 exceptions were (2004 Leilehua, 2015 Mililani), twice in the past 30 yrs has an OIA team beat PUN/STL for the title.
When PUN/STL plays against the OIA teams the game is usually over by the 2nd quarter thats how good PUN/STL are, when Kahuku plays the OIA its close at half time and in the 4th quarter Kahuku wears them down to win, that sounds like a beatable Kahuku team. The chances of an OIA team catching up to Kahuku and beating them are way better then trying to catch up to PUN/STL and beating them.
Tell me why there is a need to build an alliance with the OIA when the OIA has only beaten the ILH in title games twice in 30 years?? Is that two times too many for the ILH alumni to bare? Kahuku is the only OIA team that has built their own style and figured out how to beat the ILH schools.
The argument that the OIA is catching up to the ILH is false. Only Kahuku has caught up to the ILH. Leilehua won the title in 2004 but fell of the map after that and has never been seen since. Mililani won in 2015 but the following year lost to STL 45-14, it will probably take them another 10 years to be competitive with the ILH again.
The ILH is using Kahukus success as the argument that the OIA is getting better and is ready to combine, the ILH is tired of being in a 3 team conference and needs friends. If you want to play with your OIA friends you need to stop giving out financial packages to recruit blue chippers, then we will see how many blue chippers line your roster and then the playing field will be even. Im not against oppressing athletes so if you want to continue to give out scholarships fine but lets keep the OIA and ILH seperate.
fyi – Waianae gave Kahuku the hardest game last year not St. Louis so Kahuku is not afraid of the ILH
@ The Flying O
the opposite of OIA uncles in a garage drinking beer cheering their alma maters on tv
is
the ILH brotherhood in a bar drinking beer cheering their alma maters on tv
The Flying O – with his Boise State reference is admitting that Kahuku is a thorn in the side of the ILH and that the rest of the OIA is irrelevant. LOL, all this shake up and realigning…possible $3million buy out…all because of Kahuku…the cross hairs are set dead on Kahuku. WOW!
Wow, lots of whiners from red raider nation. Why guys? You scared of playing the ilh 1 and 2 teams? Why, no make sense. You guys just steamrolled saints last yr. sound like scared lil bois. You really believe that farr deserve to go states to lose first round again more than saints or buff?
Tata came to Kahuku building off their strengths, the run game, he didnt see the deficiency in skilled positions and go out and recruit a QB and WRs. That the difference between OIA and ILH, built not bought!
One more time people like this is a repeat/rewrite whereas no matter what you all think, for or against the new format, oops you still forgot that Kahuku High School Red Raiders are still the State of Hawaii High School Football Defending Champions until one or more opponents prove otherwise; there’s only one number #1 on the top regardless of the new format; too much comment pilikea this new format yet bum bai pau; just wondering if the mercy rule is thrown out in this format!?!?
IRT Cabs: I’ve stated my facts and since you’re accusing of OIA schools recruiting, present your facts and not just blow smoke. Schools that do recruit at the private high school and college level offer financial aid to defray the high cost of tuition and other requirements. Public schools do not have the resources to offer anything that would enhance or motivate an athlete to further their education. It’s not about recruiting at a public school, it’s about an athlete wanting to return to its roots (like Kahuku) and a sense of belonging to his/her culture, friends and family. Kahuku doesn’t have to go out and recruit.. the athletes and parents do it voluntarily. Kahuku athletes also relocate to the mainland because they’re not having enough playing time and that’s OK because Kahuku has the athletes for the next 20 years. Com-on man, if you want to make a statement about recruiting by public schools, be sure to back up your statement.
IRT Kapahulu: You have a choice to watch or not to watch how boring it is when Kahuku beat up on other public school. Have you ever thought of why the same public schools are always getting beat up by a wide margin not only by Kahuku but by other schools as well? 1. “Blue chip” athletes from communities throughout the state are recruited by ILH schools and as such, those schools are left with a limited number of talented players year in and year out. 2. Every 3 to 5 years, those schools would end up with a talented group of players and would be competitive for that year and be mediocre for the next 3 to 5 years. At Kahuku, the athletes are plentiful for the next 20 years and the community is very supportive no matter if there’s a down year. Winning by a large number doesn’t only happen in the OIA and it happens just as well in the ILH or in college and pros. If any school wants to compete, they have to step up their game or forfeit if they feel that they’re going to get beat real bad or drop to a lower division as Iolani has done for many years in the past.
IRT AOK; Scared! That has never occurred when Kahuku has the opportunity to play any ILH team. You’re talking non sense or using an excuse to back up your comment. Are you trying to dispute the fact that the ILH are not recruiting “blue chip” athletes to have an upper hand in football? Why would they go out and scout when the boys are playing Pop Warner? We’re not whining, crying or scared about the ILH…It’s all facts, because the ILH is not playing under the same conditions and as such, we have the right to point out the advantages that the ILH schools have over the OIA schools. If you’re disputing the facts, would you be able to justify the reason there should be an ILH/OIA alliance on football. Remember, it’s not about being scared or crybabies as commented by ILH alumni’s, it’s about fielding a team on the same terms.
The only thing that sounds like FEAR!!! Is the OIA taking D1 & D2 championships again!!!! The main reason for all this shake up!! I would be embarrassed too if I stacked my team and still end up losing!!!! That’s a hard pill to swallow!!!!
Which leaves me to wonder, if the ILH would have taken both titles last year, would any of this be happening?????
The statement that the OIA has dominated the state tourney is way off. It’s just Kahuku, Kahuku has dominated. Even the year they got DQ’d they had throughly smashed the final four teams in the state semis including Mariotas squad. With that DQ it’s Kahuku 8. I say that not in braging but the thought that Kahuku can go but I don’t know anyone else that will be able to year after year. I think you had Leilehua, Mililani. I can remember if it’s ever been two OIA schools in the finals.
For all you ILH fans I will remind you of this, if your team is second in the ILH, you’ve lost numerous times to the #1 ILH team. What the heck makes you think you deserve yet another shot ar beating them in states. I mean you have to have lost 3-4 times to the winner. What makes you think that the 5th times the charm. It’s like PAL sports now where you can just keep coming back again and again.
ILH 2nd place you don’t deserve a shot. I say cut the other OIA teams (2nd and 3rd) from states and make it only #1s now then that is fair.
@Hashhandah See that would never happen…why? It’s all bout the Benjamins baby!! Same reason the NFL wants to go to 18 games, and wants to expand the playoff team entrants on top of that. Money talks.
@Auwe So, then what does the title “State Champs” mean to you then? To me, there is only 1 true champ. say keste to the d2, etc. If we talking champs, we talking about best of the best. Not best of OIA lol
@Northshore
I get your point… but no worries about recruiting. You starting to sound jealous or trying to justify an excuse. Me.. no jealous… no excuses. They can get who eva they like. Ainokea! Just put da pads on and lets go smash with ILH.
anywaaaays!! August 30, 2016 at 12:47 pm
This new format benefits the ILH only!
I agree, the OIA should back out of the tourney next year because they got punched in the face, kicked in the stomach and peeed on by the ILH. The ILH bullied their way in on this one.
The OIA does not need the ILH anyway we got enough teams to make our own 3 division conferences and playoffs. Just go back to the way it was with the OIA champ vs. the ILH champ in a prep bowl. NOW THAT IS FAIR AND MAGNIFICENT
This is such a great idea. It would be so fun to watch one good team beat a bunch of average teams every year. Then every 5-7 years another school other than Kahuku will be good and possibly beat Kahuku. That is the kind of tournament that everyone would pay to watch. So there will be some drama as to who will win every 5-7 years?
Northshore August 30, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Let’s face the facts. There’s many of you that are happy with the new open division and can’t wait for it to happen but never put any thought about how the ILH will always have an edge over the public schools because they have the resources and ability to recruit “blue chip” players from any public school and stacks the team with talented players, similar to what Bishop Gorman has done, and as a result, they have done well nationally. The ILH is totally in favor with the ILH/OIA alliance because they are in a position to have stacked teams and be a contender for the state title every year. The ILH is a boring league and as an example; the OIA has already played 3 conference games and the ILH will be playing their first conference game this weekend and besides that, they have to play each other twice and still have a play-off for the ILH title. With the amount of money spent on recruiting, the ILH would prefer to play a variety of teams instead of the top 4 teams in the ILH. Why hasn’t the ILH pushed for ILH/OIA alliance for other major sports? Because they have enough schools participating in other sports, making it competitive and not boring within the ILH. I’d say if the ILH were on the same page as the OIA in regards to fielding a football team without having to recruit and stacking their team, than I would consider it fair play. Until recruiting is abolished by the ILH, they should never have an ILH/OIA alliance for football.
And you are saying the OIA is an exciting league? I cannot wait for the Caste vs. Nanakuli game on 9/23. I can imagine all the cars lined up waiting for parking! Now that’s excitement!