Comments on: ‘Iolani will play D-I football again in 2016

By: Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 03:09:33 +0000

Iolani was “RED Raiders” when I wuz a kid too. I remember them coming out of the old Honolulu Stadium in Moiliili with all RED uniforms.

By: phILHarmonic

phILHarmonic — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 01:27:04 +0000

USMC-

No hidden meaning behind the “RED” raider comment, dang i didnt know they dropped it.
It was still the Red Raiders when I was in HS.
I would be interested to hear former players thoughts on the issue of remaining in D1 or going down to D2.
I am aging myself here, but the players during my time were studs like:
Paulie and Brian Ahyat
Cavan Scanlan
Kamu Lee
Matt Tufono
Meki Pei ( sorry if misspelled)
Pat Samsonas,
Eddie Kealoha
just to name a few.

what did they do back then to get these polys to attend Iolani, maybe they can re-institute it.

By: Education First

Education First — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:08:36 +0000

Wow I didn’t know 7-7 could be considered a blowout. So if Iolani was losing by 37 and 42 would that be considered a murder? Or an ass whooping? What is a worse description? Anyone please?

By: USMC

USMC — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 01:02:10 +0000

phILHarmonic,

I agree with you, as it will definitely be an uphill battle every game. To mitigate any potential nick-picking (in regard to your Red Raiders statement), we all know the Kahuku Red Raiders are a force every year, the defending State Champions, and have a fierce and loyal following. I believe I know exactly what you meant and there are TWO sites that will prove to be insightful to many. In 1938, the first known reference to Raiders and Red Raiders was made in the Honolulu Advertiser and Ka Mo’olelo O ‘Iolani and for most of the last half century, ‘Iolani teams have been known as the Red Raiders. In the early 1990s, the school officially dropped the “Red” and has since used the nickname Raiders. http://staging.iolani.org/about/history/nicknames
A follow-up to that was mentioned during the 100th anniversary celebration in tribute to Kahuku High School when it was stated that the Kahuku athletes became known as the Red Raiders because they wore red uniforms donated by ‘Iolani in 1950. http://www.kahukuhigh.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=249435&type=d&pREC_ID=574109
Just a little history to show that no matter where our loyalties lie when it comes to our teams when they compete, there is still a nod to “Laulima” and “‘Ihi”.

By: phILHarmonic

phILHarmonic — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:02:24 +0000

I really hope the best for Iolani this coming season. I commend the kids for making the decision to remain in the D1 knowing full well what a challenge it will be. I admire them for their decision to remain in D1 knowing that they could have gone to D2 and run the table. Well done Red Raiders.

By: USMC

USMC — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 18:50:19 +0000

Mahatma Gandhi, you obviously have a strong opinion on ‘Iolani being in D-I, just as everyone posting here has their own opinion. Regardless of what everyone believes should/should not happen, ‘Iolani will again play D-I in 2016. However, I do question your rational from your previous statements. You made the point that ‘Iolani’s losses were close and they were not getting blown out. Getting beat by 37 points (59-22 vs. Punahou) and 42 points (63-21 vs. Kamehameha), is pretty much a blowout. I know they are not in the ILH, but you could also throw in the 44 point thrashing (52-8 vs. Farrington) by another D-I school. One could say ‘Iolani did get “close” in the other four games with the Big Three, but the results were ultimately the same ending and they were beaten by an average of more than two touchdowns per game (33-18). No surprise that ‘Iolani has a 4-24 record vs. all D-I schools over the last six seasons (2010-2015) and that they are 0-18 vs. ILH D-I schools (2011-2015), as the seniors at Punahou were in Kindergarten the last time ‘Iolani beat them. You also stated you cannot have a league with only three teams. One Division in the ILH will always have three teams regardless of where ‘Iolani sits, as you will either have Punahou, St. Louis, & Kamehameha (D-I) or Damien, PAC-5, & St. Francis (D-II). ‘Iolani is the “odd-man out”, rarely winning vs. D-I, but rarely losing vs. D-II. The 1980 Prep Bowl was 35 years ago, meaning every player on those teams is at least 50 years old now. The focus should be the past few years, at a maximum the last decade. Lastly, I know football recruiting is a sensitive subject and there are schools that aren’t that transparent about it, but can you name one player on ‘Iolani’s roster that was recruited? In conclusion, it is not my intent to “stoke the fire”, rather you have your opinion and it is MY opinion that once the scrimmages and preseason is over and the D-I ILH season begins, ‘Iolani will find them in the same position they have been in vs. every other ILH D-I team the last six seasons, trying to win ONE game. Coach Look stated, “They’ve set a goal for themselves to win that first Division I game.” Think about it, their goal is to play D-I in the ILH and try to win ONE game. Since their last win vs. an ILH D-I school was 2010 (a 13-6 win vs. Kamehameha) that is a stark goal that speaks volumes. To put it in perspective, the Iolani seniors had just finished elementary school (the rest of the team was still in elementary school) the last time ‘Iolani won an ILH D-I game.

By: Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 04:11:18 +0000

turfwar, McKinley is another OIA school whose football roster has been picked clean by the ILH. Farrington too. And Waipahu.

By: Ldub Twenty

Ldub Twenty — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:58:13 +0000

I don’t think injuries will be a problem for Iolani, especially if there is a bye week at the end of the 1st round. I applaud HPW for posting a picture of Mizutani because you know what the ironic thing of last year was? Iolani was the healthiest team at QB and saw Mizutani start every game against the Big 3. That should give them some encouragement.

By: turfwar

turfwar — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:35:59 +0000

No matter what the size of the player, when asked if they want to play D-1 what are they supposed to say? “No way coach… We sked.” If it’s about safety the decision cannot be made by a bunch of bravado teens. Last year McKinley sustained several injuries to a football team with already low numbers. They chose to forfeit a bunch of games.

By: Ldub Twenty

Ldub Twenty — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:34:53 +0000

Mahatma Gandhi=PinkSushi if you’ve been posting long enough. It’s useless to argue with him about the 1980 Prep Bowl game because he’ll always claim it was a blowout, #1, and #2, knows almost nothing about football. Fact is, he thinks his opinion is the only one that matters.