The football season opener between Kaimuki and Radford has been forfeited by Kaimuki.
The game had been scheduled for Saturday at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium.
OIA football coordinator Harold Tanaka confirmed that a low number of eligible players is the reason for the forfeiture. In years past, the league generally has used 25 as a threshold number for small rosters.
“They’re going to be fine,” Tanaka said. “It’s just this week.”
New coach Reid Yoshikawa stepped in after the school fired David Tautofi on Aug. 31.
The DOE’s COVID-19 vaccination deadline was on Sept. 24. Along with exemption requests and testing, many football programs have been affected.
Radford’s next game is on Oct. 23 against Pearl City. Kaimuki is scheduled to meet Kalani on Oct. 22 at Kaiser Stadium.
Bummer for the players.
Good luck to the OIA.
Keep safe so you can have a game!!!
For those following along the story, you should know that this has a lot to do with Kaimuki’s dismissal of Coach DT. He and his family did a lot of extra work to get kids to play for the Bulldogs. Some of those kids are now following their coach off the field and there is simply not enough other potential players to find on that shrinking campus.
Kaimuki administration is getting what they wanted and hopefully they realize the damage they are doing to their own school. This could signal the end of football at Kaimuki High. Seriously.
Hopefully Coach DT is telling them to go and play football.
That would be the right thing to do.
I am sure football will bounce back in time.
I would go to McKinley and coach Ane. Plus the Rock is going to fund all uniforms, pads,shoes,equipment,gym etc. Mayor Wright housing dont have to go to StL.
Hope it is not a case of the former head coach not getting or encouraging his players to get vaccinated, given his anti-vaccination stand. Sadly, the kids are the ones who lose. Take a stand, but be accountable. BTW, where would those players follow coach to? Can you transfer at this late date?
That coach and his anti-vaccination stand has now afffected all the players from that school. He is to blame.
@OldSchoolDave
How do you even know where the coach stands with the vax? Have you done your research on youth and the affect that Covid has on them? Definitely doesn’t seem so.
I think its pretty sad, ridiculous and ignorant of people like you to ASSume that people who choose not to take the specific vaccine(covid) are anti vax people.
The Coach would never encourage his former players to quit the team. You all sound ridiculously stupid
@Old School Dave and Butch O’Sullivan
Quit making up rumors unless you have actual proof. Kaimuki has always had a difficult time with turnout. They had 26 on roster (freshmen thru seniors) starting the 2019 season thru Coach Tautofi’s efforts, but this included those unable to play due to academics or injuries and going as low as 17 active. They didn’t have enough to field a JV team for years. Unfortunately, decreasing enrollment, lack of youth teams in the area feeding players, higher academic casualties, and injuries partly due to most players going both ways have been an on-going problem that may never get resolved.