The smoke from the wildfire near Wahiawa was so bad Monday that the Leilehua football team canceled its practice.
Mules head coach Nolan Tokuda said some of his coaches and players had to leave their homes when firefighters enforced a mandatory evacuation of about 100 homes. The evacuation order was eventually lifted Monday night.
“We lost a day of preparation,” Tokuda said, “but safety is always first.”
Leilehua, which played a scrimmage against Mililani on Thursday, is getting ready for its regular-season, nonleague opener against Punahou at home on Saturday.
Tokuda said Leilehua High School nearly canceled classes on Monday and if that happens on Tuesday, the football team will once again miss practice.
“No matter what, we always play our hardest and let the chips fall where they may,” Tokuda said about not getting in a full week of practice for the highly regarded Buffanblu, who went to the state Division I title game last season.
A year ago, the Mules went 6-2 to finish second in the OIA Red and then lost to Campbell 20-14 in the OIA quarterfinals. Leilehua’s other loss was a 21-14 decision to OIA Red champion Kahuku.
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