Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive director Chris Chun confirmed Monday night that the state football tournament will have two more Oahu Interscholastic Association teams next season.
That is based on Chun’s knowledge that the OIA will run the 2018 season in three divisions instead of two, a move that had been anticipated since the fall of 2017.
Chun said Monday that the OIA confirmed to him after the last HHSAA football committee meeting earlier this month that it would run its season in three divisions.
On Monday, Chun did not know which OIA teams would fit in which division, but at least two other media outlets have reported that the OIA will have six teams in the Open Division and eight teams each in Division I and II.
In 2017 for various reasons, the OIA did not participate in state Division I and placed three teams in the Open and one in D-II.
For 2018, the OIA will still have three teams (along with one ILH team) in the four-team state Open Division.
The other two state divisions are a little more complicated until July, when the Kauai Interscholastic Federation declares for either D-I or D-II. The two new OIA teams will fit into whatever division the KIF goes to in order to make it a six-team field.
Here is a list of the breakdown of state representatives:
Open
>> 3 OIA
>> 1 ILH
Division I or II (with KIF representation)
>> 2 OIA
>> 1 KIF
>> 1 BIIF
>> 1 MIL
>> 1 ILH
Division I or II (without KIF representation)
>> 1 ILH
>> 1 OIA
>> 1 BIIF
>> 1 MIL
Chun was delighted to hear of the OIA’s plans.
“I am happy that they are going to participate in all three state divisions,” he said. “They should be. We had the most competitive state tournament last year and with two more OIA teams (instead of zero) in one of the divisions, it should make it even more exciting.”
The OIA’s new breakdown falls in line with the state format in a much cleaner way. It also is a way, OIA football coordinator Harold Tanaka has said in the past, to help the league have more competitive games each week and eliminate, as much as possible, the blowouts that have occurred with only two divisions.
At least two OIA athletic directors said Monday night that the 6-8-8 league breakdown is accurate. Below is that breakdown:
Open
>> Campbell
>> Farrington
>> Kahuku
>> Kapolei
>> Mililani
>> Waianae
Division I
>> Aiea
>> Castle
>> Kailua
>> Leilehua
>> Moanalua
>> Radford
>> Nanakuli
>> Waipahu
Division II
>> Kaimuki
>> Kaiser
>> Kalaheo
>> Kalani
>> McKinley
>> Pearl City
>> Roosevelt
>> Waialua
Pearl City in D2? OMG! Sandbagging!
Leilehua and Kailua in Division I? How was this determined? Win-Loss records from the past year(s)? I think both schools would like to compete with the top division because they have programs that are beginning to compete with the Open division teams. Furthermore, how many games will the Open teams play? When will the schedules be finalized? It’ll be an interesting season.
Is it true the OIA transfer rules are gone?
I like the new format. I’m from Kahuku and believe strongly that Leilehua should be in the open division as well. That been proven winners in the past and will be in the future.
Here we go more OIA teams getting into the playoffs and the ILH has to battle through all of them to win, just like St Louis did this year taking out the top teams.
Rushed my comment “that” should be “They’ve”. Go Green go fight, you’ve earned it!! It’s good for the schools to play top schools in Hawaii to on par with mainland programs.
I’m sure that the champs from D1 and D2 will move up the following season. Adjustments made. No more 10 team, end of season,OIA open championships. By the time they get to States, they bust up.
Does this open up the possibility of the Open teams playing more than one mainland team in “pre-season”?
they still dont got it right and never will. Might as well just go back to prep bowl days already.
The state Tourney should have 3ILH 3OIA regardless of how much teams get in the ILH. St. louis,Kamehameha, and Punahou is proven and shown that they can play against any D1 OIA team. The ILH is the one that has the sh… end of the deal every year. Ever since the state tourney started back in 2000 until now, i say at least of the state championship games would have ended up ILH vs ILH for the state championship. Real people who knows football understands the strength of teams instead only saying only get this much teams in the ILH. Cmon now the top 3 in the ILH are all tough and usually end up in the top 6 anyways year in and year out. Like I said, they will never get it right. Last years state tourney should of looked this way. now thats a damn good state tourney bracket.
State Tourney
Stlouis
Kahuku
Waianae
Kamehameha
Punahou
Mililani
This is how it should look though
OIA D1
Kailua
mililani
kahuku
farrington
leilehua
Waianae
Campbell
Kapolei
OIA D2
Aiea
moanuloa
waipahu
Roosevelt
Castle
Kaiser
Waialua
Kalani
Kaimuki
Mckinley
Radford
Strictly for Open
6 Team Division so 5 Game Regular Season
Open up Non League Games to 4-5 games. They can play Mainland, ILH or Division 1 so it’s a 9-10 game season
Assuming OIA playoffs will be shorten to top 4 of the 6 than after we proceed to states
OIA Open League Games should be competitive week in week out. Just open up non league games so we don’t have the repetitive matchups like ILH
There’s enough public school teams to create have their own separate divisions and playoff system. Why do we constantly try to figure out how to add private schools. They play under different eligibility rules than the public schools .I say eliminate them from the playoff system.
That way more kids from would stay home and play and build their own schools and communities rather than a build someone else’s…Remember you don’t need to send your kids to a private school to get a football scholarship..This is a fact…
How about they go to private school for a better education. In addition, your plan is too make an all OIA playoff and leave the best teams out. Sounds like a great plan.
Should be 2 ILH 4 OIA for the State Open. Or just go with 2-2.
Glad OIA embraced the 3-tier system though. Watching Kaiser’s struggles and how DI was top heavy was a bit rough this year.
C’mon Rich, you can’t be serious…Better education yes,I agree…But to better your football team , I don’t agree…I don’t see them grabbing kids without athletic abilities and saying come to our school to better your education..Only the Studs…
1. Maybe just do the top 2 from OIA and ILH Open division in state tourney?
2. A lot of butt hurt surfrider and mule fans will disagree with this.
3. Pearl City in Div. 2? and Radford in D1?
4. Hold on to your bebs for this one, Open Division for OIA and ILH compete separately during regular season and regular season Open champ is the one with the best record. Each league will have its own criteria who will be the reps to the state tourney.
Is there a mechanism that moves the lower divisions up if they consistently win, and a way to move the consistent loser to a lower division?
Just name it D1 D2 and D3 already.
IMO Leilehua and Kailua should be in the open division. They are always competitive year in and out. 8 teams in the open play each other (except 1 team, that would be determine by previous year’s record and rank… so 1 would not play 8 the next year), with 2-3 “out of conference / division/ league” games…
And the playoff should be the top 4 teams.
I wonder how much of this isn’t influenced by OC16 and tv revenue? I wonder how much each school gets from tv revenues/OC and how much they are losing because of poor attendance.
Reason I say is that we get so much games on tv (which are nice) but have you seen attendance / cross at those games? Games like Mililani vs Kapolei, Waianae vs Kahuku should be “sold out” and stands rocking. But due to the overwhelming tv time these games don’t draw.
THIS bracket looks very perfect but I things I have to disagree is that Leilehua should be in the Open Division, their football program is very successful just like Mililani Program. And I believe that Pearl City should be in D1 instead of D2, I really don’t know that Radford should be D1 but only 3 teams that went against them Kahuku, Waianae, and Campbell are now in the Open. If Radford continue struggle this year then they should drop down to D2. To be honest this is a fair bracket, I been waiting for this in 2 years now. Thank you for doing this OIA
footballyoubet is right. the greed of the ILH Agenda is clear in everything they do, from stealing our kids from our backyards to play for their mercenary teams to blatantly paying off refs in order to stack the deck against Kahuku in the state championship game. The ILH is a mercenary league that uses its influence and prestige to push the ILH agenda through the media and the state legislature.
If the ILH wants to destroy OUR communities and the competitive balance of OUR football teams, then so be it. we don’t need them in the playoffs. they can have their own crappy playoffs of 4 teams and play each other over and over again.
a TRUE playoff is one where players stay home for their communities and play for pride, because they know there’s more to life than some fancy “education.” you can get a football scholarship anywhere. academics don’t matter.
RRFL!
You never fail to amaze me anyways 😂😂. You say all these horrendous accusations and then stamp it reflects. Hahahha
*rrfl
*Anywaaysss!!, aka Educationfirst aka Mr. Punahou alum is very persistant!
The only thing I see with this 3 tier format, specifically the open division is the continual trend of bandwagon transfers to the power schools Mililani and Kapolei.
All I can say is that Kahuku better win it all next year, otherwise, they are going to be looking for a new coach again.
Well if we going talk about fair then ILH schools should only get kids from there own community, just commenting on someone’s comment. Also I feel too that Leileihua and Kailua should be in the open too. If we only have 6 teams in the open who’s going to pick up the void of the 2 games? RR4LIFE!!!
BLAH BLAH BLAH…..Stop complaining. Best teams should play in the tournament, not who get the most schools. Stop living your bench warming days through these kids.
BBBBWWWAAAAAHHHAAAHHAAAHHAAA
This is from Scoringlive regarding the Open Division may be playing each other twice like the ILH does it…1st Round / 2nd Round 10 games…
“Open Division will be slightly different however.
The current option is a double round-robin schedule with each team playing each other two times during the regular season, but Tanaka said the OIA is looking at other possibilities.”
Maybe to make it equitable, they should raise the required GPA to 2.75 for all schools, public and private, to participate in athletics.
Bottom line , best top 6 teams be in there and I don’t care what any of you , real football people know the top 3 ILH is in the top 6 , it’s proven year in year out . This is facts guys not fables. All this crying about ILH stealing kids is horrendous. That’s what private schools are made for , kids from all over , it’s the same in the mainland , only Hawaii people grumble cause their communities don’t make it. Fact is ,get better coaches and win more that’s all to it . Once u establish winning you will stay up there. Mililani is a prime example of start winning and the turn out will be better. Again top 6 , meaning the best, real football people know the truth. Cry babies
Why is it only the Kahuku alumni’s are always complaining about Private Schools taking kids from their community? That’s 2 of the 200 kids in their community who would be part of that Days of Our Lives school. This is American, don’t enforce your Days of Our Lives ideas on the smart people. All of Kahuku’s kids should transfer out to show their non support for stupidity that’s reflected by the KHS administration! Or just swallow your medicine again when Taulia Tagovailoa shows up in Crusader uniform to run the tables in the Open State Championship Game AGAIN! I hate stupid comments from people who never played football!
Looks like the transfer rule is out and kids can transfer without sitting out a year. Rumor is Campbell is getting in alot of transfers from Kapolei and Kahuku. I’m sure the ILH will lift the ban on transfers and watch for St. Louis and Punahou to cash in on all the studs in the OIA. Wouldn’t be surprised if Mililani kids transfer out. This must not be sitting well with Coach Yorkie because he could lose the best QB in state along with one of the best receivers in Ryan Chang who was hardly used except on 3rd downs mainly. Go figure that. Guess the coaches don’t know their personnel up in Mill town. Anyways good luck to all the schools this upcoming season.
@Footballyoubet..stop whining. Just because your team(s) get owned and beaten on the field doesn’t mean you take your ball, go home and pout. Dry your salty tears welling up in your eyes and deal with the real world. Typical case of inferiority complex. LOL!
PS If the OIA had more coaches like Wendell Luke (IMO one of the best HS Fball HCs in the country) they would win more titles. If look had the talent that HC Hernandez at Kapolei has they would be a dynasty. Coach Toothpick does less with more.
Teams like Waianae Farrington Leilehua Play with home grown talent. No recruitment necessary. DJ is now coaching at Campbell. He has about six players from Kapolei. ILH
Especially St. Louis only go after the best. Check the roster.
The HHSAA is not looking for a real champion. One ILH team to the state open division. STL and Punahoe ranked one and two in the state but only one going. Three oia teams going, it’s so rigged. Common on not all of us it that dumb, let the best teams play.