THE football coaches in the Oahu Interscholastic Association's White Division are already worrying and the season is still months away. Red Raiders will see
more white in ’97Just ask McKinley's David Tanuvasa. "I'm very, very worried," he says.
The reason?
For the first time since 1992 -- when the OIA began using the Red, White and Blue divisional set-up based on the previous year's won-lost records -- Kahuku will be competing in the White, or second-level, division.
Kahuku? Second-tier? How the mighty has fallen.
Not for long, according to Farrington coach Skippa Diaz. They'll be back in the Red.
Once the scourge of the premier Red Division with three straight OIA titles, the Red Raiders fell to a 1-5 record last fall.
Under the OIA restructuring system, the last two teams in the Red Division drop to the next level and are replaced by the top two teams in the White Division. The bottom two White teams and top two Blue teams also switch places.
The OIA plan was formulated to create more competitive games. It has worked for the most part. This fall, it might be a whole different story as Kahuku -- the school that brought you two NFL draft picks last month -- will be playing the OIA's middle-level teams.
SO unless they meet in the playoffs, Kahuku won't be playing long-time rivals Waianae or Farrington this season. With Kahuku dropping down, the Governors and Seariders are the only two teams still seeing Red.
Two other original Reds, Leilehua and Castle, are back. They're the two schools moving up from the White Division this year.
Of the three divisions, the White has always been the most volatile because it is made up of four new teams each year -- two down from the Red and two up from the Blue.
"I think we'll be more competitive than the Red this year because of Kahuku," Tanuvasa said. "They're going to be a sleeping giant, a sleeping nightmare."
The Red Raiders will be loaded. They had a young team and a new coach last year. They're back with a 75-player JV team that played for the title last year.
For a brief moment, there was some discussion -- prompted by Kahuku's new status -- about reverting to the pre-1992 OIA East and West conferences.
"There's been some talk, but it was just that, talk," said Leilehua A.D. Richard Townsend, who added that while the current format isn't perfect, it's the best option for the 21-team league.
BUT with Kahuku in the White Division -- a bull in a china shop -- some people are nervous. Also, Townsend points out, a team with a whole bunch of seniors can win the White Division title only to move up with a rebuilding team and that might result in taking a licking in the Red Division, which Diaz calls a "black-and-blue division."
It's a small price to pay. The OIA has seen fewer lopsided scores now that Kahuku isn't playing the likes of Waialua and Kalani. Another plus is that Blue Division games among Waialua, Kalani and Kaimuki have become more enjoyable to watch because they're now competitive.
"Kids and fans will go to see those games now because they know they have a chance to win," Townsend said.
"I like the format," says Tanuvasa. "I think it's a terrific scheme for the teams who are not so well off. There aren't a lot of blow-outs. The only drawback is that you don't have many games if you don't make the playoffs."
With only seven teams in each conference, there are only six games, not counting preseason.
If the OIA ever goes back to a two-division alignment, it'll only be because of economic reasons, in order to play more regular-season games, according to Townsend.