NOTHING is forever. Even the Prep Bowl, if the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and Oahu Interscholastic Association principals remain adamant. ILH needs to
get up to speed,
and in a hurryA conflict in eligibility policies between the two major leagues might jeopardize the Prep Bowl, which has featured their football champions since 1973.
Too bad. For the first time in a long time, it might be quite a game if St. Louis and Kahuku win their league championships as expected. It's the season's dream matchup.
But there's a wrinkle that might not be easily ironed out -- the ILH principals have apparently backed their OIA counterparts into a corner by insisting on playing by their own rules.
For the first time, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association will sanction the Prep Bowl -- strictly for insurance purposes.
It's scary, but in all this time, the Prep Bowl never had "catastrophic" insurance coverage, which can only be provided by a state high school association for cross-league games. It's worth $5 million.
That oversight was pointed out last March, and since the HHSAA is sanctioning the event, ILH and OIA representatives have to follow HHSAA rules.
THE ILH only recently realized that players on its championship team wouldn't be eligible under HHSAA rules.
The OIA requires that its athletes complete their eligibility in four consecutive years, which is in compliance with the HHSAA. The ILH allows its athletes to play four seasons over a five-year period.
The ILH is of the opinion that the Prep Bowl is not a state-tournament event and HHSAA rules shouldn't apply. Now it's up to the OIA principals, who will vote Oct. 5 on three possible options -- come up with a compromise, allow the ILH to have its way, or keep the ILH from participating in the game.
Needless to say, the position the OIA has been put in doesn't sit well with its principals, many of whom feel that the ILH always puts its interests first.
Dwight Toyama, the OIA executive director, hopes that the ILH and OIA will come to an agreement so the Prep Bowl can continue.
But the eligibility rule has long been a bone of contention with OIA coaches because the ILH clearly has an advantage with its eligibility policy. It's a form of redshirting.
The ILH might insist the practice has nothing to do with player development. But I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of the students involved play football or basketball.
The ILH can't insist on having it both ways. Which was what happened in 1969.
I remember sitting in on a meeting of OIA football coaches -- among them Farrington's Tom Kiyosaki, Roosevelt's Ticky Vasconcellos and Ed Toma of McKinley -- when they decided to ask their principals to leave the ILH. Kaimuki and Kalani also left.
Their biggest gripe echoed what's occurring today -- the ILH's retention practice. So the five Honolulu schools pulled out and joined the OIA beginning with the 1970 season.
The public schools on Oahu needed to reorganize anyway because the OIA was expanding. Remember, Nanakuli, Kaiser, Mililani, Kalaheo, Moanalua and Pearl City didn't play football in 1969.
Now, some 30 years later, the ILH insists on having its own way. It got hurt by the breakup back then and could find itself even lonelier this time.
In football, the ILH needs the OIA more than the other way around. After all, how many times a season can Iolani play St. Louis? And how many times would it want to?