No injunction granted for Kauai's Morgado
Former Kauai football coach Kelii Morgado's request for a temporary injunction was rejected yesterday in Fifth Circuit Court.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe ruled that Morgado, who was removed as coach in the spring, is not entitled to any rights as a coach, according to Morgado's attorney Eric Seitz.
"I'm appalled. This is an abuse of judicial authority," Seitz said.
Morgado was released from his position after seven years. The Red Raiders won the last four Kauai Interscholastic Federation championships.
A panel of administrators at the school interviewed Morgado and then offered him the coaching job again, only to renege and hire former junior varsity coach Derek Borrero.
Borrero was among several who testified in the two-day hearing.
In March, Kauai athletic director Ross Shimabukuro and principal Linda Smith didn't comment on the specifics of Morgado's release, but Smith said she was getting calls from upset parents and from parents who were supporting the decision.
Seitz said it should have been an "open-and-shut case" because the administration offered the job to Morgado, who is a history teacher at the school.
"I think she just didn't read what we submitted," he said of Watanabe. "The law supports us. I think I made a mistake by going through the circuit court to do this. We would've won in a federal court."
The failed attempt for an injunction hurts Morgado's chances of a lawsuit against administrators, according to Seitz, who also said Morgado's only recourse now is to appeal.
Seitz said he will probably take the case to the Intermediate Court of Appeals at the Hawaii Supreme Court. The timetable on that is unknown.
"It could take a long time," he said.
HIADA kicks off today
Division II state tournaments in baseball, boys soccer and girls water polo will be considered when the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference begins at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island.
The conference will conclude Saturday.
Rebel movement
UNLV has offered football scholarships to
Mykenna Ikehara of Kamehameha,
Shiloah Te'o of Kahuku and
Sean Tesoro of Baldwin.
Ikehara is a 6-foot-2, 275-pound offensive lineman. He bench-presses 350 pounds and has repped 17 times at 225 pounds.
Te'o is a 5-11, 190-pound defensive back who was voted to the Star-Bulletin All-State first team.
Tesoro is a 6-3, 285-pound offensive lineman. He runs a 5-flat 40-yard dash and has a bench-press max of 375 pounds. He has repped 20 times on the bench press at 225 pounds.
Field maintenance clinic set
A baseball field maintenance clinic will be held on June 16 at Moanalua High School.
Basic fundamentals of maintenance, as learned from natural-turf expert George Toma, will be taught.
The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.