StarBulletin.com

'Iolani's upset of Saint Louis opens classification debate


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POSTED: Thursday, October 09, 2008

With 'Iolani's victory over Saint Louis, the calls from classification critics—particularly those who want 'Iolani in Division I—have grown louder.

But just because a Division II team pulls off a rare upset of a D-I powerhouse doesn't necessarily mean that the whole system should be shucked.

D-II football teams have won just two of their last 39 encounters with D-I teams in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Wendell Look of 'Iolani, along with then-Waimea coach Jon Kobayashi were among the proponents for D-II back in the late 1990s. Both programs were well-established and competitive, but Look and Kobayashi saw the wisdom and practicality of another tier for schools of their enrollment size.

D-II still has some glitches, but, even with a strong team such as 'Iolani in there, it gives other smaller schools more of a chance at winning a state title.

'Iolani is not the only example of a D-II school beating a D-I school this year. In the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, D-II teams are 4-0 against their D-I counterparts.

Here's a look at tomorrow's matchups.

No. 1 Punahou vs. Damien
The Buffanblu (5-1, 2-1 ILH) are back at the top in the ILH, tied with Saint Louis for first place. Punahou also returned to the top of the Star-Bulletin Top 10. Will the Buffs continue to have a renewed energy and sense of urgency?
Damien (5-3, 2-3) has scored six points in the last two games since losing running back Brenan Furtado to injury. Last year, with Star-Bulletin offensive player of the year Kama Bailey in the backfield, the Monarchs gave Punahou a battle before losing 55-38.

No. 2 Saint Louis vs. Pac-Five
The Crusaders (4-1, 2-1 ILH) will miss slotback Lucas Gonsalves (collarbone injury), but are loaded at the position. Jordan Fukumoto has already shown promise as a go-to receiver when defenses focus on big-play threat Billy Ray Stuzmann (22 receptions, 372 yards, five touchdowns).
Pac-Five (3-4, 1-3) rested up last week. Darin Kamealoha has racked up 43 receptions for 655 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing a game. That includes seven catches for 134 yards and two scores in the first meeting against Damien—won by the Monarchs, 45-33.

Castle at No. 4 Kahuku
  The Knights (4-3, 3-2 Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East) edged Kaimuki (4-3, 3-2) early in the season and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker in a battle for higher playoff seeding. A win over Kahuku would simplify things. (Kaimuki plays Farrington on Saturday.)
Castle gave Kahuku (6-1, 5-0) all it could handle last year in a 13-6 loss. This year's Red Raiders defense has allowed only 6.6 points per game in conference play, but will face Blake Rapozo. The Castle slinger passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns last week.

Mililani at No. 8 Waianae
It was late August of last year when the Trojans traveled to the Leeward Coast, held a small lead into the fourth quarter, but lost to Waianae 13-9.
A week ago, Mililani led at Kapolei in the third quarter, 14-12, before losing. A pattern of losing close on the coast? Not really. In five trips to the Leeward side in the past two years, Mililani is 3-2.
In the convoluted OIA Red West, five teams have two or fewer conference losses, and the top three teams will have a bye in the first round. That makes this a pivotal game for Mililani, which is 3-2 (3-4 overall). Waianae (4-3, 4-1) suffered a stunning loss last week against Waipahu, but shares first place with Leilehua.

McKinley at Roosevelt
The Tigers (1-6, 1-4) simply haven't been the same since Will Starks-Togiai's injury. In Starks-Togiai, McKinley lost a key player at two positions. Even so, McKinley is still in the running for the fifth (and final) OIA Red East playoff berth. A win over Roosevelt puts the Tigers in a tie with Kailua, and McKinley has the head-to-head tiebreaker edge.
Roosevelt (1-6, 0-5) is looking for its first win in conference play.

Campbell vs. Kalaheo
The OIA White's top seed is at stake. Though Radford is in the running, Kalaheo (7-1, 6-1) can secure first place with a win against Campbell since the Mustangs have already beaten the Rams.
Campbell (6-1, 5-1) is unbeaten with Lalo Respicio at quarterback, but has not played in three weeks.

Moanalua at Kaiser
Both teams are in a chase for the fourth (and last) OIA White playoff berth. Moanalua (5-2, 4-2) was superb in a 31-0 win over Waialua last week. Kaiser (3-3, 3-2) was blanked 22-0 last week by Radford, a team that Moanalua lost to by a point.

Konawaena at Ka'u
The Wildcats (7-1, 3-1) lost at HPA last weekend, but claimed the BIIF's Division II first-round title by virtue of a tiebreaker formula. Ka'u (0-4, 0-4) showed signs of progress by scoring for the first time this season in last week's 31-16 loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii.

Hilo at Honokaa
The Vikings (0-5, 0-4) get new life as the second round of the BIIF begins this weekend. Honokaa (3-3, 2-3) hasn't tasted victory since squeezing past Keaau 17-16 a month ago.

Maui vs. Trojans
Technically, the program at St. Anthony is known as the “;Trojans”; since they draw players from other small private schools. The Trojans (0-4, 0-2) haven't been as competitive since the departure of several players in the offseason. Maui (0-4, 0-2) is also hungry for its first win.