Jeff Hackler will take over as Iolani's varsity boys soccer coach Monday after a hazing incident led to the forfeiture of two matches and the resignation of the previous coach, an Iolani athletic director said yesterday. Hazing incident
shakes Iolani
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comJudy Hiramoto, the Iolani athletic director in charge of soccer, said Hackler, a history teacher at the school, was appointed head coach following Myles Arakawa's resignation in the wake of the incident that took place during the team's trip to the Big Island for a preseason tournament last month.
The team was placed on a one-week suspension that included the forfeiture of two Interscholastic League of Honolulu matches -- Wednesday's season opener against St. Louis and today's scheduled game against Kamehameha.
Hiramoto said the team will resume practice Monday and will play its first league game against Hawaii Baptist on Tuesday at Kapiolani Park.
Arakawa offered his resignation this week after meeting with school officials regarding the incident.
"I have no problem with accepting responsibility," Arakawa said. "I accept and understand the decision-making process of the school."
Although he is no longer with the team, Arakawa said he hopes the players can put recent events behind them and continue with their season.
"These guys have to move on," Arakawa said. "They've been punished, let them play. That's what they love to do."
Arakawa had coached in the Iolani soccer program since 1985. He was named interim varsity coach in 1997 and guided the Raiders to the state championship that season. He was then installed as the full-time coach and led Iolani to another state title in 2000.
Hackler played at Iolani and Brown University and has coached in the school's intermediate and junior varsity programs. Chris Lee, another former Iolani player and Arakawa's assistant throughout his tenure as head coach, will remain on the coaching staff as Hackler's assistant.
"He was the brains behind it all," Arakawa said of Lee. "I'm just louder."
Hiramoto said the school has a policy prohibiting hazing, the practice of returning players putting newcomers through initiation rituals. Neither she nor Arakawa would elaborate on what kind of hazing went on during the Big Island trip.
"We do not condone any type of hazing," she said. "We were alerted to the facts and we took action."
Despite the incident, Hiramoto said future trips by school teams will not be affected. The varsity boys basketball team is scheduled to participate in a tournament in Boston later this month.
"As a school, we consider travel to be an important part of the educational process," Hiramoto said. "We see this as a valuable component and we will have travel in the future.
"We always talk to every team that travels about the enforcement of school rules and regulations on school-sponsored trips."
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