HHSAA sets
classification specificsThe brackets are laid out and
the teams are split into divisions
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThe Hawaii High School Athletic Association's football committee unanimously approved yesterday a six-team Division II football tournament to accompany the existing state tournament on a one-year trial basis.
In addition to confirming the tournament formats, the committee approved the breakdown of the state's five leagues into divisions, a configuration that has already ensured a state tournament berth for one team.
"This is a start, and hopefully the schools and the public will embrace and support our inaugural Division II state tournament," HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya said.
"Hopefully this will generate excitement for the Division II schools who now have a more realistic opportunity to qualify for the state tournament."
The Division I tournament will remain an eight-team event with four teams from the Oahu Interscholastic Association and one each from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Kauai Interscholastic Federation and Maui Interscholastic League.
The Division II tournament will be a six-team tournament featuring two OIA teams and one each from the BIIF, ILH, KIF and MIL.
The tournaments lead up to a championship doubleheader at Aloha Stadium on Dec. 5.
After several failed attempts in previous years, a proposal for the classified tournaments was passed by the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association last month and gained final approval by the HHSAA executive board on June 26.
"It is gratifying and I appreciate the support of the leagues to at least try the concept for one year," Amemiya said.
A key change to the format originally presented at the HIADA conference was the removal of the at-large entry to the Division I tournament.
Under the preliminary plan, had the KIF champion been a Division II team, the league's Division I spot would have been opened up to an at-large team. Instead, the KIF will send representatives to both tournaments. Kauai and Kapaa are the league's Division I entrants, while Waimea, winner of 11 consecutive league titles, opted for Division II.
The Division II tournament awards first-round byes to the KIF representative and the OIA's top seed, meaning Waimea is slated to play in a Division II semifinal game on Nov. 28 at Vidinha Stadium regardless of its record in the regular season.
"I'm not thinking that far ahead," said first-year Waimea coach Liko Pereira. "I'm just trying to get through the teams on Kauai first."
The Menehunes have played in every state tournament since it was established in 1999 and advanced to the semifinals three times. However, they've lost those state semifinal contests by an aggregate score of 128-7.
"I like that they do have two divisions. When we hit the semifinals in the state playoffs it was kind of rough on our kids," Pereira said.
The OIA will retain its Red and White conference format, with the Red broken up into East and West Divisions. However, instead of incorporating both conferences into the league playoffs, the OIA will hold separate Red and White playoffs and crown two champions.
Although the other four leagues have designated Division I and Division II teams, all of their teams will continue to play each other in the regular season.
"Our league is a lot easier than the other leagues, because we're so big, so we have more flexibility," OIA executive secretary Dwight Toyama said. "The other leagues, I sympathize with them. ... It's a lot tougher for them to come up with a true Division II and Division I."
Should a Division II team win its league's overall championship, the league has the option of sending that team to the Division I tournament.
Amemiya said Lahainaluna, an MIL Division II team, has indicated that it would move up to Division I if the Lunas win the MIL title. The ILH will not move its Division II champion up regardless of its overall finish. The BIIF will address the option at a meeting next month.
The tournaments open Nov. 21 with five games. In Division I games at Aloha Stadium, the top seeds from the OIA and KIF meet, while the ILH representative faces the OIA's fourth seed. The BIIF champion hosts the OIA third seed and the MIL champion plays the OIA runner-up at War Memorial Stadium.
The Division II tournament begins with the OIA second seed hosting the ILH entrant at a campus site on Nov. 21. The BIIF seed plays the MIL team at War Memorial Stadium the following day.
The semifinals are Nov. 28. The Division I games will be at Aloha Stadium. One of the Division II games will be at Vidinha Stadium, the other at a site to be determined.
Amemiya said there have been discussions with potential sponsors for the tournaments. Chevron has sponsored the previous four state football tournaments on a year-to-year basis. Amemiya has also pledged to personally cover any losses incurred by the Division II tournament.
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Who's in which division
DIVISION I
BIIF: Hilo, Keaau, Kealakehe, Waiakea
ILH: Kamehameha, Punahou, Saint Louis
KIF: Kapaa, Kauai
MIL: Baldwin, King Kekaulike, Maui
OIA Red East: Castle, Farrington, Kahuku, Kailua, Kaimuki, McKinley, Roosevelt
OIA Red West: Campbell, Leilehua, Mililani, Nanakuli, Pearl City, Waianae, Waipahu
DIVISION II
BIIF: Hawaii Prep, Honokaa, Ka'u, Kohala, Konawaena
ILH: Damien, Iolani, Pac-Five
KIF: Waimea
MIL: Lahainaluna, St. Anthony/Seabury Hall/Kaahumanu Hou
OIA White: Aiea, Kaiser, Kalaheo, Kalani, Kapolei, Moanalua, Radford, Waialua
