Baldwin loss
opens up Maui race
King Kekaulike succeeded in making the Maui Interscholastic League football race much more interesting as it enters the stretch run.
Na Alii upset previously undefeated Baldwin 22-20 last week.
The Bears (7-1, 1-1 MIL second round) won the league's first round, but the second round is up for grabs.
"It's nice to have actually beaten Baldwin, finally," Na Alii second-year coach Dennis Dias said. "I'm real happy for the boys. It's still a tossup. By beating them, it also opens the door for Maui."
Na Alii (5-1, 1-0) and the Sabers (5-2, 1-0) are very much in the picture.
Two big games are looming -- Maui at King Kekaulike on Nov. 1 and Baldwin vs. Maui on Nov. 8.
Lahainaluna and Pac-Three are tied (1-5 league records) in the two-team race for a berth in the inaugural Division II state tournament.
The Lunas and Titans don't meet again, so it will come down to how they do in their final two games. Lahainaluna plays against Maui and King Kekaulike, while Pac-Three faces King Kekaulike and Baldwin.
"Lahainaluna is coming on and I'm not counting them out of the (title) picture," Dias said.
Na Alii run a conservative, running offense and count on the defense for turnovers and good field position, according to the coach.
Tailback Kona Quinabo, blocking fullback Aaron Wood and quarterback Devin Iwata are among King Kekaulike's offensive leaders. Alapa Atartes, Keahi Holder and Jason Vea are just a few of the team's steady defenders.
Races continue: Kamehameha and Saint Louis have one more test before their rematch Nov. 1.
The Warriors (7-0, 5-0 Interscholastic League of Honolulu) play Punahou tonight at Aloha Stadium. The Crusaders (5-1, 4-1) take on a challenge from Iolani in the first game of a doubleheader this afternoon.
If all goes well for the front-runners this week, the Nov. 1 contest will either decide the league championship or force a playoff Nov. 8 for the title.
The ILH Division II state berth is likely to be decided after the outcomes of two upcoming games -- Pac-Five (2-4-1, 0-4-1) vs. Damien (1-5, 1-4) tomorrow at Kamehameha's Kunuiakea Stadium and Damien at Iolani (4-4-1, 2-2-1) next Friday.
Two Big Island Interscholastic Federation races are going down to the wire.
It's a three-team race for the title and only one -- Kealakehe (6-1, 6-0), Hilo (5-1, 5-1) or Waiakea (6-1, 5-1) -- will survive.
Two critical games remain -- Hilo at Kealakehe tomorrow night and Kealakehe at Waiakea next Friday.
The BIIF's Division II berth is also up in the air. Frontrunners Hawaii Prep (4-4, 4-2) and Konawaena (4-3, 4-2) clash Nov. 1.
Mountain dies: Former Kamehameha coach Tom Mountain died Oct. 7. He was 92.
Mountain led the Warriors to Interscholastic League of Honolulu football championships in 1946 and '48.
Blane Gaison, the school's athletic director, said Mountain is a legendary figure in the school's history.
Mountain was also a teacher, counselor, dorm master and a coach in many other sports, including track, basketball and wrestling during his years at Kamehameha. He started his career there in the late 1930s and retired in 1977.
"He was also a marksman and a sailor," school principal Tony Ramos said. "He was dedicated to sports and to the kids who played them, and he was very well-liked. He's one of the guys who contributed to and shaped the traditions and legacy of the school."
Ramos remembers Mountain having a photographic memory.
"He could give you the plays and tell you who the players were from a team back in the 1940s, and he would tell it in full detail," Ramos said. "He was quite a storyteller, and the stories he told often connected those of us who came later to the traditions of the past."
Services are 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kamehameha's Bernice Pauahi Bishop Memorial Chapel.
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