[ OIA CONFERENCE ]
OIA adopts new system
JV games will now play a role
for a team to change conferences
Oahu Interscholastic Association Football Committee chair Richard Townsend knows that when the talk turns to conference alignment, "Every coach wants to play in the Red."
But while teams in the lower White Conference have traditionally had a chance to move up to the Red every season based on the previous year's win-loss records, schools will now be locked into respective divisions for a two-year period under a new scheduling system announced by the OIA.
"We wanted more stability in the up and down movement," Townsend said. "The timing was off for a lot of schools," which would often have a good season in the White Conference, only to move up to the Red after having just graduated the strong senior class that was the key to that season. "Rebuilding" years would happen against tougher competition, ensuring a bounce right back down to the White.
OIA conference breakdown
Through 2005
Point totals from 2002 and '03 seasons
Red West (points) Mililani 32 Waianae 28 Nanakuli 27.75 Kapolei 27.5 Pearl City 26.13 Aiea 25.13 Leilehua 22 Red East (points) Kahuku 38 Kailua 32 McKinley 24 Farrington 23 Castle 21 *Kaimuki 14.88 #Roosevelt 12.5 White (points) Radford 17.5 @Kaiser 16.5 Campbell 16.5 Waialua 11.38 Waipahu 10.5 Kalaheo 7.88 Moanalua 7 Kalani 1.75
* Declined opportunity to move down to White
# Petitioned to move up to Red East
@ Opted to drop down from Red East
"There's so many borderline teams right now that we've got to make this movement," Townsend said.
The new system, which incorporates points for wins and ties by a school's varsity and JV squads over a two-year time frame, is designed to better reflect the cyclical nature of many high school football programs.
Red Conference varsity games are worth two points per win, one point per tie. Red JV games are one point per win, 0.5 per tie. White varsity games are 1.75 points per win, 0.75 per tie. White JV games are 0.875 per win, 0.375 per tie.
"The teams can kind of find themselves when they go back down in the White," Townsend said. But, "You're not really stuck down there."
A White Conference team can petition the OIA to move up a level of play, provided a Red team from its respective geographic division agrees to move down. Roosevelt petitioned to move up for 2004 and '05, with Kaiser dropping down to the White Conference. Kaimuki, which had a lower point total than Kaiser in the Red East over the 2002-03 seasons, will remain in the higher division.
The OIA will go with the new system through the 2005 season, then review its effectiveness.
