ILH may create
baseball divisions
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu may classify baseball into two divisions next season and add a new team.
The possibility has been discussed by the league's coaches, but hasn't been heard officially by the athletic directors yet.
As it stands now, there are eight ILH baseball teams.
One idea is for the five larger programs -- Punahou, Mid-Pacific, Iolani, Kamehameha and Saint Louis -- to be in Division I.
Pac-Five, Maryknoll and Damien would drop to Division II.
Similar to the ILH football setup, D-I teams would still play against D-II squads, but possibly only once instead of twice.
It's not known which, if any, of the many ILH smaller schools is ready to add a D-II baseball program.
"We want to encourage the smaller schools to enter, so we can give more kids an opportunity to play," ILH baseball coordinator Wade Okamura said.
By adding another team, the league would also help ensure a second state berth, something it didn't have this season for the first time in many years.
State champion Punahou finished second in the ILH and only made it into the state tournament by winning a play-in game against Lahainaluna.
The 12 state berths are divided among the five leagues based on the percentage of teams the leagues have participating.
Last season, the Oahu Interscholastic Association had 22 teams and five state berths, followed by the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (13 teams, three berths), the Maui Interscholastic League and the ILH (eight teams and one berth each, plus the play-in berth), and the Kauai Interscholastic Federation (three teams, one berth).
Next year, Maui will have nine teams due to the addition of Kamehameha-Maui, and that will likely give the Valley Isle league a second berth as well as eliminate the play-in game.
But if the ILH also adds a team, it could lead to both leagues being able to secure two outright berths. If that happens, either the Big Island or OIA would lose a berth.
Maui water polo close: Only three leagues -- the OIA, ILH and BIIF -- held girls water polo competition last season and participated in the inaugural state tournament.
The MIL has four schools interested in starting programs in the sport, according to league executive secretary Stephen Kim.
"The interest is real strong from Maui's central schools -- Baldwin, Lahainaluna, King Kekaulike and Seabury Hall," Kim said.
The KIF -- the other league that didn't have girls water polo last season -- hasn't discussed adding it, according to league executive secretary Diane Nitta.
The KIF participates in all other state tournaments except wrestling and judo.
In other Maui news, Kim isn't sure what the future holds for girls flag football.
"There's been a lot of interest for a couple of years," he said. "The bill would be huge -- for officials, transportation and trainers. But it would also be a big boost for gender equity concerns."
All-staters clubbing it: Five of the eight Star-Bulletin All-State boys volleyball first-teamers are playing club ball for Ku'ikahi this summer -- Kealakehe's Kyle Teves, Seabury Hall's Corey Spence, Iolani's Todd Blankenship and Michael Contee, and Kamehameha's Ainoa Miyashiro.
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