OIA adds power ratings
A point system will be used to determine
which schools will play in Division I
While classification on a statewide level is a relatively new idea to Hawaii high school sports, the Oahu Interscholastic Association has been tinkering with its own version for years.
The league has used various alignments to divide its football teams over the past two decades, including those based on geography and win-loss records.
The league is adding another wrinkle to its alignments this year, implementing a power-rating system for football and expanding it to softball and girls basketball.
The point system ranks schools according to their performance over a two-year span at the varsity and -- to a lesser extent -- junior-varsity levels.
OIA executive secretary Dwight Toyama said yesterday the alignments will be locked for two years, keeping schools from bouncing between divisions on an annual basis. The points will be recalculated and the groupings adjusted after that period.
"I think it'll be more consistent by looking at two years and taking some consideration for the JV," Toyama said.
The state's five leagues declared which schools would be classified as Division I and Division II for this school year's state tournaments at a meeting of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association's classification committee yesterday at Radford High School.
There weren't many major shifts in the alignments announced yesterday. Aiea and Roosevelt, which won state D-II championships in football and girls basketball last season, are now D-I teams. University will have a chance to defend its state D-II softball title.
While the OIA is keeping its three-division alignment for football, it's tweaking how those divisions are determined. Two points are awarded for Red Conference wins and 1.75 for White Conference wins over the last two years. Junior varsity Red wins are worth a point apiece and JVWhite wins earn 7Ú8 of a point. The JV element provides a gauge of what a team could have in future seasons.
In past years, the top two teams from the White Conference automatically moved up to the Red the following year.
Defending OIA Red and state Division I football champion Kahuku has a 13-1 varsity record and 12-2 JV record over the past two years, giving the Red Raiders 38 points. Mililani (11-3 varsity, 10-4 JV) is the top team in the OIA West with 32 points.
A D-II school can petition to move to D-I if there's a school willing to trade places with it.
"I like the OIA's model because it doesn't totally rely on enrollment," HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya said. "Because of our geography and the high enrollment of almost every OIA school I don't feel it's feasible to classify strictly based on enrollment.
"I feel a system where your power ranking (counts) works in Hawaii."
The OIA athletic directors approved using the Red and White conference system for softball and girls basketball -- which had been divided by east and west -- at their meeting on Monday. The league is applying the ranking system to just the three sports with classified state tournaments. Toyama said it could be expanded to other sports in future years.
"I tried different point systems, different models," he said. "I gave the AD several options and this was the one they liked.
"After a couple years, if they like it, the other sports may push to have it."
Along with setting their divisions, the leagues used the meeting to initiate discussion on issues concerning classification in future years.
Among the topics put on the table were expanding classification to other sports and possible changes in the sizes and formats of tournaments.
The aim of the committee is to come up with recommendations for future tournaments that will be presented at next year's Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association meeting.
"Going through classification the first year definitely helped us in terms of seeing what works and what could use improvement," Amemiya said. "We also realized that classification is not a simple issue. There are so many variables involved and there's no one way to do classification.
"So I anticipate a lot of healthy discussion over the course of the school year in terms of determining how we handle classification from the third year and beyond."
Division I or Division II?
Football
DIVISION I
BIIF: Hilo, Keaau, Kealakehe, Waiakea
ILH: Kamehameha, Punahou, Saint Louis
KIF: None
MIL: King Kekaulike, Baldwin, Maui
OIA Red East: Castle, Farrington, Kahuku, Kailua, Kaimuki, McKinley, Roosevelt
OIA Red West: Aiea, Kapolei, Leilehua, Mililani, Nanakuli, Pearl City, WaianaeDIVISION II
BIIF: Honokaa, Hawaii Prep, Kamehameha-Hawaii, Ka'u, Kohala, Konawaena
ILH: Damien, Iolani, Pac-Five
KIF: Kapaa, Kauai, Waimea
MIL: Lahainaluna, Kamehameha-Maui, Pac-Three
OIA White: Campbell, Kaiser, Kalaheo, Kalani, Moanalua, Radford, Waialua, Waipahu
Softball
DIVISION I
BIIF: Hilo, Keaau, Kealakehe, Waiakea
ILH: Iolani, Kamehameha, Punahou
KIF: Kapaa, Kauai, Waimea
MIL: Baldwin, King Kekaulike, Lahainaluna, Maui
OIA Red East: Castle, Kahuku, Kailua, Kaimuki, Kaiser, Moanalua, Roosevelt
OIA Red West: Campbell, Kapolei, Leilehua, Mililani, Nanakuli, Pearl City, WaianaeDIVISION II
BIIF: Honokaa, Kamehameha-Hawaii, Kohala, Konawaena, Pahoa
ILH: Maryknoll, Mid-Pacific, Sacred Hearts, St. Francis, University
KIF: None
MIL: Hana, Kamehameha-Maui, Lanai, Molokai, St. Anthony
OIA White: Aiea, Farrington, Kalaheo, Kalani, McKinley, Radford, Waialua, Waipahu
Girls Basketball
DIVISION I
BIIF: Hilo, Honokaa, Keaau, Kealakehe, Konawaena, Waiakea
ILH: Iolani, Kamehameha, Maryknoll, Mid-Pacific, Punahou, Sacred Hearts
KIF: Kapaa, Kauai, Waimea
MIL: Baldwin, King Kekaulike, Lahainaluna, Maui
OIA Red East: Farrington, Kahuku, Kaiser, Kalaheo, McKinley, Moanalua, Roosevelt
OIA Red West: Aiea, Campbell, Kapolei, Leilehua, Mililani, Pearl City, Radford
BIIF: Alliance Academy*, Hawaii Prep, Kamehameha-Hawaii, Ka'u, Kohala, Laupahoehoe, Pahoa, St. Joseph's
ILH: Christian Academy, Hanalani, HawaiiDIVISION II
Baptist, La Pietra, St. Andrew's Priory, St. Francis, University, Word of Life
KIF: None
MIL: Hana, Kaahumanu Hou, Kamehameha-Maui, Lanai, Molokai, St. Anthony, Seabury Hall
OIA White: Anuenue, Castle, Kailua, Kaimuki, Kalani, Nanakuli, Thompson Academy, Waialua, Waianae, Waipahu
