ILH revives JV football
after 6-year absence

Three institutions will field junior
varsity teams in Oahu’s
private-school league

Crossover games were a popular advance in Hawaii high school football last season.

It may not be long, in fact, before junior varsity teams from Oahu's two high school leagues match up on the gridiron.

With the return of JV football to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the gap between intermediate and varsity levels has been bridged for the first time since 1998.

Punahou's capacity to field a JV team this fall was the turning point. For the past six seasons, only Kamehameha and Saint Louis had enough players to field potential teams. Buffanblu coach Kale Ane is hoping for at least 50 players to try out for his JV team.

"We've tried to work it out. Sometimes we didn't have enough kids to field at certain positions. Now we've looked at numbers and positions and everything that goes into it, and we feel like we can try to make it work," he said.

Kamehameha interim coach Doss Tannehill is beaming as well. The Warriors suit up 100 players each season, but a large number are better suited for JV play. "Probably, we had seven or so sophomores who figure into the (varsity) rotation at best, with a good sophomore class. They get more growth on JV, so we're really happy," he said.

Damien, Iolani and Pac-Five, the ILH's Division II teams, will not play JV ball. One of the factors that ushered in the two-division varsity format is at play on the JV levels: lack of numbers.

For a powerhouse like Saint Louis, it's a mixed blessing. Coach Delbert Tengan believes the Crusaders would have been better with a JV program, but wonders if the timing is right.

"A lot of kids decide on their own, 'I'm not ready for varsity,' and you never get them back. I think that's where we lost some of the kids," he said. "My suggestion was, let's wait a year. We've done without it for six years. One more year isn't gonna hurt us. Then we can work on a better schedule."

The fall schedule, which isn't set in stone yet, is two, perhaps three rounds of ILH play this fall.

"You want your players to work out for three months, and then they play only four games," Tengan said.

If the league had waited, the possibility of some crossover games with the top Oahu Interscholastic Association JV teams may have fortified the schedule.

"We're just happy it's back," said Tannehill, who coached JV ball for four seasons. "It's a step in the right direction, a foot in the door. We'll try and scrimmage as many preseason games as we can get in there. Crossover games would be wonderful. We like any way we can get games for our kids."

No talks have initiated just yet about games between teams from the ILH and OIA, but Ane hopes it is a possibility down the road.

"We're hoping for crossover games. We'd like to play them in preseason and during the season, too," he said. "That's the thing with three (ILH) teams. There's not a lot of variety."

Word of Life Academy will field an intermediate team for the first time this fall.

"Word of Life, maybe within a year or two, could move up to the JV. That would make it a nice league," Tengan said.

Since ILH teams permit juniors to play on JV teams, there may be more than the usual discussion if crossover games are scheduled sometime next year.

"We'd have to talk and make it work. We'd both have to share our issues and communicate," Ane said.

Juniors who play JV football are relatively uncommon and are sometimes first-year players.

"It's totally individual," Ane added.

Punahou has promoted its intermediate team's coaches to the JV level and will hire a new intermediate staff.

More teams means more paperwork for coaches, but Ane can't help smiling.

"This is almost as exciting as last night's game," he said, referring to the Punahou girls basketball team's win over Maryknoll on Tuesday.

No JV head coach has been named at Saint Louis. Regardless of who is picked, Tengan is glad to see the program return.

"It makes it a smoother transition to varsity. You're always gonna have sophomores that are matured and ready for varsity, but you'll always have those kids who aren't ready. That one-year development on the JV level gives them that confidence to be proficient for varsity," he said.

For Punahou, it's the right time. A shortage of linemen was a key factor in the departure from JV play, but the school has begun producing Division I linemen again. Offensive tackle Dane Uperesa, a 2004 graduate, plays for Hawaii. Another tackle, Trask Iosefa, was a Star-Bulletin All-State selection last season. He has signed to play at San Diego State, where he will switch to center.

Ane, who played in the NFL, is optimistic. Getting more playing time for sophomores was a challenge over the six years without JV ball.

"We're excited about the opportunities provided for our kids. I think all the kids would've benefited from a JV program. The transition from intermediate makes you better prepared," he said.

At Kamehameha, Rob Santos has been promoted from intermediate "blue" to JV head coach.