unpaid D-II football

[unpaid]

The days of Iolani winning yet another consecutive title are gone.The Raiders are no longer in a class by themselves in D-II. I feel my top 3 teams are capable of winning it all this year.

1.Kauai. The Red Raiders were one of two teams that put up a potential upsetting roadblock to Kaiser's march to the 2013 D-II championship.Some good linemen are back and Kauai might have some good offensive replacements coming in.

2.Lahainaluna. I have the Lunas at 2 ,but it could just as easily be 1a and 1b,because Lahainaluna is the other team that gave Kaiser fits. I think Lahainaluna gave up a point or two more to the Cougars,so I am giving a slight,very slight edge to Kauai. Lunas also have some good,big linemen returning and probably a little more starting experience at the offensive skill positions.

3.Iolani.The mighty have fallen...but they haven't fallen far.The Raiders did not fall off a cliff..it's more like they were walking down the street texting and stumbled because they didn't keep their eyes on the pavement. Expect Coach Look and the players to realize winning a championship isn't a given.Austin Jim-0n would like to quarterback a state champion team this year.Iolani could do it...for sure,the Raiders will be hungry this year.

4.Konawaena. The Wildcats keep winning BIIF titles and beating up most of their D-I league mates as well.Led by Makoa Chapa on defense..expect Kona to be in the mix..

5.Hawaii Prep.KaMakani do wonders with a small enrollment.I believe they have some quality players coming back at qb,te,and they always seem to find a stud or two along the line.

6.Kamehameha-Hawaii. Might be low here but BIIF D-II is so competitive that these three Big Island teams could just as well be 4a,4b,and 4c.

7.Kapaa..It would have been interesting to see what the Warriors could have done at states last year..Kapaa is a real challenger to Kauai over on the Garden Island.

8.Pearl City. Eight spots and I finally pick an OIA White team..just feel that whole league is going to be down this year. Kaiser was really the only standout team in the league last year..Radford was good but Kaiser blew them out twice.Kaiser is in D-I now and there isn''t much left behind.Pearl City kept it close against D-II runner up Kauai in a 13-7 loss in the D-II opening round in 2013.I think the Chargers get the benefit of the doubt here but it could be a crapshoot trying to figure who comes out of the OIA White this year.

9.Kaimuki. Bulldogs moving down from a two-year stay in D-I.History shows that the Bulldogs do well in D-II.

10.Damien. Coach Klaneski might need a few years to turn it around,but I think he could get them in states eventually.

[Getreal$]

I have to agree with your predictions. BIIF will be a lot tougher to call this year in both DI and DII. My understanding is Makoa Chapa left Kona but they're still tough on both offense and defense. HPA is a hard one to call, they were senior heavy last year with nearly 8 seniors playing both ways, but the QB and TE do come back. Kamehameha Hawaii is my sleeper team. Word is they look really good with their QB and WR back for their third year as starters. Not sure if anyone goes to their pass league games but I heard Kam looks good on offense and they have size and speed. Anyone know please comment. I also think Honokaa will surprise some teams this year and are a year away from contending for the DII BIIF title.

[unpaid]

Getreal$,

Thanks for the reply. I am glad you mentioned Honokaa.They caused a few uncomfortable moments last year in the second round of BIIF D-II. The Dragons seemed to get tougher as the year went on. I hope they can build off of last year's finish.

If Kelly had returned to Hilo this fall,I might have said the Vikings would be a lock to repeat as BIIF D-I champs.Even so,the Vikings,in my mind ,have enough to overcome that loss and make it two in a row.

[Getreal$]

Kelly is back at Hilo, but I would say Waiakea and Kealakehe should be the top two teams in DI at this point. Hilo lost too much on defense and with absolutely no passing game, even with Kelly, they will run right into Kealakehe and Waiakea's strength, their interior defense. Coach Baldwin inherited a really good team last year but this year will test his coaching staff big time. Like last year, the DII teams had good passing games and that is why they beat the DI teams handily. This year is no different. The top two QB's Koa Ellis HPA and Micah Kanehailua Kam Hawaii combined for 41 touchdown passes and 1600+ yards passing a piece. Both return for their senior year. And no, Kohala and Ka'u did not factor in those stats.

Apparently Kelly was enrolled at Mililani but a couple of weeks ago started practicing with Hilo High again. Maybe the big ocean was a humbling experience for him (and his father) and thus his return to the little pond.

[unpaid]

Since you mentioned Kohala and Kau..just wondering if there has been any talk of 8-man teams at those two schools,or will they try to go 11-man again?

[Getreal$]

I'm not sure about Kohala but Ka'u and now Pahoa will have 8-man teams.

[unpaid]

Good for Kau and Pahoa.Hope Kohala joins in.

I've said this before,but let me repeat,football is part of the fabric of high school life.Is it better to compete at all costs when your school is overmatched in terms of numbers,or is it better to scale back and go 8-man and forego the likelihood of forfeiting three or four games at the end of the season..Each school with a small enrollment has to answer the question to their own satisfaction.

I feel many of the smaller schools in the state that continually forfeit games each year because they can't even maintain a D-II roster....should lessen the stress. Go 8-man..it's more likely you will be able to play every game on your schedule,no payments to be made to your league because you forfeited..

[bandits1]

First time in three seasons Pearl City opens with the same head coach as the season before, right? Let's see what they can do with the returnees already knowing the system. When you change coaches every season, the returnees know as little about the O and D schemes as the new guys -- that's gotta be tough.

[unpaid]

bandits1,

I think Pearl City has the inside track in the OIA White this year .I have a question though.about teams like Pearl City and Radford who have enrollments well over 1,000 who choose to remain in D-II. I understand that schools like these two are yo-yo schools who ,in past years,bounce up and down between D-I and D-II.If I am not mistaken,enrollments at Pearl City and Radford are around 1,300.

The two-year cycle has ended and Radford for sure earned promotion to D-I but declined.Kaiser accepted promotion.
Two other schools earned promotion but declined.Nanakuli may have been one of the two other schools who declined,but with an enrollment under 1,000 I can understand why they finally said enough.

I am throwing the question out there to all board members..should schools be able to play down when enrollment and team numbers indicate they should play in D-I and stop beating up on schools who have enrollments of 400-800 with football teams that average around 30 players?

[bandits1]

^^^I hear ya. I'm a Pearl City alum and it's always been a pretty gigantic school as far as enrollment goes. I was disappointed each time Pearl City turned down the opportunity to move up to Red. In hindsight, with the revolving door of head coaches the past few seasons, it was probably the right move to stay down in White until things settled down. But if they do well enough again in '14 and plan to retain the head coach for '15, they should definitely move up if asked.

Pearl City's always been traditionally rock-solid in particular sports: baseball, soccer, bowling, air riflery, softball, volleyball, cross-country and track & field, while higher-profile sports like football and basketball was a maybe/maybe not from year-to-year. That's just the way it goes. Not everyone can be a football powerhouse, especially when we were always in the same district as Waianae back when they were THE team to beat in the West. And more recently with Mililani and Campbell establishing themselves as consistently competitive on a statewide level, it's only gotten deeper and tougher.

I completely agree that large enrollment schools should play in D1/Red no ifs, whats or buts, with no option to ever move down to White unless enrollment takes nosedive. Nobody said everyone's going to get their turn to win in D1 -- that's not how competitive sports works -- but never winning a championship doesn't mean you step down to a lower conference and try to stomp all over the small schools just to bring home a trophy or two. Where's the satisfaction in that?

[alleyezonme]

When the division classifications were established, I believe the intent was to level the playing field with enrollment in mind. A school with 1500 students has a larger selection pool than a school with 500. Also, smaller enrollments tend to have more athletes playing multiple sports, which hurts offseason commitment to even better your program. It's a travesty that larger schools have been able to dip into division 2.

It's like saying that the University of Hawaii has been having a couple bad years now...talent is a little down, Chow is struggling, we can't find a DC who can keep points off the board...you know what? Let's go down to Division 2 and beat up on them till our team improves.

Look at past Div 2 State Champions...Aiea, Campbell, Kaiser, Iolani, King K. With the exception for 1 year, the champions were all teams that should be in Div 1 EVERY year.

[kaypryd]

FYI Kauai Red Raiders lost 2 olinemen to St. Louis! Nate Herbig 6'3" 320 Jr. and Clint Matias 6'1" 240 Sr. Don't let Clint's size fool you! This kid is COWBOY STRONG!
Both will be missed next year but good luck to them !

[FatherofCody&Casey]

When the division classifications were established, I believe the intent was to level the playing field with enrollment in mind. A school with 1500 students has a larger selection pool than a school with 500. Also, smaller enrollments tend to have more athletes playing multiple sports, which hurts offseason commitment to even better your program. It's a travesty that larger schools have been able to dip into division 2.

It's like saying that the University of Hawaii has been having a couple bad years now...talent is a little down, Chow is struggling, we can't find a DC who can keep points off the board...you know what? Let's go down to Division 2 and beat up on them till our team improves.

Look at past Div 2 State Champions...Aiea, Campbell, Kaiser, Iolani, King K. With the exception for 1 year, the champions were all teams that should be in Div 1 EVERY year.

Is the team you are talking about King K (the true D2 team). Staying on the subject, would anybody put it past Iolani to do this: tank games they should win so another ILH D2 can win the league and go to states? This isn't an anti-Iolani post, but remember, they love playing D2 and keep insisting they'd not survive in D1. If Iolani wins that section of the ILH again, the league will force them to be a D1 team. That's the new rule, one that came into play last year. With all the talent Iolani returns, it shouldn't be too hard for them to win D2 again. I can't picture Damien, Pac-Five, or SF having better seasons.

The new rule, encompassing all spots, states that starting in the 2013-14 academic year, any D2 team that wins the ILH in 2013-14 and 2014-15 MUST play D1 starting in 2015-16 for two years at least. For example, if St. Francis' boys basketball team wins the D2 section of the ILH again, they must play D1 in 2015-16.

[Optimus]

Is the team you are talking about King K (the true D2 team). Staying on the subject, would anybody put it past Iolani to do this: tank games they should win so another ILH D2 can win the league and go to states? This isn't an anti-Iolani post, but remember, they love playing D2 and keep insisting they'd not survive in D1. If Iolani wins that section of the ILH again, the league will force them to be a D1 team. That's the new rule, one that came into play last year. With all the talent Iolani returns, it shouldn't be too hard for them to win D2 again. I can't picture Damien, Pac-Five, or SF having better seasons.

The new rule, encompassing all spots, states that starting in the 2013-14 academic year, any D2 team that wins the ILH in 2013-14 and 2014-15 MUST play D1 starting in 2015-16 for two years at least. For example, if St. Francis' boys basketball team wins the D2 section of the ILH again, they must play D1 in 2015-16.

Interesting, but IF Iolani does move up to DI, what team will move to DII? I can't picture Punahou, Kamehameha or St. Louis in the DII. I think if Iolani wins, which I think they will, no movement will be made. Just my 2cents.

That's why for Football, only, they need to have a combined (OIA & ILH) DI and DII league. Then movements can be justifiably made

[alleyezonme]

When the division classifications were established, I believe the intent was to level the playing field with enrollment in mind. A school with 1500 students has a larger selection pool than a school with 500. Also, smaller enrollments tend to have more athletes playing multiple sports, which hurts offseason commitment to even better your program. It's a travesty that larger schools have been able to dip into division 2.

It's like saying that the University of Hawaii has been having a couple bad years now...talent is a little down, Chow is struggling, we can't find a DC who can keep points off the board...you know what? Let's go down to Division 2 and beat up on them till our team improves.

Look at past Div 2 State Champions...Aiea, Campbell, Kaiser, Iolani, King K. With the exception for 1 year, the champions were all teams that should be in Div 1 EVERY year.

Is the team you are talking about King K (the true D2 team). Staying on the subject, would anybody put it past Iolani to do this: tank games they should win so another ILH D2 can win the league and go to states? This isn't an anti-Iolani post, but remember, they love playing D2 and keep insisting they'd not survive in D1. If Iolani wins that section of the ILH again, the league will force them to be a D1 team. That's the new rule, one that came into play last year. With all the talent Iolani returns, it shouldn't be too hard for them to win D2 again. I can't picture Damien, Pac-Five, or SF having better seasons.

The new rule, encompassing all spots, states that starting in the 2013-14 academic year, any D2 team that wins the ILH in 2013-14 and 2014-15 MUST play D1 starting in 2015-16 for two years at least. For example, if St. Francis' boys basketball team wins the D2 section of the ILH again, they must play D1 in 2015-16.

Yes, King Kekaulike is a public school with a little over 1000 students. I don't think the ILH revealed what would really happen if a team like Iolani moved up to Div 1...it would be interesting to see if a team is forced to move down. What if Iolani blanks for 3 years in Div 1? What qualifies them to move back down? What if Damien runs the table the 3 years after Iolani leaves? Do they move up? I think it turns into a mess.