Saint Louis-Kahuku rematch tops new football format schedule

A Sept. 7 rematch of the past three state championship games between Kahuku and Saint Louis headlines the 2018 OIA-ILH football schedule obtained by the Star-Advertiser on Monday.

For the first time, the two leagues are combining for a full slate of regular-season games. The OIA and ILH will continue to crown their own league champions. The OIA will hold playoffs and the ILH will base its champions on win-loss records. The schedule that was released does not include ILH vs. ILH games.

Saint Louis, led by quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa in 2016 and Chevan Cordeiro in 2017, won the past two top-tier, or Open Division, state titles, while Kahuku won the Division I title in 2015.

The regular season begins the week of Aug. 10-11 with Punahou making its first trip to the North Shore since 2012 to face Kahuku on Aug. 11.

The weekend of Aug. 31-Sept. 1, is a bye week in Hawaii for all but two teams. At least five Hawaii teams have mainland games scheduled that weekend.

Damien will travel to Washington to play Mt. Spokane and Mililani has scheduled a game in California against St. John Bosco, which finished last season ranked No. 14 in the nation by USA Today.

Kapolei and Campbell are also making trips to the mainland that weekend, while ‘Iolani will host defending Oregon 6A champion Clackamas.

Kaimuki and Farrington have scheduled mainland trips for the following week.

Kapolei and Kamehameha will open the regular season in the first game of an Aloha Stadium doubleheader on Aug. 10. Saint Louis and Waianae will play the nightcap in one of nine games scheduled.

That same night, Division II Kaiser will play its first regular-season game at its refurbished home field against Kalaheo.

First-year coach Tim Seaman took over for Arnold Martinez in the offseason after Kaiser forfeited all but one of its games due to a lack of players.

In the ILH, Saint Louis, Punahou and Kamehameha will play in the Open Division, ‘Iolani and Damien will play in Division I and St. Francis and Pac-Five will compete in Division II this year.

Farrington’s Daniel Sanchez will make his regular-season head coaching debut on Aug. 12 at Mililani after replacing longtime coach Randall Okimoto in the offseason.

Punahou will play six of its seven games on the road this year, including an Aug. 17 meeting at Kapolei in a rematch of a state tournament game two years ago won by the Hurricanes.

Kamehameha and Mililani will play the next day for just the third time ever and first since 2005.

The OIA-ILH schedule does not include the first week of games (the weekend of Aug. 3-4), in which all teams in the state are free to schedule other teams in the state or from the mainland.