Football teams on the move in D-I and D-II

It’s doubtful that Radford will be defending its Division II football state championship next year, and that’s because the Rams are likely headed to D-I.

Things could change between now and January, when the Oahu Interscholastic Association will make the final decision on the biennial movement of two teams up to D-I and two teams down to D-II.

OIA football coordinator Harold Tanaka said Monday that going strictly by the league won-lost records from the past two seasons, before any discussion that will come up at future meetings, Radford (14-2) and runner-up Nanakuli (15-1) appear to be headed to the top tier. McKinley (0-14) and Waipahu (2-12) look to be going to the lower tier.

“There could be other proposals that come up at our evaluation meeting (Monday night) and other league meetings,” Tanaka said. “Other scenarios are possible because other schools might make a request to go up or down. You never know what might happen (at the meetings).”

Play the team you’re dealt

The Rams will have the same outlook and goals no matter which division they’re in, according to coach Fred Salanoa. The problem is, he never knows what the strength of his team will be from year to year.

“We have three military bases nearby and we never know who’s coming and who’s leaving,” he said. “It could be a tough deal (next season) if it ends up being a down year. We’re not fortune-tellers, so it’s like playing poker. You get the hand you’re dealt with and figure out the best way to play it. In my experience as the coach here, there has been a pattern of having a strong team every three years. This was the third year. If it had been up to us, I would have put this year’s team in D-I.”

Nanakuli coach Keala Watson could not be reached for comment Monday, but in the past he has said he would relish the opportunity for his Golden Hawks to be in D-I.

ILH requirement

In the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, chances are ‘Iolani will be back down in Division II after spending one year at the upper level. In the ILH, it’ a requirement for any D-II team that wins two consecutive league or state titles to go up to D-I for at least one year. That’s what the Raiders did this season and they ended up with an 0-6 league record.

‘Iolani coach Wendell Look, who steadfastly believes the Raiders are of D-II caliber, is not likely to keep the Raiders in D-I, but he said Monday that it’s not going to be totally up to him.

“I haven’t met with the kids yet,” he said. “It’s a decision we’ll make together. I have gotten input from a few kids here and there. We will meet and sometime after the new year we’ll make a decision. We’re not pressed to declare anything right away.”

In its D-II years, the Raiders were a dominant force in the league and state, leading many people to speculate that they belong in between D-I and D-II.

“Maybe we’ll go independent,” Look said jokingly.

New public school rule

A public school rule that went into effect days before the recently concluded football season will have an impact on the Hawaii high school football landscape, especially the OIA, next season. Athletes in a particular sport transferring from one public school to another must sit out one year before resuming that sport. A similar rule already exists for private schools. Athletes transferring from a private school to a public school do not have to sit out.

“Families were shopping for programs,” Tanaka of the OIA said. “It was getting kind of bad and the athletic directors wanted to do something about it.”

There were cases in the past two years where a player left one school for another within one week before the official start of practice. That won’t be possible in the future without the player missing a full year.

On the field, the usual suspects (Saint Louis, Punahou, Mililani, Kamehameha, Baldwin, Waianae, Farrington, Kapolei, Kailua) will be out to get that Division I trophy that Kahuku brought home for the eighth time last Friday.

Coaches in question

Moanalua will have a new head coach sometime this winter after the departure of Jason Cauley.

Cal Lee is still working on bringing the title magic back to Saint Louis, where he led the Crusaders to 14 Oahu Prep Bowl (the precursor to the state tournament) wins and one state title from 1983 to 1999. He’s been back for two seasons now, getting the Crusaders to the ILH title game in 2014 and to the state final this year.

Will he return?

“I evaluate it one year at a time,” Lee said. “I’m not 28 years old. Time to take some time off. Relax, gather my thoughts. No rush. It’s basketball season. Let the kids go play other sports. Enjoy the holidays. After that, it will be time to sit down and talk about it.”