Even with all the surprises and delays, Castle football coach Nelson Maeda is hoping his team gets a game or two at home this fall.

The big plan to install FieldTurf at one of the state’s rainiest locales was expected to be done in May. But that was pushed back, and when the field was dug up, water and electrical lines were discovered.

"They found things that weren’t on the blueprint," Maeda said.

Still, the field is expected to be ready by mid-October, athletic director Richard Haru said. The delay was difficult to plan for, but the long term is promising.

"We’re willingly accepting whatever happens," Haru said. "This will benefit us for generations to come. I’m thankful to our community, our legislators, to everyone. Coach Maeda has been very patient."

The OIA soccer championships, he added, are scheduled to be held at Castle early next year. The track will need 30 days’ worth of "dry days" and sunshine to be ready.

Meanwhile, Castle’s football team practices on the baseball outfield and will play "home" games at Roosevelt’s Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium. Only one game, against Kahuku, has been switched over to the opposing team’s field.

It was 2005, he recalled, when facility renovations required Castle to play exclusively on the road. Castle upset Kahuku that year and won the OIA Red East.

Currently, a bus rental is roughly $250 per night, and a high school football concession stand generates around $2,000 to $4,000 per home game.

8-man football for real on Maui

For now, the concept of 8-man football in the Maui Interscholastic League is reality.

After two years of exhibition games, more like an experimental lab, the league is officially playing the game in a championship format. Hana, Molokai, Seabury Hall and St. Anthony are competing.

The field is narrower than an 11-man field, but still 100 yards from goal line to goal line. Molokai boasts the league’s bigger linemen, while other small schools rely heavily on ironmen — two-way players.

Then there’s the allure of 11-man. In the offseason, a key player from Seabury Hall transferred to nearby King Kekaulike.