8-man football could get struggling Anuenue playing

The immediate future of the Anuenue football team comes down to two injured players being cleared to play by their doctors.

"That would bring us up to 18, and we could play (Pearl City on Friday)," coach Keli’i Pio Adams said. "But that’s being optimistic."

Na Koa have had little reason for hope this season, forfeiting all three of their games due to lack of numbers after absorbing a nonleague 62-0 pounding from St. Francis. Adams wishes he could say his team will show for its remaining five games, but he can’t guarantee it.

Oahu Interscholastic Association executive director Ray Fujino knows it’s less than ideal but sees no immediate solution.

"It’s just a week-to-week thing," he said. "Every year is kind of like that."

Several other schools have also forfeited games because of lack of numbers and huge mismatches in recent years.

"I know one year Kalani forfeited most of its games except against Anuenue," Adams said. "It was in 2008." (Na Koa won 41-12, their only victory of that season.)

Adams knows, because he was a senior on that team. Status as an Anuenue graduate makes him a rarity; one reason for its constant battle to field enough players is a tiny senior class, even in relation to the rest of the student body.

When I asked him how many senior boys Anuenue has this year, Adams said, "Six."

"No, I mean how many boys in the senior class, total, not just the football team."

He repeated, "Six. Four of them are on the team."

Intermediate school at Anuenue includes many more students, including potential football players. "But a lot of them transfer, especially to Kamehameha and Punahou," Adams said.

So, unless something changes to make more students remain at Anuenue, this struggle will continue.

Eight-man football is a possible alternative; it works for small schools on Maui and the Big Island.

But there are plenty of hoops to jump through before the OIA would sanction it. Other schools would have to be convinced it’s a good move for them, too. Waialua, Kalani and Kalaheo are potential candidates since they’re also often susceptible to short rosters.

The OIA principals would vote on it, Fujino said. You’d hope they would all support something that would decrease forfeits and improve competitive balance.

This would be more viable if the OIA and Interscholastic League of Honolulu merged, at least for football. The other end of the spectrum would also benefit; as has often been discussed, an elite division of top programs from both leagues makes sense, along with another division of the rest minus the eight-man schools.

Don’t hold your breath, though. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as running mates for the White House would be more likely than a conjoining of the ILH and OIA at this point.

But if either Oahu league can get eight-man football going on its own, a state championship could be up for grabs.

"Bring me three leagues and we can have a state tournament," Hawaii High School Athletic Association director Chris Chun said.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.