State football tourney leads discussion

Year 2 of the three-tiered state high school football tournament is the biggest topic on the agenda at the 57th Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association meetings this week.

Athletic directors from around the state met in committee Tuesday at Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island to discuss 30 proposals that could potentially change the landscape of Hawaii high school sports. Some of the items are relatively minor in scope, but others, including two revolving around football, could have lasting effects on the nature of the way schools compete for championships.

And it’s difficult at this early stage of the weeklong convention to tell which way the voting members will go. Up for vote is a seemingly innocuous but potentially troublesome proposal that calls for leagues to declare which of the three tiers its football teams will be going into at the state-tournament level before the season starts. One league, the Oahu Interscholastic Association, did not declare some of its teams until well after its regular season ended last year.

The fact that the football state tournament is on the agenda means that any concerns about how the pilot program was run last year could come up in discussion. It’s possible that the HIADA members, if and when they cast their final votes on the measure Friday, will go by what the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (the overseer of all high school state tournaments) football committee has recommended, which is to have leagues make the declarations before the season starts and, in the other football-based proposal, to change the Division I format from eight to six teams to be in line with the six-team Open and D-II tournaments.

But it’s also possible that the HIADA members could be as drastic as ending the three tiers altogether and going back to the two divisions that were in play before the pilot program. All evidence so far points to HIADA making tweaks to the three tiers and not overhauling it.

A straw poll committee vote on the declaration proposal Tuesday was defeated 10-8, with 17 abstaining. Today, committees will make formal votes on whether to pass the 30 proposals on to the full HIADA body or reject them. If passed by HIADA on Thursday, measures move on to the HHSAA executive board Friday. The 17 abstentions on the declaration item appears to be a poker-style “not showing your hand” maneuver.

Also on Tuesday, the proposal for a six-team (instead of eight) D-I football tournament was amended to make the D-I tournament six teams and the D-II tournament eight teams. It did not pass a straw vote, but is still alive.

That amendment is a good example of how committees can alter the initial initiatives.

In other HIADA news, a proposal to create a Division II state girls water polo tournament was withdrawn before the conference began.

In addition, another proposal was withdrawn, but for a different reason. Due to a new National Federation of High School Associations rule, the use of compression shirts and fight shorts (as an option to singlets) will be OK for wrestling and not in need of legislation by HIADA.

In other movement at HIADA on Tuesday, various items got legs, some got a lukewarm reception and others stalled.

Looking good through committee:

>> Changing the way in which proposals not originating at HIADA are passed by the HHSAA. Currently, a majority of leagues voting is sufficient for an item to pass. If this proposal passes, the five leagues would need unanimous assent in the future.

>> Allowing two coaches in the corners of mats during judo matches to help with the advancement of assistant coaches.

>> Judo scoring remaining the same as it’s been for Hawaii high schools, despite recent changes in International Judo Federation rules.

>> Eliminating the 27-point cap on sets in boys and girls state volleyball consolation matches.

Needing more information (or on the fence):

>> A change in baseball pitch count to Pitch Smart guidelines, which is recommended by USA Baseball and Major League Baseball.

>> Increasing the number of athletes who score points and get medals in swimming and diving.

>> Increasing the number of athletes who score points and get medals in track and field.

>> Adding Division II to cross country, based on a school’s declaration, but keeping the number of qualifying runners the same.

>> Changing the state boys and girls bowling tournament from two days for both boys and girls to one day for each.

Hitting quite a bit of quicksand:

>> Adding Maui into the D-II girls soccer state tournament site rotation.

>> Charging a fee for fans to the state boys and girls bowling tournament.