It’s the end of August, and an estimated 1,800 Maui Interscholastic League student-athletes are engaged in fall sports — football, girls volleyball, cross-country, air riflery and bowling — in sweltering conditions.

Overseeing the 13 participating prep schools from Maui County is MIL Executive Secretary Joe Balangitao Jr., now in his 11th year in charge. There also are familiar faces among high school athletic directors, such as veterans Scott Soldwich of Lahainaluna and Michael Ban of Maui High, as well as newbies in Dave Kannewurf at Kihei Charter, Scott Sniffen at Haleakala Waldorf and Scott Prather at Seabury Hall.

“I think we’re in pretty good shape; we’re growing. We have some new ADs who are geared to work hard and do their best,” Balangitao said. “And we are still the only league in the state that recognizes surfing as an interscholastic league sport.”

Balangitao is the former Baldwin football coach who helped start the conversation in the mid-’90s that enabled neighbor island teams to participate in a true postseason state tournament for football. He said he is excited about the MIL’s future with the construction of Kihei High School. Plans call for a new stadium that Balangitao hopes will host state track and soccer tournaments.

“Myself and several MIL coaches were involved in the planning of the stadium. We needed to make sure it is user-friendly because we want to host as many state meets as we can. It needs to be wide enough for soccer and still meet all the state regulations for track.”

Another of Balangitao’s goals is to minimize the increasing travel expenses incurred by MIL teams and their fans for postseason play. Maui is part of a three-year rotation with Oahu and Big Island schools for certain sports, and will host the state cross-country championships at Seabury Hall in October and the swimming and diving championships at the Kihei Aquatic Center in February.

The MIL has not hosted the boys or girls state soccer tournaments since they were held at Kamehameha Schools Maui in 2005. That 14-year hiatus does not sit well with Balangitao.

“We want to make sure we can host state soccer. We’ve tried hard the last three or four years,” he said. “We’re not satisfied hosting regional playoff games. All we’re asking for is to host a soccer tournament or whatever tournament every three or four years.”

The MIL is also the birthplace of eight-man football, the brainchild of former Seabury Hall athletic director Steve Colflesh in 2011. Ironically, the Spartans don’t have enough players this year and will not be participating.

That leaves five-time defending MIL champion Molokai to play Lanai and Hana. The Farmers did play 11-man for the first time in more than 60 years earlier this month but were held scoreless in exhibition games at Nanakuli (37-0) and KS Maui (39-0).

“To me it’s fun football. But the cost to travel is real; there is no bridge to Molokai or Lanai,” Balangitao said.

“I mean, how many fundraisers can you make — in the same town? That’s the kind of things you have to be thinking about. I mean, that’s great that the coaches are all gung-ho and everything, but the money has to come from somewhere.”

Football and baseball are the only two revenue-producing sports in the MIL. Those two sports pay for the other 18 sports offered. Balangitao said athletic programs at small schools “don’t generate any kind of income” and wouldn’t survive if they had to pay their own way.

“The kids are lucky they don’t have to pay to play in Hawaii. A lot of schools on the mainland, the kids need to pay money to play certain sports,” he said. “The moneys we generate in football and baseball are how we run our league and pay our bills. It pays for all the officials, it pays to rent the facilities, it pays for permits and it pays our insurance because we’re nonprofit.”

For more on MIL athletics, visit mauiinterscholasticleague.com.

Rodney S. Yap has been covering Maui sports for more than 30 years. Email him at ryap2019@gmail.com.