Private schools will miss playing at Aloha Stadium

The glamour and history of playing in Aloha Stadium are a big part of the private- school Interscholastic League of Honolulu football.

Or, were.

ILH football coordinator Wendell Look was stunned Thursday morning by the news of the stadium’s closure.

“It takes one of our main venues for the featured games out of play. It’s going to have a financial impact because you’re not going to get the amount of crowd that you’d like,” said Look, who is also co-athletic director and head football coach at ‘Iolani.

Since crossover games between the ILH and the public-school Oahu Interscholastic Association resumed in recent seasons, Aloha Stadium has hosted some regular-season games in addition to the state tournament. If there is a football season in March, a state tournament appears to be off the books due to the coronavirus pandemic. Look, however, is still optimistic about the regular season.

“Obviously, Kahuku has one of the top programs, and their school facility can only hold so many people. The (stadium closure) is going to have an impact on that,” he said.

The real possibility of all ILH games on home fields hasn’t existed in decades. Even before Aloha Stadium, old Honolulu Stadium drew massive crowds for prep football tripleheaders.

“You talk to a lot of the coaches, they love playing at their school facilities. There’s a different vibe and the closeness in the school community, the pride that comes out when you play at a school site,” Look noted. “But you always want to play in Aloha as much as you can because of the turf, and the atmosphere is a little different.”

Punahou linebacker Kahanu Kia, who signed a national letter of intent with Notre Dame on Wednesday, sees the pros and cons of home games at the school’s Alexander Field, which does not have stadium lighting.

“We could play at Punahou. We would have to play a lot of midday games. The last game we played there was so hot. It would be nice to play on the same field you practice on, but it would be super hot,” he said.

In the ILH, Damien does not have an official-length field. The rest of the football programs have regulation fields, and most have bleachers, if needed.

Look is already considering every alternative.

“I think, you know, you’ve got to look at the University of Hawaii,” he said, referring to Clarence T.C. Ching Field. “They could help us and accommodate and, hopefully, make that field available. There’s no harm in asking. You don’t ask, you don’t know. When we get to that bridge, we’ll cross it.”