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Kahuku and Waianae will tee it up Saturday

Paul Honda
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STAR-ADVERTISER / 2009
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Two games are off the board this weekend, a third that was believed to be canceled is alive and well, and a new matchup has crystallized out of thin air.

The new game pits Waianae against Kahuku in an old-school matchup of public school titans. The game, set for 6 p.m. on Saturday at Kahuku, fills a void for each team. Waianae had a gap after Nanakuli canceled its scheduled game. Kahuku’s trip to the mainland — a game with Bingham (Utah) — was shelved some time back.

"We both were out a game. This is a good thing for both of us," Kahuku athletic director Joe Whitford said.

Meanwhile, Waiakea will play Maui this weekend despite academic issues for the Sabers. Maui has beefed up its varsity squad by adding junior varsity players.

Waiakea athletic director Tom Correa confirmed that the game is still on. Concern about a cancellation was serious enough that Waiakea had inquired with Lahainaluna about a possible game. That turned out to be unnecessary when Maui gave its assurance that it would field enough players.

The other canceled game, Kalaheo-Lahainaluna, is definitely off.

Kalaheo had just 15 players during spring football with just 12 eligible due to academic probation, so coach Chris Mellor informed Lahainaluna about the cancellation in June.

Since classes resumed last week, Kalaheo’s ranks grew to 32, but that includes 10 with no varsity experience.

"I believe we will still be very competitive with about eight or nine guys going both ways," Mellor said. "Our core players have been with the program a while and are very competitive and motivated."

 

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