Kaiser football team joins OIA Red | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Kaiser’s Cinderella football season ended with heartbreak, but the Cougars are moving forward.

Fast forward.

Football coach Rich Miano confirmed that the program will move up to the OIA Red Conference (Division I) rather than play another season in the White (D-II).

"Kaimuki wanted to move down and we wanted to move up," said Miano, who guided Kaiser to a 6-3 season (6-2 conference) in his first year as head coach. It kind of worked out."

Kaiser’s junior varsity program had some struggles last year, but Miano is confident about the move up.

"We’re building our JV and a lot of (varsity) players are coming back. We’ve had a lot of inquiries in terms of transferring (in)," Miano added, noting the school’s international baccalaureate program.

In terms of transfers, Miano said four or five new players are already on campus. A player who will come in later, he confirmed, is current Konawaena junior Kahoali‘i Karratti, who passed for 41 touchdowns and seven interceptions to help the Wildcats reach the D-II state tourney.

Karratti’s family is originally from the Kaiser district.

"His dad, Dave, was one of my (high school) teammates," Miano said.

The OIA White, he added, will be wide open again.

"Kalani will challenge for the title. (Brothers Ron and Cal Lee) have made playing football fun again. David Hallums has done a great job at Pearl City. They won five in a row," Miano said.

OIA GIRLS TIP OFF

The Oahu Interscholastic Association girls basketball schedule has gone through a revision or two, which means the regular season began earlier than expected.

Moanalua outlasted Kailua 60-55 in the opener on Saturday.

Most of the league will open the OIA season on Wednesday, thanks to a full slate of 11 games in the East and West.

Mililani, sparked by Nayla Long and Kapili Amamalin, is the favorite in the West. Long recently signed to play for Charleston. The Trojans gave defending state champion Konawaena its only loss in preseason so far.

Roosevelt and Kahuku are the favorites in the East. The Rough Riders lost at ‘Iolani 53-46 last week in nonconference play.

GAISON TO KS-MAUI

Kamehameha-Maui has announced Blane Gaison as its new athletic director.

Gaison, a former University of Hawaii and NFL football player, was a longtime Kamehameha assistant athletic director on the Kapalama campus. He replaces Kurt Ginoza, who stepped down earlier in the year.