Protest against St. Louis rejected
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu yesterday denied a protest by Kamehameha Schools claiming St. Louis used an ineligible football player earlier in the season.
The protest came three days after the Crusaders beat the Warriors in Saturday's playoff for the ILH title. The victory gave St. Louis its 17th consecutive ILH title and the league's lone berth in this week's state tournament.
The use of an ineligible player might have resulted in a forfeit and changed St. Louis' record to 5-2, thus negating Saturday's ILH playoff win against Kamehameha and putting the Warriors into the state tournament for the first time.
Don Botelho, state football coordinator, said the athletic directors serving as interim ILH executive secretaries denied the protest.
Botelho said Kamehameha's case was based on St. Louis supposedly using an ineligible player in an Oct. 26 game against Iolani.
Botelho said the group was presented records showing the player had withdrawn from St. Louis and enrolled at another school before the date of that game.
"It was a cut and dry issue," Botelho said. "We had the documentation."
Kamehameha principal Anthony Ramos added: "I'm satisfied that St. Louis brought up the documentation."
The athletic directors who heard the protest were Botelho, Pac-Five's John Hom and University's Jim Bukes. Kamehameha co-athletic director Blane Gaison recused himself because the issue involved his school, Botelho said.
"They should've asked me," St. Louis athletic director Cal Lee said of Kamehameha officials. "They would've got their answer right away."
Lee declined further comment on the timeliness of the protest. It's just days before the start of the quarterfinals of the Chevron State Football Championships. St. Louis will play Farrington at 8 p.m. Friday at Aloha Stadium.
The Hawai'i High School Athletic Association, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association and Farrington all confirmed they had been advised of the situation.
A change in opponent would have been an inconvenience to the Governors, who would have had to adjust their preparation for a different opponent.
