It's time to bring high school football playoffs into 21st century
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
Chances are University of Hawai'i president Evan Dobelle isn't going to say he believes in a new logo so much that he is willing to open up his wallet and pay for the designer himself.
Nor is it likely that athletic director Herman Frazier is going to whip out his checkbook anytime soon and underwrite whatever it takes to close the gap on football coach June Jones' contract renewal.
Which is what makes Hawai'i High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya's gesture all the more remarkable.
Amemiya, whose salary is estimated to be in the $60,000 to $70,000 range, says he believes in the plan for a two-tier state high school football championship so much that, if it is implemented on a one-year trial basis, he and his wife, Bonny, will use their own resources to guarantee it doesn't lose money.
What's more, they have offered to make a $20,000 donation toward travel for the girls state softball and basketball tournaments in an attempt to smooth out any gender equity concerns.
Grandstanding?
Perhaps, but for 30 years now nothing else has been able to entice the powers that be to adopt a playoff classification format. If it takes a bit of showmanship and promotional zeal to finally bring a two-tier playoff system to Hawai'i, especially one as well-reasoned as the one now being circulated by HHSAA football coordinator Don Botelho and Amemiya, by all means.
If it means standing on his head, you get the feeling the man who brought us the First Hawaiian Bank Football Classic last fall would do that, too.
It took decades just to step away from the ages-old conflicts, politics and personalties long enough to get a single-tier playoff for football in place. It took until almost the beginning of the 21st century for Hawai'i to join the 20th century.
Every other state has some form of playoff classification, a system that allows for more equitable competition by matching schools along enrollment or historical lines, and ours would benefit from it, too.
Instead of Waimea running a gauntlet of Kahuku, Saint Louis and Wai'anae to get to a championship in football, let the Menehunes play somebody more their size. Why not give the likes of Waialua, Kalani and Nanakuli more of an opportunity to play for something, too?
Unfortunately, player turnouts and stadium crowds over the last several years tell a tale of diminishing interest in the sport, especially at smaller and traditionally less successful schools. A more realistic opportunity of getting into the playoffs and having something to play for could help reverse the trends.
The plan that has been circulated by Botelho in advance of next month's Hawai'i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association annual meeting is the most comprehensive and well-reasoned yet.
It answers the key questions and a whole laundry list of concerns about how such a plan would be implemented and paid for. And, thanks to Amemiya, it also guarantees the HHSAA won't be left holding the bag in the unlikely event of a shortfall.
The powers that be might want to jump at this plan in a hurry — before Amemiya's wife finds out what he's up to.
