Football have-nots now have shot at title
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
Officially it is the First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships, Division II. But by the time the so-called "small" school division kicks off postseason play Nov. 21, it might as well be the Cinderella Cup.
I mean, 'Aiea, Damien, Kapolei, maybe even Honoka'a...
You won't find too many varsity football championships in those schools' trophy cases, league or otherwise. Damien hasn't won a football title in its 37 years. 'Aiea hasn't won a league title in its 40 years and Honoka'a's last league crown came in 1974.
Then, there's Kapolei, in just its second year of varsity play with its first full freshman-through-senior class.
With two of the six spots still left to be decided — 'Aiea, Damien, Kapolei and Waimea are already in and Honoka'a remains in contention for the Big Island berth — there's a good chance the inaugural Division II banner will break new ground wherever it ends up.
And that's the beauty of this championship. While Saint Louis, Kahuku and the perennials battle it out for the Division I title, we could also get something new and unexpected in the other half of the championships. What a concept.
Most years you can pretty much figure out the final four teams, if not the actual championship pairing, before the first pass of the season was thrown.
Unlike baseball, where a Moloka'i High can achieve the dream, football is different. For all but a handful of schools, just getting to the league championship, much less the Prep Bowl and later the state championship, has been an impossible dream from the start of two-a-days. Which is not the way it should be when you have more than 40 schools playing the sport.
Small wonder turnouts for football dropped precipitously on some campuses and interest waned alarmingly.
Why it took so long to get the concept of a Division II title, much less the Division I state championship, off the ground is anybody's guess.
For all the fears about schools sandbagging their way into Division II, the system has so far shown the promise of serving up contenders who fit the description. Despite the howls that it would be a money loser, the business community has stepped up to put the plan on solid ground.
Between First Hawaiian, Hawaiian Air, Ohana Hotels and others, HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya says the $50,000 bottom line might be met before the gates open.
In that, this newest Hawai'i High School Athletic Association wrinkle shows signs of doing just what we had hoped. It is giving deserving teams a long overdue chance to compete at a realistic level.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
