With Curtis Lee leaving the coaching ranks at Maui High after last season, Lahainaluna's Robert Watson has taken over as the dean of coaches in the state as he enters his 17th season.

And it appears Watson will need all of his experience to rebuild the defending Maui Interscholastic League champions into a contender this season.

The MIL kicks off league play 7:30 p.m. on Friday with Maui High taking on King Kekaulike at War Memorial Stadium.

On Saturday, the Lunas will host Pac-Three at 2 p.m. and Baldwin will travel to Kamehameha for a 7:30 p.m. game.

The Lunas lost all of their starters from last year's squad that reached the state Division II semifinals.

"We're totally rebuilding," Watson said. "We have a lot of brand-new kids out here with no playing experience under their belts. We'll have to do a lot of coaching."

The Lunas beat host Waiakea, 16-3, last weekend.

"We turned the ball over a lot," Watson said. "We didn't look good. It was an ugly win."

Still, the Lunas are expected to contend for the MIL title, along with Baldwin and Maui, both of which have new coaches.

The Bears return one of the better passers in the state in quarterback Kalehua Moniz (1,851 yards, 17 TDs). Coach Jimmy Morimoto is expecting big things from Moniz.

"He's been in our system for three years now," Morimoto said. "We're looking for him to lead us to the MIL championship."

The Bears can expect company, as far as throwing the football. Maui High, under coach Danny Crowell, plans to use a more balanced attack from a program dubbed "Tailback High," for producing some of the most prolific rushers over the years.

"We're throwing the ball more than Maui has ever seen," Crowell said. "We'll also run the ball. We're trying to be 50-50, but it all depends on what the defenses are giving us."

Jonathan Los Banos, who led the Sabers in rushing (739 yards) at tailback, will move to the slot.

Baldwin, Lahainaluna and Maui are in Division I; King Kekaulike moved down to Division II, splitting the league evenly. While King Kekaulike can still contend for the overall league title, unlike previous years, it can only represent the MIL in the Division II state tournament.

"If we can stay healthy, we'll make a run for the MIL," said King Kekaulike coach Dennis Dias, who returns running back /linebacker Aaron Wood for his fourth varsity year.

Jim Klaczak returns for his second year as coach at third-year program Pac-Three, while Leo Delatori looks for his first win at second-year program Kamehameha, which will graduate its first senior class.

"At least we can say we have some experienced players this time," Delatori said.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.