Bowling season kicks off the 2007-08 MIL sports calendar today when Baldwin takes on King Kekaulike and Maui High meets St. Anthony in boys and girls matches scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Maui Bowling Center in Wailuku.

Jacob Davis, the 2005 state champion, and Malia Baldovi, a four-time state medalist and the runner-up in 2003, both graduated from Maui High School in May after helping lead their teams to MIL crowns in 2006.

''Well, you lose them and you have to start rebuilding again,'' Maui High boys coach Fred Calhau Jr. said to The Maui News ''This season is a rebuilding process all over again.''

The cupboard is not completely bare for the Sabers, who won the boys and girls MIL team titles in the same year for the first time that Calhau — a coach for more than 20 years — can recall.

Roland Caniaveral is back for his senior season after winning the last two MIL individual titles, which are based on season-long average.

''Roland, he is our main guy, a two-time MIL champion,'' Calhau said. ''But it is hard to say, my friend, just how we are going to do as a team — it takes five bowlers. I need a leader and hopefully (Caniaveral) will be able to get the job done.''

The Sabers have three boys with experience — Caniaveral and juniors Randall Yamaoka and Devin Tamashiro. Junior Jaymark Torrejas and freshmen Ryan Bingham and Eric Carbonell are first-year bowlers.

''You have to do what you have to do with what you have,'' Calhau said.

Victoria Baldovi-Wong, Malia Baldovi's younger sister, is back for her junior season to lead the Saber girls after finishing second on average behind her older sister last year. Senior Karina Shiroma and sophomore Kyra Calhau, Fred's granddaughter, make the Sabers one of the more experienced teams in the MIL girls ranks.

The Baldwin girls will be led by Mika Uyeno, a state qualifier last year. Bree Yokouchi also has experience for the young Bears.

Wayne Rodrigues has stepped down as head coach of the Bears after 28 years to become the team coordinator. Ryan Hedani and Rodney Carillo have moved in to take the coaching reins for Baldwin, which had a string of seven MIL girls team titles snapped by the Sabers last year.

''In the girls, I think it will be competitive,'' Rodrigues said. ''We are rebuilding. We lost three key kids and we have a lot of freshmen. Of course, Maui High lost Malia Baldovi and some other state bowlers. I think it is wide open.''

The Baldwin boys will challenge Maui High behind Corey Gushikuma, who was third in the MIL average race last season.

''We have a very young team and Maui High lost three key bowlers,'' Rodrigues said. ''I think overall everybody is rebuilding, so it should be really competitive for the boys. King Kekaulike and St. Anthony are in there, too. Anybody has a chance. It has been a while since it was this competitive.''

King Kekaulike coach Joanie Wong had to cut her squads after more than 30 bowlers turned out.

The St. Anthony boys return senior Theodore Dodson and sophomore Kameron Kaneshina from last season. The other four competitors are all first-year bowlers.

For the Trojan girls, senior Ching Man So is the only one of four on the roster who competed last year.