Longtime college and current Kamehameha Schools-Hawai'i football coach Ulima Afoa has been offered the vacant Saint Louis School athletic director job, but said last night he was still in the process of making a final decision whether to accept.

Former Saint Louis athletic director Todd Los Banos announced in late February that he would step down in June to return as an executive at Children's House school, a job he started on Monday.

"First of all, the decision is still up in the air," Afoa told The Advertiser last night. "It's really not a done deal. I've been visiting with my staff and the kids, and there's a couple more things to be considered. It's getting closer (to a decision), but it's still in the process."

Saint Louis spokeswoman Jodi-Anne Yoshida acknowledged the job was offered to Afoa, and said the school hoped to receive an answer by early next week.

"The school wants to give him time to make the right decision, because it is a big decision," Yoshida said, adding that hiring an athletic director soon is a "top priority."

Afoa, a 1977 Saint Louis graduate, has been head football coach at Kamehameha-Hawai'i since its first varsity season in 2004, compiling a five-year record of 34-15, including Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championships in 2005 and 2006.

The Warriors had a winning record in each of Afoa's four seasons, including a 6-4 inaugural year with no seniors on the roster.

Afoa was a standout lineman at Saint Louis and San Diego State and spent 18 years as an NCAA Division I assistant coach, including 16 at San Diego State and Hawai'i (defensive line) in 1995 and 1996. Afoa also was Punahou School's defensive coordinator in 1994.

At Kamehameha-Hawai'i, Afoa holds a full-time position as Athletic and Fitness Coordinator.

"I really appreciate Kamehameha-Hawai'i allowing me to delve into athletic administration," Afoa said. "Dealing with the students in areas besides athletics has prepared me to be an athletic director."

Afoa said that while he has enjoyed his time on the Big Island, the attraction of guiding his alma mater's athletic program is strong.

"The thing that makes Saint Louis unique is that it's such a high-profile school," Afoa said. "But I think everybody would like to go back to where they went to school and try to make a difference. It's only natural."

Afoa said the job offer is for the athletic director position, not football coach. But he said the next athletic director would be obligated to evaluate the football program, currently headed by Delbert Tengan.

"It depends on whoever the AD is, when he gets there he'll have to assess the football program," Afoa said. "What happens with the football program has to be the decision of whoever gets the (athletic director) job. But I think you still want to keep some continuity in football."

Tengan has compiled a 48-11 record in five seasons at the helm, including a state championship in 2002 and Interscholastic League of Honolulu titles in 2002, 2006 and 2007. The Crusaders finished as state runner-up the past two seasons.

Tengan said he was told he was a finalist for the athletic director position, but was not offered the job.

Yoshida said there was one other finalist but she was not on the selection panel so she could not disclose who is the third finalist.

ILH ENDS PASS LEAGUE

In other news, ILH football coaches voted not to have a summer pass league for the first time in at least 25 years, according to Tengan.

The no-pads, 7-on-7 league was a summertime tradition, helping teams — mostly backs and receivers — sharpen their skills before official practice begins in August.

But Tengan said the quality of the league diminished in recent years with a shortage of officials and players.

"It was hard to get officials; sometimes we would have only two show up," Tengan said. "Also, a lot of kids now travel to camps on the Mainland in the summer, so you would not have a full team all the time."

Tengan said teams still will have the option of controlled scrimmages to replace the pass league games.

"I don't think it will have that big an impact," Tengan said. "We still have some flexibility with practices. And the pass league was 7-on-7, so it wasn't what you would see during the regular season. You go empty (backfield) on every play, and that doesn't happen during the season.

"It was almost unanimous (to end the pass league)."

OC16 WILL USE 'HI-DEF' IN 20TH YEAR OF SPORTS

OC16 celebrated 20 years of broadcasting high school sports in Hawai'i yesterday with a luncheon at Dave & Buster's.

The cable channel also announced its plans to broadcast games in "hi-def" for the first time this football season.

"You'll be able to see every pore, every mud spot," said Dave Vinton, OC16's executive sports director.