The impact of Hawai'i's struggling economy is becoming evident on high school athletics.

In cost-saving moves, the Maui Interscholastic League has limited its football teams to one nonleague game this season and will schedule all Saturday games during the day. The nonleague schedule reduction is to save on transportation costs, while the day games are to trim electricity bills.

"We expect that it will affect our gate (receipts)," MIL executive director Joe Balangitao said of playing day games that are scheduled to start at 1:30.

Balangitao said it costs schools about $200 to $300 per hour to use the lights at school stadium. Friday's games at the county-owned War Memorial Stadium will still be at night. Balangitao said over the years, the county has charged the MIL only about $50 per game to use the facility. He has been told that the rate would increase this season, but hasn't been given an amount yet. He said the league is amenable to the increase.

The reduction in the nonleague schedule is negated somewhat because the regular season schedule was increased by one game, as the five MIL teams will play each other twice for an eight-game schedule. The extra game is because the MIL is reverting from its semi-split schedule of the previous three seasons when the three Division I schools played each other twice and once against Division II opponents for a seven-game schedule.

The MIL is down to five football teams after Division II St. Anthony dropped the sport in May in part to decreased enrollment. The small private school also was hurt by a new statewide transfer rule that allowed students who left St. Anthony to play immediately at their next school. That superceded an MIL rule that forced transfers to sit out a season. The MIL's only Division II football teams are Kamehameha and Lahainaluna.

Most teams in other leagues still play two nonleague games. Some Interscholastic League of Honolulu teams play three.

While the MIL is committed to the day games, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association will try a test run Aug. 22 when Kalani travels to 'Aiea. The JV game is slated to start at noon with the varsity to follow. At a recent coaches' meeting, OIA football coordinator Harold Tanaka said the league will see the turnout for that game before determining if it will do the same for future games.

Noticeably missing from the nonleague football schedule are teams from the Mainland. That effect has carried over to 'Iolani School's annual Ann Kang Volleyball Tournament next month.

For starters, the pool has been reduced to 16 teams from 20 in previous years. There were eight schools from the Mainland in last year's tournament, which was won by California's Mira Costa. This year, there are four.

'Iolani girls volleyball coach Jenic Tumaneng said 12 Mainland teams were invited, but most eventually dropped out, citing economic reasons. Most of the invitations were to schools in California. Among those that declined an invitation was Long Beach's Wilson High, a public school and traditional Southern California power.

Tumaneng said he held out until mid-June to finalize commitments. The rest of the field is filled with Hawai'i teams that Tumaneng said he was grateful to get on last-minute's notice.