Last night's O'ahu Interscholastic Association football game between defending league champion Kahuku and Kailua was postponed one day because of bad weather in the Windward area.

The teams will play tonight at Kahuku, 25 minutes after the 4 p.m. junior varsity game.

Last night's contest was to be the first televised live from Kahuku, but OC-16 reporter Dave Vinton said the cable station will not broadcast tonight's game.

Kahuku has only one home date remaining — next week against Farrington — but Vinton said OC-16 will instead be televising the OIA Red Conference West Division showdown featuring Kapolei at Mililani that night.

"It would have been a lot of fun," Vinton said of Kahuku's home field atmosphere, which usually includes about 3,500 enthusiastic red-clad fans.

Kahuku athletic director Joe Whitford said principals Lisa DeLong (Kahuku) and Francine Honda (Kailua) made the decision at about 4:50 p.m. yesterday to postpone the game, after reports of flash flood warnings along the Windward Coast and possible road closures by police.

"We've played in worse (conditions), and if there's anything we need right now, it's to play games," said Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai, whose Red Raiders are coming off a 23-6 upset at the hands of Castle. "But you can't help it today; we just have to wait."

Whitford said Kahuku will have to eat some costs related to the anticipated broadcast, including rentals of an end zone "lift" and a flatbed truck for TV cameras.

The last time a varsity football game was postponed in Hawai'i was in September 2001, when all games were moved back a week following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The last time OIA games were postponed because of weather-related reasons was in September 1992, during Hurricane Iniki.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.