Why not keep a good thing going? The Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's "SOS" (Save Our Sports) campaign to assist public schools will march on after reaching its original goal of raising $1.2 million.

Last week's downtown ho'olaulea hosted by Murphy's Bar and Grill raised more than $100,000 and other contributions by businesses and individuals in the past two weeks have pushed the SOS Fund's total to an estimated $1,220,928 after two months.

When the campaign started on July 28, the announced goal was $1.2 million because that was the amount cut from public school athletic budgets for transportation, equipment and supplies. But the total cuts also included more than $700,000 for coaches' stipends, plus tens of thousands for other expenses.

The SOS Fund eventually will be turned over to the state's Department of Education, which will distribute it to Hawai'i's 55 public high school athletic departments.

"The donations are still coming in, so we're going to keep (SOS) going," said HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya.

The most recent contributions include $10,000 from the Patrick McCarthy Foundation and $1,000 each from the 50th State Judo Association, Castle & Cooke Homes Hawai'i, Inc., and Excelsior Lodge #1 International Order of Odd Fellows.

To contribute to the SOS Fund, make a check payable to "HHSAA SOS Account" and send it to HHSAA, P.O. Box 62029, Honolulu, HI 96839, or visit www.sportshigh.com or any First Hawaiian Bank branch (checks only, until Saturday). Contributors at First Hawaiian Bank branches willing to be recognized in The Advertiser's weekly list of donors are asked to contact the HHSAA office at 587-4495.

Read his blog on high school sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com