LIHU‘E — Aloha, Friday night lights. The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation made its 2010-2011 athletic schedule official on Wednesday, with the most significant alteration being the move from Friday to Saturday for all regular-season football games. LIHU‘E — Aloha, Friday night
LIHU‘E — Aloha, Friday night lights. The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation made its 2010-2011 athletic schedule official on Wednesday, with the most significant alteration being the move from Friday to Saturday for all regular-season football games.
LIHU‘E — Aloha, Friday night lights.
The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation made its 2010-2011 athletic schedule official on Wednesday, with the most significant alteration being the move from Friday to Saturday for all regular-season football games.
All but one game will take place on Saturdays for the entirety of the preseason and regular-season schedule. The change to the weekend was made to accommodate the fledgling season for the Newell’s Shearwater and the Hawaiian petrel, both designated as threatened species and thus receiving protection under the Federal Endangered Species Act.
“In an effort to comply with the Federal Endangered Species Act and HRS 195C-4, the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation and the County of Kaua‘i have worked in partnership to develop the KIF Master Schedule for the upcoming school year,” said KIF executive director Diane Nitta in an email when releasing the full schedule.
HRS 195C-4 is the specific section of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes stating that all species listed under the FESA have that same status at the state level.
The official schedule was released following a second round of meetings between the KIF board and the county as discussions had been ongoing, the previous formal meetings taking place on July 6.
The fledgling period extends from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15, bringing with it a $10,000 fine per “take” for these protected birds.
“There is this established season,” Nitta said in a phone interview Wednesday evening. “Nobody wants to run the risk of being fined because we have both federal and state law that protect endangered species.”
As the games were headed to the afternoon instead of the evening to avoid any disruption for the threatened species, they were all moved to Saturday in order to make them more accessible for the teams and fans.
This was a decision that has been discussed and considered before, dating back to when the Kaua’i Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan was initiated in 2005. Previous measures of compromise have included announcements being made at the games, as well as groups from the schools going to look for downed birds.
In the end, the KIF board and county believed that eliminating the risk completely was the best course of action.
“Let’s just say we were responsible for a take and got fined, then our league would be dissolved,” Nitta said. “What would happen then?”
Changing football to Saturday has allowed the KIF to maintain a complete sports schedule while considering “all the factors and all the constituents.”
The mayor’s office added its opinion on the joint decision.
“We have been working with state and federal agencies and the KIF to explore all possible scheduling options for football games in order to comply with the Endangered Species Act, and at this point in time, this appears to be the appropriate plan of action,” said Beth Tokioka, executive assistant to Kaua‘i mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr.
The lone Friday night contest will occur in the preseason, when Lethbridge Collegiate Institute will travel from Alberta, Canada to take on Kapa‘a, Aug. 20.
Both junior varsity and varsity will be in action on Saturdays. Beginning Sept. 18, the JV games will kick off at 1 p.m. with varsity scheduled to follow at 3:30 p.m.
The year’s first two weeks of regular-season action — Sept. 4 and Sept. 11 — will be played in the evenings, as JV will get underway at 5 p.m. and varsity at the traditional 7:30 p.m.
Preseason will begin Aug. 14 with all three teams in action, two of them off-island. The defending KIF champion Kaua‘i Red Raiders will be the lone team playing on Kaua‘i as Kamehameha-Hawai‘i will head to Vidinha Stadium to face the Raiders at 7 p.m.
The last time the Raiders were on the field was the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II championship game on Dec. 4, 2009 — a 24-17 loss to state champion I‘olani at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
The Kapa‘a Warriors’ first game will be against Kalani High School at 3:30 p.m. on O‘ahu, with JV preceding varsity at 1 p.m.
The Waimea Menehune will battle Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy at 1 p.m. at Honoka‘a Stadium.
The regular season gets underway with Kaua‘i and Kapa‘a facing off at Kapa‘a Stadium on Sept. 4.
Football’s move to Saturday sent a ripple effect that was felt across the board for fall sports, most notably with girls volleyball, which takes over the Friday night spotlight.
Girls volleyball will be played Tuesday and Friday evenings with the same 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. game times for JV and varsity, respectively.
Bowling will be on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.
Cross-country competitions will take place at 8:30 a.m. each Saturday.
Air riflery will be at 3 p.m. each Wednesday.
2010 football schedule
Preseason
Sat. Aug. 14
Hawai‘i Prep vs. Waimea — Honoka‘a Stadium, 1 p.m.
Kalani vs. Kapa‘a — O‘ahu; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Kaua‘i vs. Kamehameha-Hawai‘i — Vidinha Stadium, 7 p.m.
Fri. Aug. 20
Kapa‘a vs. Lethbridge CI — Kapa‘a Stadium; JV 5 p.m., varsity 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Aug. 21
Waimea vs. Hilo — Hanapepe Stadium, 7 p.m.
Honoka‘a vs. Kaua‘i — Honoka‘a Stadium, 7 p.m.
Regular Season (all Saturdays)
Sept. 4 — Kapa‘a vs. Kaua‘i, Kapa‘a Stadium; JV 5 p.m., varsity 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 11 — Waimea vs. Kapa‘a, Hanapepe Stadium; JV 5 p.m., varsity 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 — Kaua‘i vs. Waimea, Vidinha Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 25 — Kaua‘i vs. Kapa‘a, Vidinha Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 — Kapa‘a vs. Waimea, Kapa‘a Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 9 — Waimea vs. Kaua‘i, Hanapepe Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 16 — Kapa‘a vs. Kaua‘i, Kapa‘a Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 — Waimea vs. Kapa‘a, Hanapepe Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 — Kaua‘i vs. Waimea, Vidinha Stadium; JV 1 p.m., varsity 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 — Playoff (if necessary), 3:30 p.m.
State Playoffs
Fri. Nov. 12 — Div. II quarterfinals
Fri. Nov. 19 — Div. II semifinals
Fri. Nov. 26 — Div. II championship, Aloha Stadium
