Kaua‘i, Kapa‘a, Waimea, Kula and Island School all have at least one thing in common this academic year. The five Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation schools will only be participating in Division II tournaments. “I think the (athletic directors) felt Division II
Kaua‘i, Kapa‘a, Waimea, Kula and Island School all have at least one thing in common this academic year.
The five Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation schools will only be participating in Division II tournaments.
“I think the (athletic directors) felt Division II all the way around would be a good test for the league and better for everyone,” said Waimea principal Bill Arakaki, who spearheads the KIF executive committee.
Arakaki, Kapa‘a’s Gilmore Youn and Kaua‘i’s Linda Smith make up the group who made the decision.
“Only for football, they don’t allow us to go Division I,” Arakaki said. “Other sports there’s no rule that doesn’t allow us to select one or the other.”
Arakaki said the three principals are scheduled to meet today to affirm the decision.
“Information is given from the ADs and we take their recommendations to our meeting to discuss,” Arakaki said.
The Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association added boys basketball and girls soccer to the Division II ranks this season.
Baseball and boys soccer are both Division I-only sports.
In recent years, the KIF has shown it can compete with the rest of the state.
Waimea’s boys soccer team from a few seasons ago captured third place in the Division I state tournament, losing by a slim margin to eventual state champ, Kamehameha.
Last year, the Kapa‘a’s boys volleyball squad took the Division II state crown.
“That was a big thing,” Arakaki said. “We felt once we establish ourselves, then we can think of moving up.”
HHSAA rules allow the KIF to field a team in Division I.
“It’ll depend on how we do on a year to year consistent basis,” Arakaki said. “I think the other leagues want to see what we do.”
The KIF also has the luxury to move up to the top level if coaches see the prospects of a high-caliber type of squad.
“If the coaches look to what comes into their program and they have a fantastic recruiting class with kids that could potentially be Division I material, they can pitch to the ADs to move up,” Arakaki said.
The Lihu‘e Patriots pee wee football squad — which won the national title — is an example of a top-notch class that could possibly play for a state high school football title.
“When Kaua‘i had Futi (Tavana) for their volleyball and basketball teams, they definitely had the talent for Division I,” Arakaki said.
But talented leagues like the ILH sometimes field a Division I-rated team in the lower level.
“The other leagues have Division II teams which could compete in Division I, which makes it kind of hard for us,” Arakaki said.
‘Iolani’s football team the past few years has been dominant in the Division II tournament. The Raiders, who could move up, are forced to stay in Division II because of power schools like Kamehameha, Punahou and St. Louis.
The KIF has until Friday to finalize its designations.
