With Lahainaluna formally attempting to move into Division I football, the list of former D-II kingpins is growing.
And impressive. In recent years, ‘Iolani, Damien and Konawaena joined an already deep and competitive field. If MIL administrators give Lahainaluna a thumbs-up, that would make life tougher for teams trying to qualify for the D-I state tournament in the MIL. Lahainaluna went 11-1 and captured its fourth-straight D-II state title last fall.
“After the state championship game, Coach (co-head coach Dean Rickard) told me they were going to try and move up to Division I,” former Kapaa coach Philip Rapozo said. “That was their plan. At some point, Lahaina wants to go up, they’re the four-time state champion, you’ve got to give them that. If they wanted to stay back, they should get that, too.”
Another former head coach, Kaeo Drummondo, left Hilo after two D-I state titles in the past three years.
“I definitely think they’ll be competitive. They could’ve been competitive in D-I in whatever year. It’s difficult because every individual school and program needs to make a decision within the framework of the league itself,” said Drummondo, who is now defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Kamehameha. “Several times, (Lahainaluna) would come (to Hilo) for camp. They’re in good hands in preparing for the game of football with Coach Rickard, Coach (Bobby) Watson, Coach (Garret) Tihada.”
Perennial D-II title contender Konawaena made its move to D-I in the BIIF last year. He believes the MIL will accept Lahainaluna’s proposal.
“It’s hard for a league to turn someone down if they’re trying to challenge themselves as program,” Wildcats coach Brad Uemoto said. “That’s what athletics is about.”
On paper, there were only two MIL D-I football teams — Baldwin and Maui — for the past few seasons. A Lunas move to D-I football also opens the gate for the MIL’s remaining two D-II teams, Kamehameha-Maui and one-time state champion King Kekaulike.
“Lahaina leaving definitely opens the door for a lot of teams,” Rapozo said. “We’ve played them three out of the four years in the state championship. Just like Kamehameha-Maui. Maybe they’ll be in the state championship and win a title.”
Getting through the D-I state tourney will be a hornet’s nest. Last season, Leilehua traveled to oust fourth-seeded Baldwin, 34-7, in a play-in game. A week later, top seed Hilo eliminated Leilehua, 19-9, and third-seeded ‘Iolani overwhelmed OIA champion Moanalua, 35-9.
Hilo then stunned ‘Iolani on a last-second, 55-yard field goal by Keanu Keolanui for a 20-17 win in the final.
Leilehua moved up to the Open Division this offseason. Moanalua is staying D-I. Waipahu, which finished third in the regular-season standings, which won the D-I state title in 2018, will also contend. With one of the top college prospects in the state at quarterback, Cameron Friel, Kailua could also step up this fall — if there is a season.
Hilo went 11-1 and scored a whopping 704 points en route to the state title last year. The Vikings will be under a new head coach, Lave Suiaunoa, with Kaeo Drummondo now a defensive coordinator at Kamehameha. Konawaena, which lost a wild 75-69 six-overtime state final to Lahainaluna in ’17, was 8-4 last season, their first in the BIIF’s higher division since classification was implemented.
Add to the mix Roosevelt, which was 10-3 last season. The Rough Riders defeated fourth-seeded Kamehameha-Hawaii, 31-7, in a play-in matchup. They lost to eventual champion Lahainaluna, 35-0, in the semifinal round.
Division I, meanwhile, will be a gauntlet even with the departure of Leilehua.
“I view it as the old football landscape,” Uemoto said. “But without the schools that would beat up on everyone. That’s the challenge for us, Lahainaluna, ‘Iolani. Teams that won their (D-II) leagues year in and year out, made it to the state semifinals and finals and got success. It’s hard to leave that. There’s so much attention and success that builds your program, but the reality is, when there were no divisions, outside of Saint Louis and Kahuku, you never really dominated your league 10 years in a row. (In D-I), there’s parity and it makes the big run special.”
Rapozo sees more success ahead for the Lunas.
“They put in the work. They aren’t successful because they’re lucky. Their culture is the main thing. Kids buy in whether it’s Saint Louis or Lahainaluna. It’s helpful to have great athletes, but at that point, you need boys who want to play football, and the coaching takes over,” he said.
Kapaa, under new coach Mike Tressler, appears to have the inside lane with a strong base of returnees in the trenches.
“You just keep plugging away. If Lahainaluna moves up, somebody else will step up and challenge Kapaa or whoever it may be,” Rapozo said. “It’s going to be something to see, whatever happens.”
The difference between D-II and D-I isn’t quite the gap that exists between D-I and Open.
“To be honest with you, once you get to the state tournament, the size of the athletes, the depth of the teams, D-I and D-II are pretty similar,” Drummondo said. “Our athletes (at Hilo) compared to the D-II schools is not much difference. Kapaa has been there before and they should step through the door.”
Uemoto also sees Kapaa as a potential favorite in D-II.
“I know Coach David (Tautofi) at Kaimuki is always going to do a good job with that group. He has the same problem with numbers, but his teams compete from beginning to the end. Kapaa is going to be a force. Their program is strong. The KIF, in general, whoever has represented them has been good,” Uemoto said. “Kamehameha-Maui, Kamehameha-Hawaii and Hawaii Prep are good. It’ll still be competitive. This opens it up for a lot of teams.”
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