Damien has gutted its athletic administration staff.
Ian Scheuring of Hawaii News Now reported this morning (on Twitter) that Damien Athletic Director Rudy Alejo, football coach Eddie Klaneski and two athletic trainers have been affected in what is probably a pre-emptive move. Alejo will move to a teaching position, and Klaneski has not been retained. Klaneski, a former Damien and Hawaii football player, began coaching at his alma mater in 2004. He was also an assistant athletic director, but HNN reports that as many as 18 educators at the school have been laid off due to budgetary woes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By firing Klaneski, Damien may be indicating that there will be no football team this fall, either because of lack of numbers, or the health risk of coronavirus.
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu workshop (conference) began on Monday, and it would appear that the prospects of high school football season this fall in Hawaii are dimming.
Nothing is official yet, however. Principals of the ILH will discuss proposals and measures Friday.
HHSAA Executive Director Christopher Chun told Rob DeMello of KHON/Cover 2 that Damien made an internal decision that does not reflect the ongoing plan for fall sports statewide.
"This is based on nothing that the HHSAA provided to them. This is a school-based decision. We're still confident and hopeful that there will be a high school season," Chun said. "We met with the Department of Health yesterday, and they said that our guidelines are good to go."
HHSAA Executive Director Christopher Chun told Rob DeMello of KHON/Cover 2 that Damien made an internal decision that does not reflect the ongoing plan for fall sports statewide.
"This is based on nothing that the HHSAA provided to them. This is a school-based decision. We're still confident and hopeful that there will be a high school season," Chun said. "We met with the Department of Health yesterday, and they said that our guidelines are good to go."
The entire spectrum of private school enrollment across the state is a major concern for admins and teachers. The economic blow to the state’s economy means parents who have been laid off or furloughed can’t afford tuition, which will likely lead to a substantial decrease of ILH student-athletes and an increase of them in public schools.
Last week, Mid-Pacific announced that its student-athletes would not participate (as a member of Pac-Five) in football, competitive cheer and wrestling this year. All three sports are listed as “higher risk” by the National Federation of High Schools.
Concern is at a tipping point nationwide because of record numbers of new cases in several mainland states that have re-opened for business without requiring the use of masks.
In Hawaii, numbers have been relatively stable, though there has been a minor spike in the past two weeks as tourism ramps up. Even with a possible pre-flight testing required of all visitors, the math is almost certain to reflect higher numbers of tourists and new cases alike.
That makes a high-contact sport like football an unlikely candidate for staying on schedule. The start date for practices is set for Aug. 17, with remaining fall sports to begin Aug. 31.
Veteran coach Ron Lee of Saint Louis had advocated for a winter or spring schedule in football because of the inability to work out as a team through this offseason. Several coaches agreed with Lee, who has coached prep football in the islands for more than five decades. Lee also advocates moving lower-risk sports to the fall season, including spring sports that were wiped out by the pandemic.
“I definitely agree with Coach Ron Lee and his idea about pushing the season back, giving us a better understanding of where we are as a state health-wise,” Kealakehe football coach Wyatt Nahale said. “I had a long conversation with him on the phone and we talked about the reasons why. It really made a lot of sense.”
But as the numbers go, so go the DOE and state.
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