It’s possible high school football may still happen in the 808 this spring. And girls volleyball, too.
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu is still working on trying to run shortened seasons (which are usually played in the fall) in those two sports from March to May. This is according to two ILH coaches who are waiting for the final word on if it will be a go or not.
The league — the only one of five in Hawaii made up of all private schools — is not bound by the same rules as the Department of Education, which is responsible for overseeing the public schools in the four other leagues — the OIA, MIL, KIF and BIIF.
Saint Louis has won five ILH top-tier football titles in a row and four straight state championships. The Crusaders can try to add to their league streak if the fall 2020 season is moved to this spring. (Image credit: Hawaii High School Athletic Association.)
So, according to these two ILH coaches who prefer to remain unnamed, it will be up to the league to play a football and girls volleyball season if it is deemed safe to do so in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and if it can also follows county health regulations.
The two coaches also said ILH football teams are running conditioning drills by small position groups — to cut down on the chances of unsafe contact. Pads would only be brought out if the green light is given and a schedule of games is imminent.
Two weeks ago, the other four leagues announced they would not be holding any fall or winter sports this spring.
All spring sports in the five leagues (baseball, golf, judo, softball, tennis, track and field, boys volleyball and girls water polo) are still on the table and set to go from March to May if it is ultimately ruled that it is safe to run. A week ago, the OIA announced that it was canceling all fall and winter sports for 2020-21 and the MIL, BIIF and KIF quickly followed suit. Previously, the statewide plan had been to try to cram all 2020-21 sports into two seasons (January to March, and March to May).
If the ILH does run a football season this spring, it would probably be with only five of its six teams — Saint Louis, Kamehameha, Punahou, ‘Iolani and Damien. Pac-Five (a conglomeration of schools) would likely not have enough players since the school that draws the most players to the program, Mid-Pacific, opted out of some sports, including football, in June.
2 Comments
How many of the ILH schools are 100% in-person learning. This will make a big difference whether the ILH will play any sports for the remainder of the 2020 – 2021 school year.
Thanks for the comment, readership and support, Jonathon!!
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