Publisher’s note: What follows first appeared as a note way at the bottom of a recent FOCUS ON FOOTBALL digital column. We think it’s worthy of standing as its own story.
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Sacrificial lambs. Farrington played that role in the Open Division (top tier) for a three seasons before going down to Division I (middle tier) for the first time this year.
Last year, Leilehua made a move up — ready or not — to the Open and is embarking on its second season there.
This year, Moanalua is in the Open for the first time and got a glimpse of the reality of it all Saturday night in a nonleague 35-0 loss to Punahou.
One social media commenter Saturday morning on ESPNHonolulu.com was blunt after the Mules’ 36-25 loss to D-I Waipahu: “Leilehua does not belong in the Open Division.”
I would have to agree. But the OIA has a rule that some teams will move up and some will go down. It’s based on overall regular season won-lost records over a two-year period.
Maybe the Mules (and Na Menehune) will show they belong on the field in the Open this year with most of the season ahead of us.
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Speaking of Waipahu, though, when the Marauders won the D-I state title in 2018, coach Bryson Carvalho immediately mentioned his intent to get his program up to the Open some day. Perhaps this would have been a good year for them to try.
Maybe the rule shouldn’t be so cut and dried. You can’t really pinpoint what a team’s strength will be from year to year with players graduating and transferring. So, if a team goes 15-0 overall in two years of a particular division, maybe they will be graduating a ton of players and would be on a track to go 0-7 the next year in the SAME division. Moving up would be the wrong timing. Right?
For OIA teams that don’t feel ready to move up a classification, receiving an exemption is one possible route. Not long ago, Radford did that. The Rams were supposed to go up to D-I from D-II in 2021, but got the exemption and didn’t get to the higher level until this year.
Here’s a suggestion for classifying teams and you (whoever you may be) can take it for whatever it’s worth:
Instead of basing the movement up or down on won-lost record, how about creating standards that programs have to meet to be in a particular division? That’s what separates college D-I from D-II and D-III.
Instead of looking at the size of budgets and the quality of facilities like they do in college, at the high school level the criteria could be things like: number of players in the program, won-lost record against higher and lower division teams, number of tickets sold, stadium condition, locker room condition, number of camps and clinics offered, and quality of the feeder programs.
Eh, it’s just an idea. Some of it might not work as an indicator of strength.
But the way it is now, there WILL BE some sacrificial lambs (see accompanying graphic). Even teams with rich football history like Waianae and, more recently, Kapolei, have occasionally risen fairly high come playoff time at the Open level but have fallen way short on the field during the regular season.
There has been some really good correction (so to speak) in classifications within the last few years, with some D-II powers moving up to where they now seem to fit really well in D-I — ‘Iolani, Lahainaluna, Konawaena and Kapaa.
And that D-I middle group has had fantastic competition the last few years. One indicator of that was the OIA final standings a year ago: Moanalua 4-1, Aiea 3-2, Waipahu 2-3, Roosevelt 2-3, Kailua 2-3, Castle 2-3.
And second-place Aiea was good enough to prevail in the playoffs and move on to the state tournament.
That’s what you call BALANCE. Leilehua, obviously, would be a perfect fit at that level right now. The jury is still out, though, on where the Mules really belong because the season is just starting. The same goes for Waianae and Moanalua.
Of course, all of those teams mentioned could prove me wrong and be highly competitive this year or in the near future in the Open Division.
And we’re all waiting to see how Kapolei does when its Open schedule begins and if the Hurricanes are a legitimate OIA and state contender. Things are pointing in that direction for Kapolei, which has not given up a point so far in two victories over D-I teams.
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