ILH approves proposed OIA-ILH football union

JAMM AQUINO / NOV. 20, 2015 Kahuku's Kesi Ah Hoy (26) rushes the ball during the second half of the 2015 HHSAA Division I Football Championship between the St. Louis Crusaders and the Kahuku Red Raiders on Nov. 20, 2015 at Aloha Stadium in Halawa.

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the proposed union of its football teams with the Oahu Interscholastic Association for the coming season, according to two trusted Honolulu Star-Advertiser sources close to the league.

The vote was done by ILH member-school principals, and the vote count is not known.

Under the proposal, a 10-team Open “power” division would be formed by three ILH schools and seven OIA schools, with the top six in the nine-game regular season moving on to that division’s state tournament.

Two other classifications also fit into the proposal. A Division I (two from the ILH and eight from the OIA) and a Division II (two from the ILH and seven from the OIA) would be formed underneath the Open division, and those teams would also play a full regular-season schedule. Come state tournament time, D-I and D-II would also include teams from the neighbor islands.

Tuesday’s meeting of ILH principals was held at ‘Iolani School. Phone messages were left with numerous ILH football coaches and athletic directors Tuesday. Some were not returned as of 8 p.m. Others returned calls but didn’t know the results of the vote.

With ILH approval, the proposal moves on to the OIA for a vote. It is not known when or where that vote will take place.