y wife and I drove by Liberty House on Sunday and the parking lot was stuffed to the gills. It looked like the lots at Ala Moana Center. The scene gave me goose bumps – the good kind, the kind
y wife and I drove by Liberty House on Sunday and the parking lot was stuffed to the gills. It looked like the lots at Ala Moana Center.
The scene gave me goose bumps – the good kind, the kind that prickle the skin out of anticipation rather than agony. Why, you ask, would a packed parking lot at a department store give me joy? Do I own stock in Liberty House?
No, it’s because the lot was full of back-to-school shoppers.
And, back-to-school for me means back-to-football.
Despite the late nights and long hours that prep football on Kaua’i means for me, there’s still an overriding surge of excitement that arrives this time of year. Finally, Vidinha and Hanapepe Stadium will be used properly again.
The start of high school football has meant the same thing everywhere I’ve been: The summer has come to an end. It’s a relief for many parents, as it means their kids will finally be at school and out of their hair. It’s a relief for the players, who have been working hard through the off-season to finely tune their bodies and are ready to hit someone. It’s a relief for the community, which, collectively, has been searching since November for something to do Friday nights. It’s a relief for the sports department at the newspaper; while passing along youth basketball scores to you is valuable, it’s not quite as entertaining as prep sports.
And, believe me, it’s a relief to the schools. When they see football season, they see dollar signs. Football is far and away the highest grossing of all the year’s sports.
Money from football is imperative for funding the operation of lower-profile endeavors like bowling or riflery. For instance, at the college I graduated from there was no football team. Consequently, the number of varsity sports offered paled in comparison to other schools. Our endowment couldn’t carry the load.
The beautiful thing about high school football is how quickly tides can turn. Except in the ILH, whose schools are almost certain to get the state’s best talent, a coach has to work with what grows up in his community. That can turn a dominant team to doormat in a single year: out with the seniors, in with the inexperience.
In essence, school district boundaries can impact success. On Kaua’i, there are pockets of leeway – Kalaheo, for instance – where a kid can choose to attend Waimea or Kaua’i.
Regardless, the cyclical nature of high school football, with perpetual graduation and incoming freshmen, puts the onus on good coaching. And the system a coaching staff may have in place.
For nine years, the system and the coaching at Waimea has been the best. Hard work and dedication have delivered Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation championships in each of those years. Once the players donning Menehune blue become familiar with the system, something of a machine emerges. A powerhouse.
But 2001 will not be like 2000 for the westside team. Consensus is that it’s much too early to hand the Menehunes their 10th consecutive KIF crown. Because the systems are taking hold in Kapa’a and Lihu’e.
Here are the results of the schools’ first preseason effort:
Punahou 24, Waimea 14
King Kekauliki 3, Kapa’a 0
Kaua’i 21, Maui 13
Putting excessive stock in any of the scores may be foolish, but this is a column – where some foolishness is permitted.
Punahou is improved from the team the Menehunes beat 21-13 last year at Hanapepe Stadium. And, Waimea held a 14-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. Waimea’s skill positions will be fine; once the Menehunes’ get their linemen worked out, odds are the team will be in good shape.
In the opinion of those more knowledgeable than I, King Kekauliki is one of the state’s up-and-coming teams – a place where Maui’s athletes are choosing to go. Holding the team to three points is something for a Warriors’ team that’s still rough around the edges to be proud of. The offense will come. There’s too much returning talent for it not to.
In three quarters Friday night Kaua’i – after going scoreless in the first – put up more points than it did all of last year. The Red Raiders, who seemed to be joined at the hip over the summer, are farther along than the other KIF schools. Players are becoming more comfortable with the complicated run-n-shoot offense installed last year. And, more importantly, the defense is far better than last season’s version. You read it here first: Kaua’i will not be on the loosing end of any 63-0 games in 2001.
So, strap on your helmets. Prep football charges ahead full speed this weekend. Kapa’a faces Honoka’a Friday night at Vidinha Stadium. Saturday, Kaua’i hosts Hawai’i Prep at 2 p.m., to be followed by Waimea against Hilo at 7:30 in Hanapepe.
