Hilo High got an up-close look at an Oahu powerhouse Saturday night, losing 49-7 to ILH elite Saint Louis, but neither the Vikings nor any other BIIF Division I team will have to see a top opponent like that again
Hilo High got an up-close look at an Oahu powerhouse Saturday night, losing 49-7 to ILH elite Saint Louis, but neither the Vikings nor any other BIIF Division I team will have to see a top opponent like that again this year, even if they make the postseason.
The much-talked about OIA-ILH super alliance became a reality Monday with the formation of the Open Division, a one-year pilot program for the state championships, the HHSAA announced.
“All the leagues were offered a spot,” BIIF executive secretary Lyle Crozier said, “but our ADs decided it would be better to remain in Division I and Division II.”
Under the new format, four OIA teams and two from the ILH will compete for the open title, harkening back to the days of the Oahu Prep Bowl.
The BIIF, meanwhile, gained a second spot in the Division I tournament, which expands to an eight-team team format and will also include four OIA teams and one apiece from the ILH and the MIL. Previously, only the BIIF champion advanced to what had been a six-team tournament.
The Division II tournament remains at six teams, with only the BIIF champion holding a spot. While Division II’s Kamehameha and Konawaena have each won a game at states the past two years, the BIIF’s D-I champions have come up with a goose egg at states: 0-17.
That lack of success, Crozier said, is one big reason why the ADs decided against joining the Open Division.
“A lot of the ADs felt year in and year out, that (the BIIF) couldn’t compete with the top six,” he said.
Noting the format will be revisited after the season, Crozier left the door open to the BIIF entering the Open Division should a potentially competitive team warrant inclusion. As an example, he cited 2014, when Hilo led Kahuku in the fourth quarter before falling 20-10 in the first round at states. Last season at states, the Vikings were ousted by Mililani 62-18.
“If we feel we have a team that can compete, we may enter when the opportunity arises,” Crozier said. “Until then, we’re happy in D-I and D-II.”
He also said the league will consider tweaking its schedule now that two D-I teams are ticketed for states.
The BIIF dropped the league semifinals this season, so under the current schedule both representatives will have been determined during the regular season and ahead of the title game the weekend of Oct. 21-22.
