Same opponent, different site
Hilo High will not be able to follow the exact blueprint of last season’s magical state football title run, which started when the Vikings beat Maui at Wong Stadium.
This time, the Sabers and top-seeded Viks are heading to Keaau High for their HHSAA Division I semifinal, perhaps to the chagrin of Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo.
Drummundo told the Tribune-Herald recently that he much favored the Viks (8-1, 8-0 BIIF) host their state opener at Wong, “our home field,” but Hilo and Maui are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday at the Cougars’ stadium. The contest will be Hilo’s third state game at Keaau since 2013. Last season’s state playoff game at Wong, foremost a baseball venue, was a first during the Vikings’ dynasty.
Drummondo couldn’t be reached for comment Saturday.
The HHSAA released the D-I bracket on Friday night after the Sabers beat Baldwin 29-20 to claim their second consecutive Maui Interscholastic League crown.
The other semifinal Friday matches Iolani at OIA champion Waipahu. Championship Saturday is Nov. 24 at Aloha Stadium. The D-I final is sandwiched between Division II and Open championship games and is slated to start at 4:30 p.m.
Hilo in the middle of its second consecutive two-week break, having beaten Kealakehe 25-11 on Oct. 26 to secure its sixth consecutive BIIF crown.
The Sabers (5-5, 5-4), who once again are led by running back Naia Nakamoto, avenged a loss to Baldwin just two weeks earlier to get back to the state tournament.
Nakamoto was Maui’s offense last season against Hilo, running for 134 yards and a touchdown in a 26-7 Vikings victory that ended the BIIF’s 0-19 run in the Division I tournament.
In the Open Division, Mililani beat Kahuku 27-7 in the OIA final Friday to clear up the state picture. The Trojans will face Campbell in a Nov. 16 semifinal after the Tigers beat Farrington 42-26 in the OIA third-place game. The Red Raiders get ILH champion Saint Louis in the other semifinal.
In the six-team Division II tournament, BIIF champion Kamehameha (6-2), the third-seed, is also amid a two-week break and preparing to host OIA runner-up Kaimuki (8-3, 8-1 OIA) on Saturday for the right to play Kapaa in the semifinals