Baldwin vs. Saint Louis Highlights 2012 MIL Football Schedule

By Rodney S. Yap 

Schedule Photo/Graphic by Rodney S. Yap

The 2012 Maui Interscholastic League football schedule is highlighted with a preseason game at Aloha Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 25, between MIL perennial champion Baldwin High School and Interscholastic League of Honolulu powerhouse Saint Louis School.

Former Saint Louis head coach Darnell Arceneaux called Baldwin head coach AJ Roloos in February and the coaches agreed on a “home and home” schedule with the Bears traveling this fall and the Crusaders coming to Maui in 2013.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to play a quality team,” Roloos said of Saint Louis, the 2010 state champions under Arceneaux.

Although no contract was signed, Roloos is counting on Saint Louis honoring their gentlemen’s agreement.

“It’s supposed to be a home-and-home deal with them coming to Maui next year. I am hoping they will keep their word.”

MIL players report for conditioning Thursday, July 26. The first preseason weekend is Aug. 10-11 and the MIL regular season starts with Maui High hosting Kamehameha Schools Maui at War Memorial Stadium on Friday, Aug. 24. Lahainaluna faces King Kekaulike the next night, Saturday, Aug. 25, while Baldwin has a league bye and will play Saint Louis in the second game (7 p.m.) of a scheduled doubleheader at Aloha Stadium.

The two Pukalani-based high schools — Kamehameha Schools Maui and King Kekaulike — each have two preseason football games. As a result, the two schools will play a minimum of 10 games over 12 weeks.

The Warriors open the 2012 campaign on Friday, Aug. 10, hosting Honokaa of the Big Island, starting at 6 p.m. King Kekaulike welcomes Roosevelt on Saturday, Aug. 11, for a 2 p.m. contest at Kekaulike Stadium.

The following weekend, on Friday, Aug. 17, Lahainaluna travels to Keea’u on the Big Island. On Saturday, Aug. 18, Maui High makes its 2012 debut at Konawaena. Both away games are slated to start at 7 p.m. Also on Saturday, Kekaulike hosts Kauai (time to be announced) and Kamehameha Maui will face Kapaa at 6 p.m. Both games complete home-and-home commitments the schools made to one another as Kekaulike and Kamehameha Maui both travelled to the Garden Isle last year.

Note this year’s MIL scheduled does not include a bye week during the Maui County Fair weekend, Sept. 28-29. Instead, Kekaulike and Kamehameha Maui will be hosting games that weekend.

This year’s first and second rounds are in the same order and each team was given an equal number of Friday and Saturday games.

***

Photo courtesy of Saint Louis School.

CRUSADER COACHING UPDATE: On June 1, Saint Louis head coach Darnell Arceneaux resigned to the surprise of the Crusader football family and its supporters.

The school’s athletic director Ed Paola took swift action, naming Crusaders assistant Matt Wright the new head coach after publicly announcing Arceneaux decision to resign. Paola spoke with the team before practice, the last one of the spring workouts, then he met with parents to fill them in on the sudden switch.

Arceneaux was reportedly absent from spring practice for about a week, though he was present the previous Saturday (May 26) at Saint Louis for the annual PIAA combine.

Paola said Arceneaux, “stepped down as head coach and assistant athletic director to tend to personal matters.”

Wright joined the staff when Arceneaux’s return to Saint Louis in 2010. Wright is a former UH linebacker who graduated from ‘Iolani and is a part-time teacher at Saint Louis.

Arceneaux guided the Crusaders to the 2010 state football championship. It was his second stint at his alma mater. The first came in ’03 and lasted one season — leading Saint Louis to the state final that fall.

Before returning to Saint Louis, he coached for three years at Mililani, steering the Trojans to the OIA Red title game in ’09. Saint Louis was 6-4 overall last season and 11-1 in its state-championship season in ’10. Including the ’03 season, Arceneaux’s teams were 26-7 in his three years as head coach.

***

MIL 8-MAN FOOTBALL: The season officially kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 6, with St. Anthony meeting Seabury Hall at War Memorial Stadium, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The other two teams in the four-team league play at noon, Saturday, Sept. 8, with Hana visiting Molokai.

Four games will be at War Memorial, and Molokai and Hana will each host three. St. Anthony and Seabury Hall will get to play one home game apiece.

St. Anthony will play in two Thursday games at War Memorial Stadium. Four games are scheduled for Fridays, all at 6:30 p.m., while four day games are on tap for Saturdays.

Schedule Photo/Graphic by Rodney S. Yap.