Monday Morning MIL: Football returns to traditional schedule for the first time since the fires

After two seasons of unbalanced schedules, including a 2023 season disrupted by the wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry, the Maui Interscholastic League is returning to its traditional eight-game, two-round system to determine Division I and Division II state tournament berths.

The schedule was finalized at the league’s athletic directors’ meeting on Tuesday and has a familiar look that dates back to 2022.

In the last two seasons, because of the unbalanced slates, only games within the divisions counted towards state berths. Now, all of the games count as they did from 2003 (when Division II was added) to 2022, not counting 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the season and 2021 when the slate was shortened by the pandemic.

After the wildfires at the start of the 2023 season, Lahainaluna played five league games, Maui High played nine, Baldwin played eight and King Kekaulike and Kamehameha Maui played seven each. In the 2024 season, which was marked by the expansion to a six-team league that included Moloka‘i, all teams played seven games. This year, the Farmers are returning to the eight-player level.

MIL Division I includes defending champion Lahainaluna, Maui High and Baldwin, while Division II has Kamehameha Maui and King Kekaulike. Kūlanihākoʻi High School will play at the junior varsity level only in 2025.

One unique wrinkle to the 2025 season is that Maui High and Baldwin will not have home games due to the shutdown of War Memorial Stadium for renovations that are estimated to last a year.

“We have to prepare our kids for that,” Maui High coach Pohai Lee said. “And we’ll constantly be reminding them about what to expect.”

The Sabers will play seven of their 10 games at King Kekaulike Stadium, including a preseason game on Aug. 9 against Kealakehe.

“When that first trip up there rolls around, you never know how it’s going to go,” Lee said. “So, it’s a good thing we have a preseason game up there, at least, to get our feet wet before the MIL season.”

Baldwin will play its only preseason game against Hilo at Wong Stadium, a baseball facility on Hawai‘i island on Aug. 8. The Bears will play four of their eight MIL games at King Kekaulike, two at Kamehameha Maui and two at Lahainaluna.

“Well, it’s definitely brand new to us,” Baldwin coach Cody Nakamura said. “So I guess we’re going to have to try and figure it out as we go. The boys are excited. The seniors are a little bit bummed that they don’t get to play at home at War Memorial Stadium for their senior year, but kids adapt really well. It’s a small island, it’s a short drive wherever we’re going. So it shouldn’t affect us too much.”

The Bears are coming off a 6-3 season that was a breakthrough after going a combined 0-17 in Nakamura’s first two years at the helm of his alma mater. Baldwin lost to Lahainaluna 7-3 in an MIL Division I championship playoff game for the state berth at that level. The game was decided in the final minute of play after a Baldwin fumble at the Lunas’ 1-yard line.

“We’re starting at square one again,” Nakamura said. “So even though we tell the boys ‘we were close, we had a good season and we were about one yard away from reaching our goal,’ we don’t get to start at the 99-yard line and moving in. We’ve still got to start at the opposite goal line and keep working.”

Maui High is coming off a 2-6 season and Lee is in his first year at the helm. Lee was the head coach for Baldwin from 2015 to 2021 — he guided the Bears to three Maui Interscholastic League Division I titles, in 2015, 2016 and 2019. 

Lee’s MIL record as the head coach for the Bears was 29-19 and he said it will be a different feeling when he looks across the field and sees the maroon- and baby blue-clad team as opponents.

The Bears and Sabers meet in the first round on Sept. 12 and the second-round meeting will be Oct. 18. Both games are at King Kekaulike Stadium.

“I take things year to year and it was totally unexpected how things worked out,” Lee said. “I feel very fortunate and blessed to be back in it after a little three-year vacation. It’s exciting again getting back into that competitive spirit and challenges.”

While Lee said, “this is a chance for us to impact Maui High students and install what we need to do to be successful,” he added that the first Baldwin game will be memorable.

“That’s always on my mind,” said Lee, who also served as an assistant coach for Baldwin. “Since being in the league, we’re all competitors, but at the same time we’re friends off the field and I see some of our former coaches all the time. When you’re there (at Baldwin) over 15 years total, there’s going to be a lot of emotion.”

Including Na Aliʻi’s five home games, there will be 12 games at King Kekaulike Stadium this season.

“We’re going to be OK,” King Kekaulike coach Tyson Valle said. “I just like the fact that we got more games in this year. We’re definitely back to our old schedule, which is great. It gives us more opportunity to work with the kids. Eight games, that’s big.”

Each division in the MIL required championship playoff games last year, only the second time in league history that has happened — the first time was 2015. 

Kamehameha Maui won the 2024 First Hawaiian Bank Division II state championship — the MIL has had a team in the D-II state title game for eight straight seasons and 10 of the last 12. Lahainaluna won four straight D-II state crowns from 2016-19.

“Kamehameha is coming back as state champs, returning a lot of guys; Lahainaluna is always going to be good; Coach Pohai is bringing new energy back to Maui High; Coach Tyson’s got the Upcountry boys playing well,” Nakamura said. “… I think every team is pretty even and it’s going to be tough no matter who you are.”

MAUI INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE

2025 Football Schedule

PRESEASON

Aug. 8

Damien at Kamehameha Maui, 6 p.m.

Baldwin at Hilo, TBD

Lahainaluna at Waiʻanae, TBD

Aug. 9

King Kekaulike at Honokaʻa, TBD

Kealakehe vs. Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Aug. 16

Radford at Kamehameha Maui, 6 p.m.

Lahainaluna at Kapolei, TBD

Maui High at ʻIolani, TBD

Morro Bay (Calif.) at King Kekaulike, TBD

MIL FIRST ROUND

Aug. 22—Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Aug. 23—Baldwin at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

Aug. 29—King Kekaulike at Lahainaluna, 7 p.m.

Aug. 30—Kamehameha Maui vs. Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Sept. 5—Baldwin at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6—Lahainaluna vs. Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Sept. 12—Baldwin vs. Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13—Kamehameha Maui at Lahainaluna, 7 p.m.

Sept. 19—Kamehameha Maui at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20—Baldwin at Lahainaluna, 7 p.m.

MIL SECOND ROUND

Sept. 26—Baldwin at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27—Maui High (homecoming) at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Oct. 3—Maui High at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4—Lahainaluna at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Oct. 10—Maui High at Lahainaluna, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11—Baldwin at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17—Lahainaluna at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 18—Baldwin vs. Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

Oct. 24—King Kekaulike at Kamehameha Maui (HC), 7 p.m.

Oct. 25—Baldwin at Lahainaluna, 7 p.m.

Nov. 7—Division II playoff (if necessary), site, time TBA

Nov. 8—Division I playoff (if necessary), site, time TBA

HHSAA State tournament Division I and II dates:

First Round: Nov 14-15 (Friday-Saturday), TBD

Semifinals: Nov 21-22 (Friday-Saturday), TBD

Championship: Nov 29 (Saturday), Mililani High School

“Monday Morning MIL” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.