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MIL football schedule: Full eight-game slate planned

Bears, Sabers to play all home games by Oct. 1 due to War Memorial construction

Lahainaluna High School’s Ian-Jay Cabanilla leaps for extra yardage before being forced out of bounds by Kamehameha Maui’s Keegan Gantala during a Maui Interscholastic League game on Nov. 12. The two state runners-up (Lahainaluna in Division I, Kamehameha Maui in Division II) will play preseason games on Aug. 13, with the Lunas traveling to Hilo to take on the Vikings and the Warriors hosting Kamehameha Hawaii at Kanaiaupuni Stadium. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

For the first time since 2019, the Maui Interscholastic League will play a full two-round football schedule.

The tentative slate was released to The Maui News on Thursday afternoon, and it has front-loaded home schedules for Baldwin and Maui high schools because of repair and upgrade work planned for War Memorial Stadium beginning in October.

The final regular-season game scheduled for War Memorial Stadium is Oct. 1, the second week of the second round when the Sabers and Bears will square off.

Baldwin’s Cody Nakamura is in his inaugural season as head coach at his alma mater.

“Very excited, very excited to get back into coaching, very excited to have football on the island,” Nakamura said. “I know we played last season, but it’s always exciting when the schedule comes out so you can actually plan on what teams you’re going to play, how you are going to prepare for those games, whether it’s a Friday night game or a Saturday night game, and possibly for us a Thursday night game.

Nakamura

“So, that’s when things really start churning and the wheels start turning and you’re able to start planning. It’s a big step.”

After opening on the road, Maui High and Baldwin — the two MIL teams with new coaching staffs this year — will each play their next five games at War Memorial Stadium, including two matchups against each other.

The first game firmly scheduled for Maui is a preseason contest between Nanakuli and Maui High at War Memorial on Aug. 12. Baldwin is working on scheduling a preseason game on Aug. 11, a Thursday, at War Memorial.

The Bears’ preseason game is listed as TBD on the schedule, but Nakamura is “very hopeful. We definitely want a preseason game to kind of get prepared for the regular season. New coach, having a different pre-game routine than they’re use to and everything. To get one preseason game, that would be huge for us to prepare for the regular season.”

Three preseason games involving MIL teams are slated for Aug. 13 — Kamehameha Hawaii at Kamehameha Maui, Waimea at King Kekaulike and Lahainaluna at Hilo.

Wallwork

Nakamura is the Bears’ offensive coordinator, while broadcaster Jordan Helle will also be the OC when available. Kyle Sanches will be the Baldwin defensive coordinator.

Nakamura said that the Bears’ summer weightlifting program has generally drawn 50 or so players, sometimes reaching 65. The official start date for practice in pads is July 18.

“We’re just excited to be playing football,” Nakamura said. “The sooner the better, man. We’re eager to get out there and start playing.”

The MIL season begins on Aug. 19 when Baldwin travels to King Kekaulike, and the first weekend of league play concludes with Maui High at Lahainaluna on Aug. 20.

The regular season ends with Baldwin at Kamehameha Maui on Oct. 21 and Lahainaluna at King Kekaulike on Oct. 22.

King Kekaulike’s Kalelepono Wong carries the ball during a game against Kamehameha Maui on Dec. 10. Na Alii host Baldwin in the first game of the MIL season on Aug. 19. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

MIL playoff games, if necessary, would be Oct. 28 for Division I and Oct. 29 for Division II.

While the Bears are coming off a 1-5 season, the Sabers enjoyed a turnaround season in 2021 with a 4-2 record, but Robert Dougherty left as the team’s head coach after one season for a similar job in California.

Aylett Wallwork has risen from Maui High defensive coordinator to head coach — like Nakamura, Wallwork is coaching his alma mater.

“We’re working towards this season and we got a scrimmage coming up on the Big Island with two different teams,” Wallwork said. “We’re scrimmaging Waiakea and Kamehameha Hawaii — that’s on the 6th (of August) and then we play Nanakuli on the 12th. Just getting excited to see the kids back out there.”

Wallwork said his summer turnout numbers have been picking up after a slow start. This past week, the number of players turning out was about 35.

Maui High’s Brayden Albrecht intercepts a pass over Baldwin’s Kaipo Madrid on Nov. 13. The Sabers begin their MIL slate at Lahainaluna on Aug. 20. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

“As we’re getting closer, more kids are going to start coming out,” Wallwork said. “We’re excited to get it going.”

Wallwork will continue to guide the Sabers on defense with a 3-4 base and Richard Gaskel is the offensive coordinator — Maui High will run out of an I formation or a pro set, depending on the way things work out.

“We want to see what best fits us when we get everybody in,” Wallwork said. “On defense, we will continue to run a 3-4 — I believe we can build on that. The majority of our front seven is back. We lost some DBs and that is something we’ve got to work on.”

The bottom line is the bottom line for Wallwork.

“I don’t know how to say it, we’re just excited to get it started,” he said.

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

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