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Farmers looking forward to hosting 11-player game

Molokai High School’s Kinohi Kaupu outraces Seabury Hall’s David Garcia to the end zone to score a touchdown during a game last September in Olinda. The Farmers are set to host Waialua on Sept. 16 in what would be their first 11-player football game played on the Friendly Isle since the early 1950s. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
The Farmers’ Heath Lopez rolls out to pass during a game against Seabury Hall last September.
A game that has been more than seven decades in the making appears to finally be set -- Sept. 16 -- on the Friendly Isle. The Molokai High School football team has not played a regulation, 11-player football game at home since the early 1950s, but Waialua is scheduled to make the trip to Hoolehua in three months. Similar games have been scheduled several times in the last few years, but all have been called off prior to this close to game time. Still, Molokai head coach Mike Kahale is still cautious when asked if the game will actually happen this time. "Yeah, it does, I mean I don't have any indication why it wouldn't," Kahale said via phone on Friday. "We have talked about it with their AD Darnell Arceneaux and he's a stand-up guy, just every interaction I've had with him. And then, we talked a couple times and I think he touched base with (Molokai AD) Lee (DeRouin) at HIADA or over the phone or whatever, so it looks like it's going to happen." Kahale added that Waialua will make the occasion more than a regular road game, including perhaps a Hawaiian cultural trip or two. "They're not just going to come for the game, they're going to come for the Molokai experience and we'll have a couple practices, one practice together and maybe we'll do a fishpond thing, but we'll see," Kahale said. "We'll make it cool for them. I think the plan is for them to come on Thursday and then we'll play a late-morning game and then they'll leave on Saturday." Kahale recounted at least three games that almost happened on the Friendly Isle in the last decade, including planned trips by Honokaa and Nanakuli. Molokai played Waialua on Oahu last year, the Farmers losing a hard-fought 22-14 decision. "We're extremely grateful, I mean this will be our first 11-man home game -- and I have a connection, I went to Waialua Elementary, my dad graduated from Waialua High School, I grew up in Waialua for a few years before I got to middle school," Kahale said. "My dad still currently lives in Waialua. We're extremely grateful to their staff, their coach. "It seems like Darnell is the one who is really trying to make it happen. They took really good care of us when we went there." Kahale said the game at Waialua last season did not come with a home-and-home agreement. "I was just looking for a game and so when the OIA schedule came out, I just reached out and said, 'Hey, I see you guys have a bye, would you like to come over?' With no expectation for them to return the favor, but the game went well and we got to talking and I said, 'Darnell, we'd love to host you guys,' and it looks like it's going to happen," Kahale said. Kahale's father-in-law Larry Helm played in the last 11-player home games for the Farmers in the early 1950s. "I think it will be real significant, I think it will be really cool, I think we will get a lot of people out, we do even with just our eight-man games," Kahale said. "So, it's something that we've looked forward to for a long time that has kind of fell through the cracks and this kind of coming to fruition I think it will be exciting for everybody." Kahale has said for several years that the school's ultimate football goal is to be an 11-player program in the MIL, but after losing 18 seniors from last season's MIL eight-player championship team, this year is a bit of a rebuilding season. Kahale hopes for a roster number pushing 40 this fall. "It'll be interesting for us because we lost 18 seniors, our biggest senior class and half of those kids never played before, they just showed that they wanted to have a shot their senior year," Kahale said. "So, our team is definitely smaller, we've lost some talent, but you know, we'll see. "We've got the middle school program that's been going for a couple years now, we've got a couple of camps that are coming up -- hopefully that generates some interest." The MIL eight-player football ranks will include the Farmers, Seabury Hall, Lanai and Hana. MIL first-team All-Star quarterback from 2022, Kobra Cariaga-Abafo, returns for his senior season for the Farmers, while Kahale also pointed to Heath Lopez, Kahakoi Lopez, Jericho Adolpho and Kian Toledo as players who will be the leaders of the Farmers. "We'll get six regular-season (eight-player) games, we'll do our green and white (scrimmage) and Waialua, so about eight games," Kahale said. "I did reach out to a bunch of Big Island schools -- I thought I had something going with Ka'u, but things didn't work out. We're looking forward to the season." * Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com. 2023 MIL 8-PLAYER FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Saturday, Aug. 26 Seabury Hall at Hana, 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 Seabury Hall at Molokai, 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Molokai at Lanai, 10 a.m. Hana at Seabury Hall, 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Lanai at Seabury Hall, 10 a.m. Waialua at Molokai, time TBA (11-player, non-league game) Saturday, Sept. 23 Hana at Molokai, 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 Molokai at Seabury Hall, 10 a.m. Lanai at Hana, 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 Seabury Hall at Lanai, 10 a.m. Molokai at Hana, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 Hana at Lanai, 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 Lanai at Molokai, 11 a.m. [gallery ids="1106752,1106751"]

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