Yap expects HHSAA schedules this month

Staff Writer

Maui High School principal Jamie Yap said Wednesday that schedules for high school sports could be released in the next two weeks and would not rule out football being played in the 50th state this academic year.

At this point, precise start dates are still up in the air because “there are too many variables” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Yap — the Maui Interscholastic League’s voting member of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Executive Board, which will meet again on Oct. 21 — does expect schedules to be released for some sports this month.

“What we’re waiting for and what we want to see is some type of schedule coming from HHSAA regarding a couple sports and state tournaments,” Yap said Wednesday afternoon.

Yap expects the schedules to come from HHSAA Executive Director Chris Chun before the next executive board meeting.

“It will be in a matter of a couple of weeks, I think, whenever Chris decides at an appropriate time to set that up,” Yap said.

The most likely fall sports to start soonest remain air riflery and bowling, both deemed “low risk” by the HHSAA.

At the next HHSAA executive board meeting, “I think we may be looking at the metrics that will help us determine opening sports and maybe another look at the schedule and what’s going to be happening next,” Yap said.

He also emphasized “nothing has been canceled — you can report that nothing has been canceled, which is good news for the people who still want football. Not to say that football is going to happen because you see what is happening around us.”

Wrestling, football, judo and competitive cheer are currently in the “high risk” category as defined by the HHSAA.

The “moderate” list includes basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, water polo, tennis, swimming relays, pole vault, high jump, long jump and canoe paddling; several sports on the moderate list have protocols that could move them to the low-risk category.

The low-risk list includes individual running events, throwing events (shot put, discus), individual swimming, diving, cross country running (meets are higher risk until proper guidelines can be established), golf, air riflery and bowling.

“So, the low- to moderate-risk sports have the best chance of reopening,” Yap said.