The Hawaii high school football season is already three weeks old, but the Hawaii High School Athletic Association is changing the playoff format by adding a third division, instead of the usual two. The HHSAA has approved a one-year pilot program that adds an Open Division to the already existing Division I and II championships.
The Open Division will be comprised of the top four teams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association and two teams from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The Division I tourney will have eight teams — four from the OIA, two from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and one each from the IHL (Kamehameha, Saint Louis and Punahou are not eligible) and the Maui Interscholastic League. Division II will have two OIA teams, plus one each from the ILH, BIIF, MIL and Kauai Interscholastic Federation.
The three-week state tournament kicks off Friday, November 4th, with the first round. The Division I and II championships will be played November 18th. The Open Division championship will be played November 19th.
