Tuesday, October 6, 1998

Prep Bowl on TV

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

There will be an Oahu Prep Bowl this year, despite an unresolved conflict with eligibility rules.

And for the first time, the postseason prep classic will be televised.

Principals who make up the Oahu Interscholastic Association yesterday agreed to commit to the annual game on Nov. 27 against the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion while continuing to work out differences.

"By doing this we are indeed representing the best interests of both leagues and especially our youngsters," said OIA President Gary Griffiths in a joint statement with Tony Ramos, ILH president.

The TV agreement is with Oceanic Cable and will involve a pay-per-view arrangement at a tentative cost of $12.95 per customer.

"I am willing to give it a try and see what happens," said ILH executive secretary Clay Benham, who had in the past opposed TV for the Oahu Prep Bowl and ILH regular-season games.

Benham had said TV would overemphasize the importance of the sport in his league.

"But we have a few new principals on our (league executive) board, so there is some different thinking," he said.

Asked why the cost of pay-per-view will be so high, OIA executive secretary Dwight Toyama said he wants to ensure that the bowl's gate potential will not be affected. A ticket to the bowl will cost $7 and parking is $2.

The game will be televised the next day free.

Griffiths said both leagues want to maintain their longstanding relationship and in a spirit of cooperation are continuing to address their differences. "They're all our kids," whether they play in the ILH or OIA, he said.

"We're committed to the Prep Bowl, committed to our kids and we'd like to see it continue," added Ramos.

The ILH's practice of allowing its athletes to play four seasons over a five-year period has long been a major sticking point between the two leagues. The OIA complies with the Hawaii High School Athletic Association's rules, which require its athletes to complete their eligibility in four consecutive years.

The eligibility issue will not be resolved before the Nov. 27 game, Griffiths said. A compromise is currently on the table concerning the 1999 to 2001 Prep Bowls where the OIA would live with the ILH's retention rule but come 2002, the rules would be in line with the HHSAA.

The ILH is expected to review its retention rule and report back to the OIA in the spring, but Griffiths said his league will likely request a response sooner.

Meanwhile, the ILH's agreement to televise this year's Prep Bowl despite philosophical opposition to televising games in the past is a step forward, Griffiths said.

"We also don't believe any high school athlete should be exploited, but I think it's a real positive step in both leagues that the ILH has agreed to televise the 1998 Prep Bowl," Griffiths said.

Both sides also reached agreement that sportsmanship issues -- taunting and other types of unsportsmanship behavior that have occurred in the past -- will be handled as they come up.

"Both sides said yes, deal with it swiftly and it can't be allowed to continue," Griffiths said.

Meanwhile, talk of a state football tournament is premature, but hasn't been ruled out, Griffiths said. "Anything's possible down the road."

Both leagues want to concentrate on the upcoming Oahu Prep Bowl first, Ramos said. The timing of a state tournament and other implications such as fund-raising -- a bigger problem for neighbor island teams -- need to be discussed, Ramos said.

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Pat Bigold contributed to this story.