The parents of a St. Francis student has filed a lawsuit against the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and the Oahu Interscholastic Association, challenging transfer rules.
Junior offensive lineman Skylar Kalilikane-McMoore is awaiting a decision from Hawaii’s First Circuit Court. He wants to play football this season, according to one of his family’s attorneys, Stephanie Segovia, but the season is running out. The Saints are off to a 4-0 start with five regular-season games remaining.
As of right now, Kalilikane-McMoore is considered ineligible to play by the HHSAA.
Before enrolling in a high school in 2016, the Kalilikane-McMoore family wanted to get Skylar into St. Francis. However, at the time, the family did not have the financial resources to send him to that private school and instead enrolled him at Pearl City, Segovia said.
Kalilikane-McMoore played for the Chargers’ junior varsity team in 2016.
In July 2017, with the family finances in order, Kalilikane-McMoore applied to St. Francis, and he was eventually accepted in August. However, during the summer of 2017, he practiced with Pearl City, apparently for more than seven days.
According to the lawsuit filed, Kalilikane-McMoore willfully sat out all of the 2017 season, knowing that is what transfer students are supposed to do.
But, what the family did not know is that in the eyes of Hawaii football administrators, by practicing for more than seven days in the summer of 2017, he was deemed to have been a Pearl City football participant during the 2017 season and so he was also required to sit out 2018.
This information came slowly to the family, according to Segovia. They thought he was fine by sitting out all of 2017’s games.
“We feel he should not be penalized two years for transferring,” Segovia said. “If you look at the rules, there may be some basis for it, but that’s if you are looking at it in a vacuum.”
Fata McMoore and Starr Kalilikane, Skylar’s parents, applied to the ILH for an exemption, but were initially denied. They appealed and were eventually granted an exemption. But soon after, they were told by the St. Francis administration that they also needed to get an HHSAA exemption. They then applied to the HHSAA, but were denied.
Chris Chun, the HHSAA exeuctive director, said he can’t comment on the case while litigation is ongoing. Joe Stewart, an attorney for the HHSAA, did not want to comment because Kalilikane-McMoore is a minor.
In the court filing, the plaintiffs claim that Skylar Kalilikane-McMoore’s “liberty interest in obtaining a football scholarship to help his family pay for college” is being violated and that “no notice was given that the seven-day rule would be applied, nor that it would be applied in a punitive and compounded manner on top of the transfer rule.”
Let the kids play already!!!!!!
Oh my must be the ILH agenda! But wait, did I read that this guy was paying for school not being offered a full ride to play football. Why would anyone want to leave there community school. I don’t get it! aannyywwaayyss you better talk to this family!
bbwwaahhaahhaahhaa
Let Big Boy play! He sat out a whole year already! How can he be on the pearl city roster if he was a student of St. Francis? Let’s use common sense and let the boy play!
The family pays for school to have a private school education and better one on one with teachers ALLILH
Holy smokes these politics over a game is getting out of hand. St. Francis has the opportunity to make a stand here and let the kid play. Yes…they are in the hunt for a championship banner, but they can do something greater for the future student athletes of Hawaii. Will it count every game as a forfeit…yes, but then again, it may be great in the long run for parents looking towarda St. Francis as a school prioritizing the student over these crazy athletic agendas.
Easy for me to say tho, because I’m not the one in championship contention. Good luck guys.
@allilh I dont get you either 😄.
He sat out the year as he was suppose to. Now he’s being penalized for practicing in the summer of 2017. Big difference between practice and real games. I hope he gets to participate.
I agree that a few practices with PC does not a season make but if St. Francis allowed this kid to play they run the risk of having to forfeit their games if he is deemed ineligible later.
I realize that rules are in place for a reason, but consideration should be given on a case by case situation. Had he played (even 1 game last year) then my thoughts would be different. He attempted in good faith to sit out an entire season (and I know it was difficult to just sit out and watch) to be compliant unlike others who play then give some bs excuse to transfer and play for another school the following season.
Lets not penalize this particular student athlete.
I hope he prevails soon…..
Same rule stripped Kahuku of 2010 State title. A non starter practice in summer of 2006, which caused the 2010 season forfeit. Imagine that! Kahuku even self reported it. That was the year Kahuku beat Mariota by 3 tds. The asterisk year *.
These rules are ridiculous only in sports do these apply, if you wanted to transfer to Kamehameha or Punahou because you want to be in the marching band to have a better shot at going to college because a lot of schools give big scholarships to those in the band no problem no need sit out of band for a year, Or you transfer because your school does not have the AP calculus class you need to get into MIT and you go to Iolani no problem you dont have ro sit out of math but if you want to go to the school that will give you the best chance to get a scholarship and play sports then all of a sudden its like the world stops and it takes an act of Congress to make stuff happen. To bad the boy has to pay for adults not being smart enough to know when right is right……
Saints 1x and Suconthis, you needed to have followed the many football threads to understand ALLILH’s poke at another poster. ALLILH is not criticizing this player or his parents.
Sounds to me like the student athlete did what he was supposed to do. I’ve never even heard of the seven day practice rule until reading this article. LET HIM PLAY!
Coach C, if I remember correctly the ineligible player played in a game. Even though it was in mop up duty, he played in an actual game.
Correction, it had to do with the player’s eligibility clock starting a year earlier. At least that’s what the paper said.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2010/11/05/breaking-news/top-ranked-kahuku-forfeits-football-season-title-game-canceled/
let um play!!
let daddy play
Come on HHSAA get it together!!! Robbing my baby cousin of opportunities! St. Francis AD you better fight and do what’s right for him! He sat out 2 seasons already!
#LetTheKidsPlay
Let big sexy play. I c u boy
You punish the kid and the family for wanting to what they feel is better for the kid. REALLY?????!!!!!! Stupidity at its finest.
Reading this makes me sooo mad! Let the kids play! this is so unreal….. he sat out for a reason!did not play one game! I hope he wins this case.
I seen players who fail drug test suspended for less, All the kid did was transfer. Never in any sport have I ever seen a punishment weigh up to 2 years ineligible, a transfer rule at that. He left in the summer before he was even a sophmore and then sat out his whole soph. Season.
These “Adults” (HHSAA) actually got together and voted that even though this KID sat out a FULL YEAR, he must sit out another year, and watch his fellow brothers from the sidelines again. All these clowns in these high positions should go down. They don’t look for the kids best interests, just their own. #LawSuit
It’s a game i say let him play, but parents why? Why transfer? Just play an stay it ain’t all that. Just get good grades play your heart out an apply. Go anywhere you like St.Francis is not under a D1 scholarship watch? I doesn’t matter I see kids from Kalani playing in a D2 full ride same degree. Parents are under this misconception play big go big, follow the St. Louis roster look for Purcell an some of there great D1 hopefuls JC Im not saying anything wrong its fine! They van transfer later the education is whats happening. Trust me I went thru this all the way to the mainland an back. Its the parents fault hes not playing to hype. Dont follow the fad just study hard an play hard. Youll get there
BigMauka- you make sense, if the parents would have done due diligence to learn of the 7 day practice rule this wouldnt happened. At Kahuku last yr a kid played 19 days and played in 1 game then wanted to transfer but knew he couldnt, so he went to the mainland and played because Hawaii rules dont apply.
Sigh. Here we go again. I tried fighting for the previous complainant here at Hawaii Prep World with the previous attempt (just WHAT happened with that anyway? Ah. Who cares—I sure as heck don’t) but none would take my free brilliance. I guess I am better off getting paid for that anyway.
With these? All you gotta do is to cue the proverbial boy who cried wolf. The end.
Chicken Grease,
In this case, the ILH waived the transfer rule but the HHSAA did not grant the transfer. In the previous case you’re referring to, The Judge ruled in favor of the ILH. Your FREE “Brilliance” lost in court. Do everyone a favor and don’t give advice because you think losing in court is brilliant.
AllILH is that clown “TooMeke” and “Anywaaaays” and “Awrite” and “Walaau” and his motives are never genuine just a negative troll with no talent and no empathy. bbwwaahhaahhaahhaa
Just let kids transfer wherever they want. (who cares) it’s always going to be STL, Kahuku, Punahou and Mililani every year anyway… Why waste a kids whole year that they can never back; they will have REGRETS for the rest of their lives from sitting out.
To make a 15-18 year old kid waste a whole year of not participating is very traumatic emotionally and can be very harmful in different ways. Just Saying!!
Let him play. The season is almost over, and really, is it worth it? that is a stupid rule. But now every one is aware and know that if you want to change schools for whatever your reason is…read ALL the fine print before signing any contracts. make sure you understand everything. Probably not even the St. Francis Coach was aware of that unbeknownst rule. READ EVERTHING!
??? good points.
c’mon!!!!!!!!!!! making him sit out for two years is not acceptable. He is a St. Francis student and has already sat out one year. LET BIG BOY PLAY! #freethebeast
This is unbelievable! Now you have some 7 day practice rule that was broken, unknowing to them. So who is supposed to know theses things? School Administrators? Coaches? Athetic Director? WHO?? I guess this is what they mean when people say. “Read the fine print”? I don’t remember reading that though? Whoever they are that made the mistake, now it’s the kids that are punished for their BIG MISTAKE! You have just ruined some of these kids chances for a better future COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS!! For example.