LAIE — When I left home this morning, I half-expected an OIA Red championship football game by night.
I was more than half wrong. By the time the OIA ruled, as expected, really, that the use of an ineligible player would end Kahuku’s perfect season, I was on my way to the North Shore. Get some reactions, the Boss said. So I went.
It was strange, driving through the Windward rain to Kahuku. For the first time, I was on my way there for a bad-news/sad-news story. All this time, it’s been about great games (pick a sport) and kids signing letters of intent. All good news. Sometimes, incredible feats happened. But always positive.
Not this time. Since getting out here at 2:45 p.m. or so, I’ve been interviewing players, Coach Reggie Torres, writing stories for online and print (tomorrow’s edition) and the calls keep coming. Anything this big, especially with Kahuku, has radio friends ringing my phone from across the islands. But I figured I’d be done in time to get back to town and take in the OIA White title game. I’m not covering it, but I’d at least see it.
But the writing took time, as did some late-afternoon interviews with more players. Now comes news of some community involvement all because of today’s catastrophe for the football program. So I’m probably going to stick around here a little longer. It’s not often I’m there for the last day of Kahuku’s football season, particularly when it comes out of the blue. I’ll see what the night — and a proud North Shore community — has in store.
Paul Honda, Star-Bulletin
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