Kahuku vs. Wai'anae and Mililani vs. Farrington during the regular season?

It's going to happen in the revamped O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference this coming season.

As reported earlier, the league will move away from geographical divisions into two seven-team, yet-to-be named divisions. Plus, there will be an additional regular-season game.

The new divisions are:

Kahuku    Mililani
Leilehua    Farrington
Kaiser        Campbell
Wai'anae    Moanalua
McKinley    Kapolei
Waipahu    Kailua
Castle        'Aiea

The remaining nine teams are in the White, which will retain the same format of eight regular season games.

The teams were ranked based on their records from the past two seasons, OIA football coordinator Harold Tanaka said.

Each team will play against an opponent in division plus one cross-over game. The first team will play the fifth of the opposite side, the second against the sixth, the third against the seventh and the fourth against the fourth. This will give each team seven regular season games, up one from previous seasons in the geographic format. The cross-over games will be played the weekend of Aug. 15 to 16.

For example, Kahuku, the No. 1 in one division, will play Kapolei, the No. 5 in the other division. No. 2 Leilehua will play No. 6 Kailua; No. 3 Kaiser will play No. 7 'Aiea; and No. 4 Wai'anae will meet No. 4 Moanalua.

The additional game means there will one fewer regular season game. Lost will be the interleague games against the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The OIA will have one weekend for non-league games. That weekend could still feature OIA-ILH matchups.

The Red postseason format will remain. The top six teams from each division will advance to the 12-team Red tournament. The top two teams from each division will draw first-round byes.

The division headed by Kahuku has historical strength. Since the modern OIA started in 1970, Kahuku has won 17 titles. Wai'anae follows with 15, but its last was in 1997. Leilehua is next with three. Kaiser, Waipahu and Castle have one each. Only McKinley has yet to win an OIA title.

In the division headed by Mililani, the Trojans have two, while Farrington and Kailua have one each. Kailua's was technically a co-title because of the shortened playoffs caused by Sept. 11, 2001. One of Mililani's titles was from a forfeit.

The only change to the Red is the promotion of Kaiser from the White and the demotion of Kaimuki from the Red.

White
Radford
Pearl City
Kalani
Nanakuli
Kalaheo
Waialua
Roosevelt
Anuenue
Kaimuki