The quest for a spot in the state tournament is coming down to the wire with many seeding implications on the line all over the state this week.  Out of the four leagues in Division I, none will be more heated and highly anticipated than the race in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Four teams remain, yet only two spots are given to the ILH in the state tourney. Here is an extensive look at the potential outcomes that can occur when the league champion is crowned at the end of the week.

First, we must clarify some terminology first and talk about the things that are already set in stone:

Regular Season Winner (RSW) – Since all six teams are participants in the ILH's postseason format, the league rewards excellence in the regular season by giving a guaranteed state berth to the team that finishes with the best regular season record. With a 9-1 regular season record, the Maryknoll Spartans will be in the 12-team state tournament no matter what happens this week. All that's left to be determined is their seeding in the tourney.

Regular Season Runner-Up (RSRU) – The regular season runner-up may not get an automatic bid into the state tourney, but they do have their advantages. Iolani defeated Punahou in the regular season finale to earn them the role or RSRU. Because they are the RSRU, they will have a first round bye in the league's single elimination tournament. More on that later.

Regular Season Third Place (RS3) – Punahou was the third place finisher in the regular season, which earned them the right to host a first round game in the league's single elimination tournament. With the Buffanblu defeating Mid-Pacific on Monday night, they advance to play Iolani on Wednesday.

Regular Season Fourth Place (RS4) – Kamehameha was fourth place finisher in the regular season, which earned them the right to host a first round game in the league's single elimination tournament. With the Warriors defeating Saint Louis on Saturday night, they advance to play Maryknoll on Wednesday.

Now here are the things that are still left to be determined:

Single-Elimination Winner (SEW) – The last team remaining when the single elimination tournament concludes Friday will earn them a trip into the state tournament.

Single-Elimination Runner-Up (SERU) – If Maryknoll, the RSW, also becomes the SEW, then this title will have meaning. In this instance, the SERU will play the RSRU on Saturday in a win-or-go-home playoff game. The winner of this game will join Maryknoll as the two ILH teams in the state tourney. If Iolani, the RSRU, is also the SERU, then no game will be need to play on Saturday, giving the Raiders the league's second berth.

League Overall Champion (LOC) – Since the state tournament is a 12-team field, the four league champions will receive a seeded berth and a first round bye. If the RSW and SEW are the same team, they will become the LOC and have the league's seeded berth. If the RSW and SEW do not match after the ILH's single elimination tournament concludes Friday night, a playoff game will be held the following day for the LOC.

Confused yet? Let's delve into this some more.

Scenario one: RSW Maryknoll becomes the SEW. The Spartans becomes the LOC and will have the league's seeded berth in the state tournament.

Scenario two: RSW faces RSRU Iolani in single elimination finale.These two teams are automatically the two ILH teams in states no matter what. If Maryknoll wins, they become the LOC, preventing the need for a playoff the following day. If Iolani wins, they become the SEW and will play Maryknoll the next day for the LOC and seeded berth.

Scenario three: RSW (Maryknoll)  in single elimanation finale but RSRU loses to RS3 Punahou in the single elimanation semifinal round. If Maryknoll wins in playoff championship game they are the LOC and gets the seeded berth regardless. Since Punahou becomes the SERU, they will have to face the RSRU (Iolani) for the league's second berth intostates the following day in a win-or-go-home battle.

Scenario four: RS3 (Punahou) and RSW (Maryknoll) meet in the single elimination finale and RS3 wins. If Punahou beats Maryknoll in the single elimination finale, Iolani's season and chances at the state tournament are over.  A Punahou win will force a playoff against Maryknoll the following day for the LOC and the league's seeded berth in the state tourney.

Scenario five: RSW (Maryknoll) loses to RS4 (Kamehameha) in single elimination semifinals. RSRU (Iolani) beats RS3 (Punahou) to meet RS4 in playoff finale. If Iolani beats Kamehameha in the single elimination finale, they will clinch a state berth and will face Maryknoll the following day for the LOC and seeded berth. If Kamehameha wins over Iolani in the finale, they become the SEW and ends Iolani's season. Kamehameha would then play Maryknoll the following day for LOC and seeded berth.

Scenario six: RS4 (Kamehameha) and RS3 (Punahou) upsets the RSW (Maryknoll) and RSRU (Iolani) respectively, to meet in single elimination finale. If both Kamehameha and Punahou end up meeting in the single elimination finale, then Iolani's season is over completely. The winner between Kamehameha and Punahou for the SEW clinches a state berth while eliminating the other, and will also play Maryknoll the following day for the LOC and league's seeded berth in states.

Makes sense right? Hopefully this clears up any confusion regarding the ILH. It should make for an exciting week for the fans and teams involved.