After nine years at Timpview High in Provo, Utah, former Leilehua and 'Aiea coach Gary Clark has returned to the Hawai'i coaching ranks as the new mentor at Kealakehe High on the Big Island.

Clark is among nine coaches taking over for departed coaches during the offseason. He replaced Cliff Walters, who resigned after last season, athletic director Mike Hernandez said. Clark coached at 'Aiea from 1982 to 1986 and at his alma mater, Leilehua ('68) from 1987 to 1994. In the combined 13 seasons, he compiled a 67-61-6 record.

"Now that my kids are done with school, it was just a matter of time before I'd come back," said Clark, who added the transition was made easier because his daughter happens to reside in Captain Cook.

Clark was an assistant coach at Timpview, one of the high-profile programs in Utah. During that time, he did make several returns here, such as when the school played non-league games here in 2001 against Kamehameha and 2005 against Punahou. He also returned when he was honored as NFL High School Coach of the Year in 1998 at the 1999 Pro Bowl. He was nominated for his former player, Leilehua standout running back Adrian Murrell, who played in nine NFL seasons, most with the New York Jets.

"That was a great honor to be considered for something like that," said Clark, who said Murrell stays in touch with him occasionally over the years. "That was a surprise to me."

Clark, who works in Kealakehe's CSAP program, said he had followed Hawai'i prep football while away, but mostly with O'ahu programs. He did some quick research, thanks to the Internet, on Big Island football and said he was brought up to speed by his assistants, some of whom were retained from last year's staff.

"It's going to be a challenge for me," he said. "They play good football here. It's just a matter of me learning the teams."

He inherits a team that won the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I championship, but sans the graduated Gabe Tuata, the Waveriders' all-state running back who signed with Hawai'i.

Of the nine coaching changes, Clark is one of three returning to the ranks. Darren Johnson coached at Kailua from 1996 to 2003, compiling a 58-29-1 record. He will coach Kaimuki, where he replaces Daniel Mafua, who also resigned. Darnell Arceneaux coached at Saint Louis in 2003, leading the Crusaders to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title. He succeeds Mililani's James Millwood, who retired from coaching after 13 seasons.

STRONG OPPOSITION

Defending Division I state champion Kahuku will play defending Utah state champion Bingham on Sept. 1 at Southern Utah's Eccles Coliseum (not to be confused with Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium).

Kahuku athletic director Joe Whitford said not all of the players will make the trip. He said a prerequisite for the players was participation in two other sports besides football during the past school year. He said that way, those making the trip were in good academic standing because playing sports in winter and spring meant they had to have mandatory grade checks all year. Whitford said about 62 players will make the trip.

Kealakehe will host Scotts Valley (Calif.), the defending Monterrey Bay League champions, on Aug. 17. The school opened in 1999 and is located in the Santa Cruz area. The team advanced to the Central Coast Section semifinals, where it lost to San Mateo, according to Kealakehe athletic director Mike Hernandez.

NEW FORMAT

The BIIF will join the OIA and Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation by playing distinct Division I and II regular-season schedules.

Division I has Hilo, Honoka'a, Kea'au, Kealakehe and Waiakea, while Division II will have Hawai'i Prep, Kamehameha, Ka'u, Kohala and Konawaena. Each division will play each other in home-and-home series in two rounds. If there are different champions in each round, there will be a playoff to determine the overall division champion.

There will be some cross-over games where Division I will play Division II during the year, but those will count as nonleague games.

OVERTIME

The OIA said it will use overtime to settle ties in regular-season games.

Previously, OT was used exclusively in postseason. Football coordinator Harold Tanaka said the change is to give coaches, as well as game officials, more familiarity with overtime procedures.

He cited that in a JV postseason game several years ago, the procedures weren't executed properly by the officials and that the coaches of both teams didn't notice the difference.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.