The "trickle-down effect" of Hawai'i's changing high school sports seasons is beginning to surface on O'ahu, mostly at the Division II, JV and intermediate levels.

The O'ahu Interscholastic Association has decided to move its JV baseball season from spring to winter, and JV softball from winter to fall. This is to alleviate the crowded field situation caused by moving varsity softball from the winter to spring.

That move was initiated in April after the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's executive board voted to move girls basketball from spring to winter, starting a domino effect.

In the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, a preliminary plan proposes having its Division II basketball programs at four schools — 'Iolani, Kamehameha, Punahou and Saint Louis — play a separate schedule from the smaller Division II schools vying for state tournament berths.

This would shorten the schedules and free up some gym space for boys and girls basketball both being played in the winter for the first time here. But it also would mean the smaller schools without gyms would not have as much access to the larger schools' facilities.

"The (bigger schools') priority would be on their own programs," ILH executive director Don Botelho said.

Another proposal suggests "cutting the number of games at the lower levels, without denying them a decent season," he said.

"We're still in the discussion stage, nothing has been finalized," Botelho said. "But we have to look into cutting down on the number of games, because with 26 schools playing at four levels and with only 10 gyms, it's really, really tough (to schedule)."

Botelho said the ILH also is looking into "staggering" its schedules at the lower levels so that their seasons end earlier, again in an attempt to free up more gym space and time for the varsity levels.

Punahou has six teams each — Varsity Division I and II, JV I and II, Intermediate I and II — for boys and girls, and only one gym to accommodate games.

"At some point I think we gotta look at cutting back on the (number of) games, and we might do that," Punahou athletic director Tom Holden said. "It's definitely a concern, there's no question about it."

'Iolani co-athletic director Eddie Maruyama said the ILH probably will try to sketch a "mock" schedule with the full slate of games, then make the adjustments if necessary. The ADs will explore all options, maybe even going with two-person officiating crews.

"We'll try to keep all our teams intact," Maruyama said, "but there's no question we'll be struggling (to find solutions)."

OIA executive secretary Dwight Toyama said his league examined the potential logjam with having varsity and JV baseball and softball teams all playing in the spring, and decided there was "no way" it could work out satisfactorily.

Many of the OIA schools use the same field for both sports.

"It's too hard," Toyama said. "You cannot have four teams practicing on one field."

Mililani athletic director Glenn Nitta, the OIA baseball coordinator, said splitting the varsity and JV seasons also will help ensure enough umpires are available. Many umpires officiate in both baseball and softball.

"The umpire situation was one of the main things" the OIA looked at, Nitta said.

If the ILH does not also move its JV baseball and softball seasons, however, that would mean the end of interleague games and some tournaments in the preseason at that level.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.