Until two weeks ago, Semisi Filikitonga hadn’t shared the field with his younger cousin since their elementary school days playing Pop Warner ball.

They reunited when Makoa Filikitonga Lukela Jr. was called up from Lahainaluna’s junior varsity late in the regular season. And when the sophomore was assigned to make his first varsity start at quarterback with a berth in a state championship game on the line, the elder cousin helped make sure he was ready for the call.

"I told him to get ready and let’s bring this back to Maui," said Semisi Filikitonga, a senior linebacker/running back. "It’s all about the family right now as a group."

Both ended up playing integral roles in the Lunas’ 28-0 win over Nanakuli on Saturday as Lahainaluna earned a trip back to Oahu to play for the Division II title of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championship on Friday.

"The goal was to get here, Aloha Stadium," Filikitonga said, "and now we’re coming back."

Filikitonga Lukela settled down after a bit of a shaky start in his first appearance at Aloha Stadium by completing six of 10 pass attempts for 126 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

"I was nervous in the beginning, but that first hit just woke me up," Filikitonga Lukela said. "And that was it, I just played the game."

Filikitonga helped the Lahainaluna defense post its seventh shutout of the season, tying for the team high with five tackles, including one for a 6-yard loss. He also carried the ball 10 times for 13 yards.

The Lunas held Nanakuli to 132 yards in total offense and stifled the Golden Hawks’ option attack in pushing them back for negative-7 yards on the ground.

"It all starts off with the D-line," Filikitonga said. "Without our D-line we wouldn’t be here."

Filikitonga Lukela was called up late in the season and said he learned of the starting assignment two weeks ago,after the Lunas closed the MIL season with a 31-0 win over Maui. Junior Kiko Kohler-Fonohema had been the Lunas’ starting quarterback most of the season.

"We never talked about nerves or anything like that, so I didn’t know if he had them or not," Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada said. "We just tried to treat it as a normal game as much as possible.

"(Filikitonga Lukela) showed on the JV level that he’s a good athlete and when he came up he worked hard. Kiko was injured, so he got a lot of reps. During those reps we saw he could do the job."

He managed the offense early as the Lunas converted a Nanakuli fumble into the game’s first touchdown and extended the lead with a deep pass to Scott-Isaac Medeiros-Tangatailoa 51 seconds into the second quarter. The Lunas defense protected the lead to earn the program’s first state tournament win on Oahu and a shot at its first state title.

"I’m so proud of him coming up," Filikitonga said. "I’ve been working with him all summer, working hard for this moment. All we’re thinking about now is next week."