‘Iolani holds off Moanalua to advance

Two of the most rested teams in the HHSAA Division I state tournament exchanged blows all game long, but it was ‘Iolani that prevailed 17-14 over Moanalua at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium on Friday night.

Both teams played for the first time since Oct. 14.

“It’s always exciting. We had a three-week bye. That can either really help a team or really hurt a team. I think it did both,” ‘Iolani quarterback Tai-John Mizutani said. “We came out sharp, but we were flat in the middle of the game.”

The Raiders jumped out to a 14-0 lead with 11:50 to go in the second quarter after KJ Pascua’s 9-yard run. Pascua finished with 128 yards on 27 carries. It was the 12th time that an ‘Iolani player has rushed for more than 100 yards in a state tournament game.

However, Na Menehune responded with a pair of passing touchdowns from senior quarterback Alaka’i Yuen, who finished with 212 yards and went 25-for-34 through the air.

“Their quarterback is exceptional, he’s exciting,” ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. “For us to come out with a win, we were very fortunate.”

‘Iolani recaptured the lead on Evan Minami’s 32-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Yuen displayed his versatility and gave the Raiders’ defense fits all game, showing his dual-threat ability with 53 rushing yards on nine carries. With his high school career over, he said that “training for college starts on Monday.” He is currently not committed to a college.

“There’s not anything good about how we feel right now,” Yuen said. “We knew we could have gone farther, but it is what it is. We just have to move on. We could have done better, but the show goes on.”

After receiving a punt on their own 20 with 7:01 remaining in the game, the Raiders aimed to milk the clock. They accomplished just that, as Moanalua never got back the ball.

“I told our line this was it. I told KJ whatever you do, you had to hold that ball. I’m proud of my line, they were tired.”

The Raiders will next face Campbell, which routed Waiakea 48-0 on Friday.

After going winless in ILH play, ‘Iolani is now a win away from an appearance in the state Division I title game.

“These kids have worked hard,” Look said. “We’ve had to try to prove ourselves and tonight we proved that could play and that we’re a good team.”