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‘Iolani is playing football in November.
The Raiders made two big plays through the air and were just good enough on the ground to run out the clock and hold off Damien 21-14 on Friday night in an ILH Division I playoff game at Aloha Stadium.
Brock Hedani rushed for 85 yards with 11 of his 20 carries coming in the final quarter as the Raiders (9-2) ran out the clock on the Monarchs season by possessing the ball for nine minutes in the final quarter.
>> Click here to see photos of the game between ʻIolani and Damien.
“We’ve been consistent pretty much all year,” ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball to be successful on offense and they know that.”
‘Iolani will return to the Division I state tournament for the third time in four years and second straight under the two-year OIA-ILH football alliance.
Damien (8-3) won its final three games of the regular season, upsetting previously undefeated Moanalua to force a winner-take-all tiebreaker with ‘Iolani with a state berth on the line.
Senior quarterback Jake Holtz rushed for two touchdowns but also fumbled twice. One led to a 99-yard touchdown pass from ‘Iolani quarterback Jonah Chong to Carter Kamana and the other was returned 18 yards for a score by Lanakila Pei for a 21-7 Raiders lead in the fourth quarter.
“We play team defense. We don’t rely on one guy. It’s a scheme,” Look said. “(Defensive coordinator) Delbert (Tengan) comes up with the gameplan and a scheme and these kids are smart enough to execute it.”
Hedani’s gritty 85 yards on the ground gave the ‘Iolani offense what it needed.
Chong finished 12-for-27 for 183 yards with 130 of those yards coming on two throws in the first half.
Damien drove the ball 64 yards to the ‘Iolani 1, but was stopped twice on quarterback sneaks and Holtz fumbled on his second attempt trying to reach the ball over the goal line.
Pei jumped with him and knocked the ball loose, and KC Bell recovered for ‘Iolani.
“We knew he was going to hop over the top so our gameplan was to take him out at the front and have Lanakila knock it out at the top,” junior defensive lineman Shayden Molina said.
Two plays later, Kamana, who missed five games this season with a hand injury, turned a short pass into a 99-yard, catch-and-run TD down the ‘Iolani sideline.
‘Iolani’s only other big play in the first half offensively came on fourth down midway through the second quarter. The Raiders went for it on the Damien 36 with Chong having time to hit Wailoa Manuel on a crossing route for 31 yards to the 5.
That set up a 2-yard TD on third-and-goal by Hedani for a 14-0 lead heading into the break.
Holtz finished with 100 yards on 16 carries and two second-half touchdowns and Amo Sulu, playing with a torn meniscus suffered against Moanalua, had 82 yards on 17 carries.
“We were within seven twice and gave up a fumble scoop-and-score,” Damien coach Eddie Klaneski said. “We had an opportunity but things weren’t clicking offensively.”
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No. 10 ‘Iolani 21, No. 9 Damien 14
At Aloha Stadium
>> Damien (8-3) 0 0 7 7 — 14
>> ‘Iolani (9-2) 7 7 0 7 — 21
‘Iolani — Carter Kamana 99 pass from Jonah Chong (Wailoa Manuel kick)
‘Iolani — Brock Hedani 2 pass from Chong (Manuel kick)
Damien — Jake Holtz 34 run (Christian Souza kick)
‘Iolani — Lanakila Pei 18 fumble return (Manuel kick)
Damien — Holtz 8 run (Souza kick)
RUSHING — Damien: Jake Holtz 16-100, Amo Sulu 17-82, River Iaea 1-9, Makanalea Meyer 1-5, Ezra Kaina 1-(minus 1), team 1-(minus 11). ’Iolani: Brock Hedani 20-85, Lanakila Pei 2-3, Brody Bantolina 4-3, Chong 5-(minus 2). PASSING—Damien: Holtz 10-25–0-136, Jarvis Natividad 1-1-0-6. ‘Iolani: Chong 12-27-2-183.
RECEIVING — Damien: Kaina 4-89, Jarvis Natividad 3-28, Quinn Fukawa 2-22, Sulu 1-6, Meyer 1-(minus 3). ‘Iolani: Manuel 4-49, Kamana 3-117, Cole Ichikawa 2-7, Hedani 2-6, Noah Gaudi 1-4.
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