Micah Hoomanawanui connected on two touchdown passes and ran for one more as ‘Iolani overwhelmed Pac-Five 46-7 on Friday afternoon at Eddie Hamada Field.
The Raiders improved to 2-0 in ILH Division I/D-II play. They stuck with their ground attack. Brody Bantolina gained 35 yards on five carries before giving way to reserve ballcarriers. ‘Iolani ran the ball 26 times in 44 snaps. The second half was played with a running clock due to the 35-point mercy rule.
“We talked about it, people were going to try and stop our run game. You have to have the mentality we’re going to try and run anyway,” Raiders coach Wendell Look said. “That’s what I want our kids to have. If I do what I’m supposed to do, we’ll gain positive yards.”
Pac-Five played its season opener after a long offseason that included the loss of its practice field and locker rooms. With just five returnees from the 2019 squad, the program was on the verge of closing before new coach Kena Heffernan and his staff mobilized and turned the dwindling roster into a team that became 36 strong by opening day.
“This team is a team full of winners who are not quitting,” Heffernan said. “They’re making the most of every opportunity they’re getting. I couldn’t be prouder of these guys. We’re getting better at playing football. We’re getting better at playing together. Win or lose, we do it together.”
After Allison Chang drilled a 34-yard field goal to cap ‘Iolani’s opening drive, Hoomanawanui found Kai Preusser open for an 11-yard touchdown pass for a 10-0 lead with 4:46 to go in the first quarter.
‘Iolani’s defense, which permitted just 130 yards of total offense by the visiting Wolfpack, did not allow a first down in the first half.
Hoomanawanui’s second TD was a forward pitch to Keao Miyahira, who was in motion before the snap and turned the corner for a 62-yard score with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter.
After Ryan Tsuruda’s fumble recovery for ‘Iolani deep in Pac-Five territory, Hoomanawanui scored on a 4-yard keeper for a 24-0 lead with 1:51 to go in the first quarter.
Moments later, Casey Honbo partially blocked a punt. Four plays later, Bantolina scored on a 1-yard blast for a 31-0 Raiders lead with 10:41 remaining in the second quarter.
A 45-yard interception return by Hudson Della-Lucia set up a Cinen Torres 4-yard run to pay dirt with 17 seconds left in the first half.
A 39-yard interception return by Mason Mizuta set up Keao Miyahira’s 3-yard TD run. A bobbled snap led to a 2-point conversion run by holder Stirling Sakashita.
The Wolfpack finally broke the scoring drought on quarterback Ezekiel Rodrigues’ 1-yard run with 6:12 remaining.
‘Iolani 46, Pac-Five 7
Pac-Five 0 0 0 7 — 7
‘Iolani 24 14 8 0 — 46
IOL—FG Allison Chang 34
IOL— Kai Preusser 11 yard pass from Micah Hoomanawanui (Chang kick)
IOL— Keao Miyahira 62 yard pass from Hoomanawanui (Chang kick)
IOL— Hoomanawanui 4 yard run (Chang kick)
IOL—Brody Bantolina 1 yard run (Chang kick)
IOL— Cainen Torres 4 yard run (Chang kick)
IOL—Miyahira 3 yard run (Sterling Sakashita run)
P5—Ezekiel Rodrigues 1 yard run (Ace Perry kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: IOL—Bantolina 5-35, Hoomanawanui 3-(-17), Torres 10-29, Miyahira 7-17, Kualau Manuel 3-(-12). PAC5—Joshua Arcayena 12-31, Rodrigues 8-(-4), Chad Schmidt 3-10, Neivyn Kahoopii 1-36, Blade Kaululaau 2-9.
PASSING: IOL—Hoomanawanui 9-13-0-125, Manuel 3-5-0-17. PAC5—Rodrigues 1-7-1-(-2), Leighton-Moses Kaai 2-4-1-32.
RECEIVING: IOL—Tristan Martinez 4-36, Miyahira 2-54, Preusser 3-35, Christian Kashiwabara 1-1, Hyrum Horita 1-12, Torres 1-4. PAC5—Kaululaau 1-(-2), Daymian Lapitan 1-9, Rome Lilio 1-23.
