For the 17th time, Wendell Look will lead the ‘Iolani football team into the state tournament.
Despite that consistency, the longtime Raiders coach made sure Friday to point out that it isn’t easy.
“You’ve got to work every year. It’s not given to you,” Look said after No. 8 ‘Iolani punched its ticket with a 42-13 win over Damien at Kozuki Stadium.
“That’s what we try to express to these kids. You can’t live on the past and what the other teams did before you. You have to go earn it yourself.”
The defending Division I state champions extended their statewide-leading winning streak to 18 with a convincing victory over a Monarchs team that they needed a last-minute field goal to beat just three weeks ago.
Running back Keao Kawa‘akoa rushed for three touchdowns and senior quarterback Micah Hoomanawanui played nearly the entire game, finishing 15-for-20 for 203 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers.
Neither team scored in the first quarter, and ‘Iolani didn’t have a first down until Hoomanawanui found Jazz Priester down the home sideline for a 46-yard gain early in the second quarter.
By halftime, the Raiders had built a 28-7 lead.
“We needed to hit that one. That’s what (Damien) was daring us to throw and we need to take that one there,” Look said. “We haven’t been able to hit the nine-route late and I’m glad we were able to do it today.”
Damien (4-3, 2-2) needed a win to control its destiny and force a playoff against ‘Iolani for the ILH’s lone state berth in Division I.
The Monarchs answered ‘Iolani’s opening touchdown on the first play of its next drive when receiver Dayton Savea went 69 yards on a sweep to go ahead 7-6.
The Raiders offense really got going, marching 66 yards on four plays on the ensuing possession, capped by Hoomanawanui’s short toss to Nela Taliauli, who took it 8 yards around the left end for a 14-7 lead.
The turning point came with 2:42 remaining before half. Damien had it fourth-and-4 at the Raiders 37 when freshman quarterback AJ Tuifua was intercepted by Brayden Morioka, who returned it 81 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead.
To double the pain for the Monarchs, Tuifua was hurt on the interception return and didn’t return to the game.
“I was kind of baiting it. I knew they like to do curls, so I was trying to bait and I seen him threw the ball and I knew it was my ball,” Morioka said. “I turned left and I saw everybody was there, so I just turned right and was like, ‘Oh, it’s a wide-open field,’ so I just went for it.”
Damien tried what it could with backup Joshua DeCenzo in at quarterback, but couldn’t score again until Kaleb Kealanahele’s 1-yard TD run late in the game after ‘Iolani built a 42-7 lead.
“I wanted to be more aggressive with AJ, but it is what it is. That’s what happened and we’ve just got to move forward,” Damien coach Anthony Tuitele said. “We knew this was a big one and at the end of the day, that’s all we could do, is come out and play hard.”
‘Iolani defensive end Ha‘aheo Dela Cruz, a University of Hawaii commit, had eight tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack. He also blocked a punt with less than two minutes before halftime to set up a 13-yard Kawa‘akoa touchdown run to make it 28-7.
“Coming from last game I was getting close (to blocking a punt) and I just felt it today,” Dela Cruz said. “They kind of changed up the middle guy during the punt and I took the opportunity to block it.”
Kawa‘akoa and Jones Vierra added touchdown runs in the second half for ‘Iolani, which managed 88 yards on 25 carries on the ground.
The Raiders will end the regular season next Friday at home against Pac-Five before likely waiting more than a month to play in the six-team Division I state tournament.
The top two seeded teams would receive a bye and not play until Nov. 19.
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‘IOLANI 42, DAMIEN 13
At Kozuki Stadium
Damien (4-3, 2-2) 0 7 0 6 — 13
‘Iolani (8-0, 5-0) 0 28 7 7 — 42
Iol—Keao Kawa’akoa 2 run (kick blocked)
DMS—Dayton Savea 69 run (Jonah Ching kick)
Iol—Nela Taliauli 8 pass from Micah Hoomanawanui (Taliauli pass from Hoomanawanui)
Iol—Brayden Morioka 81 interception return (Allison Chang kick)
Iol—Kawa’akoa 13 run (Chang kick)
Iol—Kawa’akoa 1 run (Chang kick)
Iol—Jones Vierra 2 run (Kualau Manuel kick)
DMS—Kaleb Kealanahele 1 run (kick failed)
RUSHING—Damien: Savea 1-69, Kealanahele 3-39, Champ Buffet 7-33, Joshua DeCenzo 1-12, AJ Tuifua 9-10, Sylas Alaimalo 3-8, Peyton Dalmacio 5-8, Nalu Chinen Zablan 1-(minus 6). ‘Iolani: Kawa’akoa 12-53, Vierra 10-26, Hoomanawanui 3-9.
PASSING—Damien: Tuifua 8-13-1-73, DeCenzo 6-10-0-53. ‘Iolani: Hoomanawanui 15-20-0-203.
RECEIVING—Damien: Chinen-Zablan 4-67, Savea 2-19, Ian Sera 3-18, Bryse Hopeau-Lampitoe 2-9, Alaimalo 2-9, Buffet 1-4. ‘Iolani: Jazz Priester 6-98, Tristan Martinez 2-72, Taliauli 5-44, Kawa’akoa 2-(minus 11).
