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(Fri) December 4, 2009
HHSAA Division II FOOTBALL: Iolani Claims Third Straight DII State Football Title
By Kyle Galdeira
Iolani claimed its third consecutive
championship and fourth crown in five years by fending off Kauai 24-17
in the Division II title game of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football
State Championships tonight at Aloha Stadium.
The top-seeded
Raiders (12-2) overcame seven turnovers as the tournament’s
Interscholastic League of Honolulu representative completed the
championship three-peat.
Iolani wasted no time scoring as, on
Kauai’s first play from scrimmage, Reid Saito intercepted Trey
Shimabukuro’s pass and returned it 36 yards for the touchdown to put
the Raiders up 7-0 just 13 seconds into the game.
The Red
Raiders (10-1), champions of the Kauai Interscholastic Federation,
answered with a field goal midway through the opening period as Shea
Shimabukuro nailed a 40-yard kick to narrow the deficit to 7-3.
Iolani
countered with a field goal to push its lead to 10-3 as Andrew Skalman
connected on a 28-yard field goal with just over a minute to go in the
first quarter.
But, Kauai—following a fumble by Iolani punt
returner Sean Nada near midfield—drove deep into Raider territory and
Trey Shimabukuro connected with Jamen Kealoha-Albarado on a nine-yard
touchdown pass to even the score at 10. The costly turnover was
Iolani’s fourth of five giveaways in the first half, three of which
stemmed from Jarrett Arakawa interceptions.
After both squads
traded fumbles, the Raiders took over on Kauai’s 24-yard line with 24
seconds remaining in the first half. But, Ammon Baldomero fumbled for
the second time in the quarter, ending the scoring threat just before
halftime with the score still tied.
The teams traded
interceptions to begin the second half, and Iolani was first to take
advantage. The Raiders drove into Kauai territory on the heels of a
46-yard pass from Arakawa to Trevyn Tulonghari. Baldomero capped the
11-play drive that spanned 91 yards with a three-yard touchdown run to
put Iolani up 17-10 with 4:19 to play in the third quarter.
Following
a Kauai punt, the Raiders put the game away with another scoring drive
capped by an unconventional three-yard touchdown pass from Arakawa to
defensive lineman Sealii Epenesa. The six-foot, two-inch, 315-pound
lineman’s catch provided his squad with a 24-10 advantage, and put
insurmountable pressure on the Red Raiders late in the contest.
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Kauai
added a touchdown to trim Iolani’s lead to seven points as Trey
Shimabukuro again found Kealoha-Albarado in the end zone on an
eight-yard strike. However, the Raiders milked the clock on their
ensuing possession following Kauai’s onside kick, and held on for the
title-clinching victory.
Baldomero carried the load for the
Raiders, racking up 108 yards on 34 carries to help Iolani out-rush
Kauai 141 yards to 21. Tulonghari led all receivers with eight catches
for 134 yards.
Red Raiders linebacker Travis Koga was a force on
defense, amassing 18 total tackles, forcing a fumble, intercepting
Arakawa once and breaking up a pass in coverage.
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