HHSAA Division II FOOTBALL: ‘Iolani holds off Lahainaluna, 36-33, for sixth straight title

By Wes Nakama
HHSAA

Reece Foy completed 22 of 36 passes for 299 yards and five touchdowns and JT Los Banos intercepted three passes  — including one with 27 seconds remaining -- as 'Iolani held off Lahainaluna, 36-33, for its sixth straight First Hawaiian Bank/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division II State Championship.

The victory at Aloha Stadium's Hawaiian Airlines Field helped the Raiders finish the season at 9-3; Lahainaluna — making its first title game appearance — ended up 9-2.

'Iolani led 15-0 early in the second quarter and 29-20 with 3:35 remaining in the third, but the Lunas closed it to 29-27 after Tytus Lucas' 19-yard TD run two minutes later and took the lead on Taylor Kohler-Fonohema's 2-yard touchdown run with 7:29 left in the game.

But the Raiders went ahead for good on Foy's 26-yard scoring pass to Tanner Nishioka with 1:59 remaining, and Jordan Genovia's extra point made it 36-33.

Lahainaluna took the ensuing kickoff and advanced to the 'Iolani 34, but Los Banos made a lunging interception of an overthrown pass at the 19-yard line to seal the victory.

'Iolani had taken a 7-0 lead with 55 seconds left in the first quarter after a 7-yard TD pass from Foy to Chad Hanaoka, then went up, 15-0, on Foy's 26-yard touchdown throw to Nishioka and Max Look's two-point conversion run 44 seconds into the second quarter. The Lunas got on the board with Luk Filikitonga's 21-yard quarterback keeper to paydirt followed by Kohler-Fonohema's PAT with 3:39 left in the half, then closed it to 15-14 after Filikitonga's 26-yard scoring pass to Scott-Isaac Medeiros-Tangatailoa with 32 seconds remaining.

But the Raiders advanced the ball quickly after the ensuing kickoff and pushed the lead to 22-14 after Foy's 2-yard TD pass to Hanaoka and Genovia's extra point with 0:03 showing on the clock.

Lahainaluna cut it to 22-20 on Filikitonga's 7-yard scoring run barely three minutes into the third quarter, but 'Iolani answered with Foy's 18-yard touchdown throw to Hanaoka to help stretch the lead to 29-22 with 3:35 left in the quarter.

Nishioka led all receivers with eight catches for 134 yards.

The Lunas had three rushers reach the 100-yard mark — Jared Rocha-Islas (106), Filikitonga (103) and Christian Whitehead (101) — and finished the game with 441 yards total on the ground.