Iolani's Austin Jim On throws a pass against Damien. Tyler Kanoa | Special to SL

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Kauai's Kyron Rapacon carries the ball against Pearl City. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Since the conception of Division II in the state football tournament, no two teams have represented their respective leagues more than the Iolani Raiders and the Kauai Red Raiders. This year marks the eleventh year that the Division II state tourney has been around. It is also Iolani's tenth appearance while it is Kauai's ninth. 

The two teams will do battle in the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Football Champions semifinals, 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Iolani's Kozuki Stadium.

Iolani (7-4), ranked fourth in the ScoringLive/OC16 Division II Power Rankings, is the reigning dynasty of Division II. They have won the state crown seven times, and have won it all for six consecutive years starting from 2007. June Jones was still the coach of the University of Hawaii back then! 

With their string of state titles, it's no secret that the Raiders have the ability to kick it up a notch in the postseason. Three of their seven state final wins have been decided by one score or less. Prior to 2013, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champions did not have a postseason of their own with their regular season champions getting an automatic bid into the state tournament. This year was the first year that the ILH had a postseason system of their own, something new for all the league members.

The Raiders swept their ILH Division II brethren in the regular season and were awarded with the top seed in the ILH Division II postseason. They defeated a feisty first-year team in Saint Francis, 47-18, and took care of business against Damien, 28-7, to avoid a potential win or go home playoff game. Since the six-time defending Division II champions won their regular season and postseason titles, they were awarded with the second seed and a first round bye in the state tournament. They haven't played a game since Oct. 25th, so it will be interesting to see how they respond after such a long layoff.

On the other hand, Kauai (9-0), ranked third in the ScoringLive/OC16 Division II Power rankings, is coming off a 13-7 victory over O'ahu Interscholastic Association runner-up Pearl City last Saturday. This was the Red Raiders' first state tournament win since 2010, when they fended off Kalaheo, 17-13. Kauai has reached the state final twice in the past, but bowed out to King Kekaulike in 2006, and Iolani in 2009.

Leading the charge against Kauai for the Raiders is junior quarterback Austin Jim On. One of the biggest question marks about Iolani this year was on who would fill the void of three-year starter Reese Foy, but Jim On has filled in nicely having thrown for 1667 yards and 19 touchdowns, and winning the starting gig over Foy's backup Easton Tsubata. Jim On's most efficient game of the season came against Saint Francis in the first round of the ILH postseason, where he completed 67.9 percent of his passes for a career-high six touchdowns.

Jim On has a slew of receivers to throw to, ranging from Keoni-Kordell Makekau, Chase Kanekuni, Chad Hanaoka, and Tyler Teruya. Makekau is the most targeted receiver of the bunch, hauling in 62 passes for 960 yards and ten touchdowns. His big-play ability was evident against Damien in the regular season when he caught a simple slant route for an 82-yard touchdown, effectively putting the game away from the Monarch's reach.

Kanekuni mans the opposite receiver spot while Hanaoka and Teruya roam free in the slots. Out of the three, Red Raider defenders need to be most aware of who's matched up on Hanaoka at all times. The shifty 5-foot-7, 165-lb receiver is an underrated route runner who will get open almost every time if he is matched against single coverage 

The passing game has evolved in recent weeks, but it couldn't have happened without the emergence of sophomore running back Jordan Ross. The 5-foot-8, 164-lb back made his presence known early in the season having exploded for 101 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries in the Father Bray game against Kalani. Between weeks two to four, Ross totaled 409 yards and six touchdowns on the ground giving him an early lead for the state's best rusher. Injuries and the ILH Division I teams have quieted the hype about him, but he is due for a big game after only rushing for 218 yards and a single touchdown in his past five games.

Leading the Raiders in the trenches is defensive lineman Marc Ma. The 6-foot-2, 214-lb senior pass-rusher has averaged two sacks per game in the Raiders' past three games. Kenji Noguchi is another stud on the defensive line, having garnered a team-high, seven tackles in the ILH postseason game against Damien. Sophomore Christian Naeole has also flashed potential with his two sacks against Saint Francis in week 11.

Coming into the season, it was established that the defensive backfield would be the strength of the defense with cornerbacks J.T. Los Banos and Max Look returning to the fold. Los Banos abilities as a premier defensive back were on display in last year's Division II state title game where he snagged three interceptions against Lahainaluna. While he might not generate that many picks, the smaller Look will blanket almost any receiver, evident by his 13 tackles against Lahainluna in the final Division II game last year. Look also recorded two interceptions against perennial Division I contender Leilehua in week two. Junior safety Quinton Slade-Matautia has also stepped up as the weeks went on, recording interceptions in three of Iolani's past five games.

Over on the Garden Isle, the Red Raiders have a pretty stout defense of their own. Although they might bend and give up some yardage at times, they haven't been broken all season long, averaging only seven points given up in nine games. 

Three-year starter and middle linebacker James Bukoski mans the middle in the stout Kauai defense. Bukoski turned in the best defensive performance on any level in the first round of the state tourney, totaling ten tackles and two interceptions against Pearl City.

Leading the Red Raider secondary is safety Kaiea Iwasaki. He might not be the biggest guy at 5-foot-6 and 135-lbs, but that doesn't stop him from having a keen eye for the ball. He recorded an interception against Pearl City, extending his postseason interception streak to three. Iwasaki also possesses the speed to take it to the house with his 60-yard interception return for a score against Waimea in week nine. Sophomore cornerback Damien Butac has also stepped up in recent weeks to complement Iwasaki in the defensive backfield.

Carrying the rock for Kauai are running backs Kyron Rapacon and Reggie McFadden. The duo combined for 117 rushing yards in the Red Raiders win over Pearl City. McFadden is also an underrated pass-catcher out of the backfield and is actually the team's third leading receiver. Backup quarterback Kanoa Iwasaki also gets in on the action and is frequently used in the red zone and short-yardage situations. 

Piloting Kauai's spread offense is first-year starter Kelson Andrade. Thanks to strong defense, Andrade hasn't been forced into a situation where he needed to air it out in large volumes. He might need to sling it more than usual in their upcoming matchup against Iolani, but his 68.1 completion rate shows that it shouldn't be a problem.

Catching the most of Andrade's passes will be receivers Tristan “Pono” Bukoski and Kalawaia Judd. These two possesses the ideal height at their position at 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-1 respectively.

The travel and early kickoff time might stunt the Red Raiders performance Saturday, but they will have had ample experience playing in the hot sun. The Kauai Interscholastic Federation has been playing games on Saturday afternoons from September on since 2010. This is because the Newell's shearwater, an animal on the threatened species list, confuses the bright lights of Friday night football with the moon. The familiarity with early Saturday kickoff times was evident in 2011 when Iolani squeaked out a win over KIF Champion Kapa'a, 17-13.

History favors Iolani head-to-head as the Raiders have bested Kauai three times in the state tournament. Kauai will have a fighting chance though as Iolani's biggest margin of victory against the Red Raiders was only by 14. 

Most of the hype this weekend in the Division II ranks is on the Lahainaluna and Kaiser matchup, but Kauai and Iolani has the potential to be you wouldn't want to miss. Kauai will look to extend their perfect season while Iolani will look to extend their championship reign one more year.