Iolani QB Austin Jim completed 21-of-24 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns in a win over Lahainaluna. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Iolani players celebrate after winning their first state title since 2012 and eighth overall. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Fri, Nov 21, 2014 @ Aloha Stadium [ 4:30 pm ]

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Iolani

31

Lahainaluna

14

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Iolani (8-3-0)	7	17	7	0	31
Lahainaluna (10-1-0)	0	6	0	8	14

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Jared Rocha-Islas 43 yd

Austin Jim On 239 yd 2 TD

Makoa Filikitonga-Lukela 87 yd 2 TD

KJ Pascua 60 yd 1 TD

Scott Isaac Medeiros-Tangatailoa 45 yd

Keoni-Kordell Makekau 105 yd 1 TD

HALAWA — Reunited and it feels so good.

Austin Jim On passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-24 passing to lead Iolani to a 31-14 win over Lahainaluna in the title game of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II Football State Championships Friday night.

A crowd of about 10,000 at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium witnessed the Raiders (8-3) win their fifth consecutive game and first state title since 2012. They have now won eight state crowns in school history after seeing their streak of six straight championships snapped last year.

"I think the kids were more determined, (because) they knew that nothing was going to be given to them and they weren't entitled just because of the past," Iolani coach Wendell Look said. "They had to go out and start a new streak, they had to go out and earn the state championship, because no one was going to give it to them and that was their mindset and they went in and worked. I'm so happy for them for what they accomplished."

Iolani, which entered the game ranked second behind Lahainaluna in the ScoringLive/OC16 D2 Power Rankings, netted 350 yards of total offense and was an efficient 10 of 16 on third downs. They did not turn the ball over and committed just one penalty.

"Our offensive motto was to take what they give us— whether it be short, middle or deep," Jim On said. "It sounds simple, but it takes a lot. It starts with the line, they did a great job and the receivers ran the correct routes and right timing. I was able to put the ball in the right spots and they made great catches and yards after catch."

Defensively, the Raiders slowed down the Lunas' (10-1) wing-T rushing attack to 241 yards — over 100 yards below their season average — and allowed just two scores on Makoa Filikitonga-Lukela touchdown runs. The Lunas averaged 5.1 yards per rush, but were held to just 71 pass yards.

"They came out and they shut us down," Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada said. "They shut our running down pretty much, or at the very least contained it enough, but they prepared very, very well and their kids came out and played lights out."

Workhorse running back Jared Rocha-Islas was held to eight carries for 59 yards and Filikitonga-Lukela managed 83 yards on 16 carries, but attempted just five passes. He injured his right (throwing) hand in the second quarter while on defense and was never the same.

"I kind of wrapped my hand around a guy and one of my teammates came from behind and smashed my hand between his helmet and that just messed everything up for my passing game tonight," Filikitonga-Lukela who entered the game with 14 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions. "I tried to pass, but it was hard for me. I wish I could pass tonight, but I tried and tried, but the ball was floating and I knew I couldn't throw anymore."

On the other side of the ball, Jim On was masterful in his final high school game. He overthrew Keoni-Kordell Makekau on his first pass of the game and had his next throw dropped by Connor Ohira, but connected on his next 16 passes. He had 201 passing yards by halftime and finished the game by completing his final five throws.

"Hands down, his best game he's played," Look said of Jim On, a second-year starter. "He was pretty darn good. I think he was pretty flawless, pretty perfect and we knew we needed to play like that in order to compete with these Lunas. I think he and I and (quarterbacks' coach) Joel (Lane) upstairs we were in sync. We knew exactly what we wanted to do and he saw what we saw."

Jim On capped Iolani's first possession of the game with a 10-yard pass to Makekau, who ran a skinny post.

"I wasn't even thinking — I just wanted to get in the end zone — because I thought that if we scored on the first drive then the momentum was pick up and the tempo would pick up and they would get tired," Makekau said.

The drive, which covered 60 yards in 12 plays, included a pair of third-down conversions. Both came on pass plays from Jim On to slotback Tyler Teruya.

"He was unreal," Teruya said of Jim On. "He made some of the best decisions he's made all season. He was very poised out there and he's just a great senior leader for us."

The Raiders made it 14-0 one play into the second quarter when KJ Pascua ran in untouched from two yards out and Evan Minami tacked on the PAT. Jim On hit Makekau for an 18-yard gain on a third-and-7 two plays prior.

Lahainaluna got on the board minutes later with a 10-play drive that covered 65 yards and was capped by Filikitonga-Lukela's 1-yard touchdown run up the middle. The extra point was missed, wide right.

However, Jim On and company quickly went back to work and manufactured a 5-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jim On to Ohira. Ohira beat two defensive backs along the right sideline and caught the deep pass in stride as he crossed the goal line. Two plays earlier, Jim On found Makekau for a 19-yard pick-up on a third-and-4.

"He was great, he was on it," Makekau said of Jim On. "His decisions were great and, of course, the linemen did great."

Makekau made a 42-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to send the Raiders into the locker room with a 24-6 advantage.

The Raiders extended their lead after Storm Lotomau rushed for a 3-yard touchdown to cap their first drive of the second half. The drive also included two third-down conversions — both Jim On completions.

Lahainaluna put together a 15-play drive that covered 67 yards, but ultimately stalled when they fumbled in the red zone, which was recovered by Christian Naeole.

"It took heart, it took assignment football, hard work, just everything," linebacker Wyatt Maa said. "(Lahainaluna) is a hell of a team and hats off to them. It's just that we had a lot of heart today."

Look credited defensive coordinator Delbert Tengan for putting together a sound game plan.

"The defense was rock solid. That was a big concern about how they were going to ball-control us and control the line of scrimmage," Look said. "Their offense is just so precise and they run it so well, so we didn't know. We didn't know how we would match up size-wise, speed-wise, athleticism-wise, but Delbert and the defensive staff came up with a genius game plan and put a stop to that potent offense and that's a credit to those coaches and it's a credit to those kids that play on defense."

Tihada also had high praise for the Raiders.

"All the tape we watched on them, that's not the team we saw up front and it's a credit to their coaches and a credit to their kids for coming out and doing that," Tihada said.

Iolani has played in 11 consecutive Division II tournaments, missing only the inaugural one in 2003. It has played in nine of the 12 title games, winning eight. This was the third time the Raiders have beaten the Lunas in the title game, but this was by the widest margin. Iolani beat Lahainaluna, 28-21, in 2007 and 36-33, in 2012. Iolani is 18-3 in state tournament history.

Lahainaluna, No. 1 since the preseason, was trying to be the first Division II team to finish unbeaten and untied. The Lunas are 0-3 in title games with all the losses to the Raiders.