HHSAA Football
'Iolani knocks off Waipahu, 34-0, for 5th straight title


   



Fri, Nov 25, 2011 @ Aloha Stadium [ 4:00 pm ]


Final 1 2 3 4 T
Waipahu (9-4-0) 0 0 0 00
Iolani (8-4-0) 14 10 3 734
Reece Foy 158 yd 1 TD
Jordan Lee 177 yd
Gregorio Alip 113 yd
Tanner Nishioka 93 yd 1 TD

HALAWA - Different year, same result.

Kody Mento ran in three touchdowns and Jordan Lee racked up 181 rushing yards to lead 'Iolani to a 34-0 rout of Waipahu in the title game of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II Football State championship at Aloha Stadium Friday night.

It was the fifth consecutive state crown for the Raiders (8-4) and their sixth in the last seven years.

"I'm really happy and really proud of all of our players," said Lee, who averaged 9.3 yards on 19 carries. "We put a lot of work in this season, over the summer and I'm glad that we could end it on a high note."

The Raiders rushed for a season-high 283 yards on 45 carries.

"We have a plan of how we want to attack, but we're still going to take what the defense gives us and you have to give credit to our offensive line," Look said. "They did a tremendous job tonight to be able to run the ball against a defense that aggressive ... it was a great accomplishment for our program."

After a tough semifinal victory over Kapa'a last week, in which his team was forced to rally from a 13-0 second-quarter deficit, Look was pleased with his team's execution last night.

"They played pretty well tonight," 'Iolani coach Wendell Look said. "Offensively, we got it going early and the turnovers helped, but (quarterback) Reece (Foy) was solid tonight - probably his best game all season long."

Foy, a junior second-year starter, completed 12 of his 21 passes for 158 yards without an interception.

"His stats are not going to show it, but the decisions he made, how he ran the offense, that's how it should be run and he utilized all the weapons that he does have and it was kind of nice to watch," Look said.

The Raiders completely dominated in all three phases of the game. Their offense totaled 441 yards and was a perfect 5-of-5 on red-zone chances. Defensively, 'Iolani held the Marauders' run-and-shoot offense to zero pass yards and just 200 total yards. On special teams, Lee made both of his field goal attempts and 'Iolani averaged 41.5 yards on its two punts for the game.

"Words can't describe what they did to shut that offense down," Look said of his defense. "Granted (Waipahu's offense) was missing some of their key players and obviously that hurt them, but the effort that our defense put out tonight was a championship effort."

Waipahu running back Gregorio Alip, who entered the game with 1,017 yards and 17 touchdowns, finished with 18 carries for 113 yards, but failed to get any help. Starting quarterback Drake Yoshioka sustained a collarbone injury in a semifinal win over Lahainaluna last week and did not play against 'Iolani.

"When Drake Yoshioka got hurt and couldn't play, that set us back and we had to simplify the package," Waipahu coach Eric Keola said.

Mataio Fualema, who had been Yoshioka's favorite passing target at wide receiver, started in his place and finished just 1-of-11 passing for zero yards with two interceptions.

"I take my hat off to 'Iolani, they were well prepared for us and we couldn't adjust to their team speed on defense," Keola said.

The Marauders lost three of their four fumbles, which resulted in 24 'Iolani points.�

The Raiders scored on its first four possessions.

The Raiders got on the board after they capitalized on Waipahu's first miscue. A muffed punt return by the Marauders was recovered by 'Iolani's Micah Freitas-Garrido at the Waipahu 7-yard line. On the very next play, the Raiders lined up with four receivers to the right of the formation before Foy handed off to Mento, who followed the left side of the offensive line into the end zone. Lee's extra-point attempt was good to make it, 7-0, with seven minutes and 52 seconds left in the first quarter.

Foy went to the air on the Raiders' next drive and found Tanner Nishioka along the left sideline for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Nishioka ran a hitch pattern on the play, left his defender in his dust and juked the safety en route to the end zone. Lee tacked on the PAT to give his team a 14-0 lead after the opening quarter.

"The O-line gave Reece enough time and I just ran a short pass and followed my blockers," said Nishioka, who had four receptions for 93 yards - both game highs.

Following Waipahu's third punt in as many drives, 'Iolani drove 56 yards on 10 plays, which culminated in a 22-yard Lee field goal early in the second quarter.

A Waipahu fumble on its ensuing drive was covered up by the Raiders' Yuuya Umezawa and was recycled for an 8-yard Mento touchdown run soon after. The score was 24-0 after Lee's extra point with 5:37 left until halftime.

'Iolani had 223 yards of total offense to Waipahu's 86 at the intermission.

Another Waipahu fumble - its third of the game - on its first play of the third quarter was recovered by 'Iolani's Joshua Conlan at the Marauders' 37. However, the Raiders' ensuing drive stalled and resulted in a 32-yard field goal by Lee to make the score, 27-0, with 6:32 left in the third quarter.

Joshua Conlan's interception in the end zone ended Waipahu's best scoring threat early in the fourth quarter. The turnover was recycled by the Raiders into Mento's third touchdown run, an 8-yarder with 4:59 left in the game. Kelsey Hung made the PAT to close out the scoring at 34-0.

"It was a great feeling, but I couldn't have done it without the O-line and the rest of the team," Mento said. "They really supported me through this and I thought it was a great team win."

Waipahu, which was making its state tournament final debut, concluded its season at 9-4. The Marauders won the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference tournament after finishing third in the final regular-season standings.

"We're definitely happy with where we took these kids. They played to their full potential this year and I have no regrets about how we did this year," said Keola, who took over for Sean Saturnio this season.

> Mento a steady force for Iolani running game


Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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