No. 14 Iolani pounces on Kailua

Iolani's Brock Hedani (left) made it to the end zone four times, with a pair of TD runs and a pair of TD receptions. Brandon Ching | SL

KAILUA — Iolani football coach Wendell Look's 200th career victory, a 40-13 triumph at Kailua Friday night, was not unlike most of the Raiders' other 199 wins since 1990: earned through discipline, execution and capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes.

The formula worked again for the second straight year before an estimated crowd of about 1,800 at breezy Alex Kane Stadium, helping Iolani improve to 4-1 and dropping the Surfriders to 1-4.

And as usual, Look downplayed the personal achievement afterward and instead put the focus on his players.

"It really doesn't mean much if I don't accomplish their goals," Look told reporters. "That's what I'm here for — to help them accomplish their goals ... it's more for them, because they've only got so much time."

The Raiders made the most of their time Friday night by pouncing to a 19-0 lead in the game's first 16 minutes, then finishing strong with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the victory.

Quarterback Jonah Chong was steady, if not spectacular, with 15 completions in 25 attempts without an interception, for 152 yards and one TD, and fullback Brock Hedani finished with 68 yards rushing on 12 carries, including a 43-yard scoring burst for the game's final touchdown with 3:24 remaining.

Wideout Wailoa Manuel, stepping up in place of injured starter Carter Kamana, caught seven passes for 98 yards in addition to starting the scoring with a 45-yard field goal five minutes into the game and then adding five point-after-touchdowns.

The score became 5-0 two minutes later after a Kailua punt snap sailed into the end zone for a safety, and Hedani capped the ensuing drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge followed by Manuel's PAT to make it 12-0 with 2:35 still remaining in the first quarter.

After another bad punt snap gave Iolani possession at the Surfriders' 40-yard line, Chong connected with Hedani on a screen pass to the right side, and Hedani scampered to the goal line for a 19-yard TD with Manuel's extra point making it 19-0 with 8:32 left in the half.

Kailua's offense finally got into a flow after the ensuing kickoff, putting together a 16-play, 91-yard scoring drive culminating in Cameron Friel's 4-yard touchdown pass to Raynen Ho Mook to help close the margin to 19-7 with 1:33 remaining before intermission.

The Surfriders then opened the second half seemingly energized and immediately forced Iolani into a punting situation, but Kailua was flagged for illegal participation and the Raiders were instead granted a fresh set of downs. They capitalized, covering 41 yards in just four plays capped by Chong's 10-yard scoring pass to Hedani to extend the lead to 26-7 just four minutes into the third quarter.

"(The players) showed me glimpses," Surfriders coach Joe Wong said of his players, "... but then we shoot ourselves in the foot. It comes down to execution."

Kailua's next three possessions ended in punts, and then Iolani was able to effectively seal the victory with sophomore Brody Logan Bantolina's 1-yard TD run five minutes into the fourth quarter. Kailua did answer with an impressive 27-yard scoring run by Friel about 90 seconds later, but the PAT attempt was blocked and Hedani shut the door with his 43-yard burst up the middle.

The Raiders threw only eight passes in the scond half, but were able to otherwise control the clock thanks to its scrappy defense and also a reliable ground game led by Hedani and Bantilona.

"The defense played a heck of a game," Look said. "It says how much preparation was put in to try and defend this team. That quarterback (Friel) is good, I like him, he does a lot of nice stuff."

As for the ground game, Look said he's "been harping on these guys from Day 1."

"We gotta be able to run the ball, and the O-line has taken that challenge on," Look said.