Instead of facing off in the championship game like in previous years, Iolani and Lahainaluna will open the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II Football State Championships at War Memorial Stadium. ScoringLive photo illustration

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A lot has happened since 2014, but Iolani and Lahainaluna know what to expect from each other on Friday night.

Instead of meeting in the title game in past years, the Lunas and Raiders open the four-team First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II Football State Championships Friday night at War Memorial Stadium.

"We have a great relationship with them on the field and off the field. There is a great amount of respect in what they do. They do it the right way. They're tough, disciplined, well-coached and they execute and know what they do well and do it well," said Iolani coach Wendell Look, on the Lunas.

Iolani departed for Division I for two seasons and dropped back to Division II for the 2017 season. The Raiders won the past three championship games against Lahainaluna in 2007, 2012 and 2014.

"We've never beaten them. It's going to be a tough matchup with all that speed and they can throw it all over and spread the field. They are good at taking what you give them and they're patient. When they find a weakness, they'll attack," Lahainaluna coach Garret Tihada said about Iolani.

The Raiders have gone through a grueling, up-and-down season in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, finishing 3-4, 4-5 overall. Iolani knows that their quest for ninth-overall Division II state title will have to go through the defending state champions.

"The players have set this as a goal for themselves. They worked hard to get to this point, here it is. They're excited, they know it will be a big challenge traveling to Maui and playing a great team in Lahainaluna," said Look.

The Raiders ended the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season on Oct. 13 and had ample time to prepare for the state tournament.

"We are fortunate to have two weeks to prepare and we need all two weeks. They do a lot of different things and they execute so well and well-versed in their system and it will take a team defensively," said Look.

Lahainaluna (9-1 overall) won the Maui Interscholastic League with a 8-0 league record and averaged 35.8 points per game. The lone loss of the season came against Kamehameha-Kapalama in a non-league game.

"We're happy and fortunate once again and we're glad it's on Maui. We wished it was at home (Lahainaluna), but we understand the TV set up and everything at War Memorial," said Tihada, who make their 10th-straight tournament appearance.

The schools are similar in terms of execution, discipline, maximizing talent, and team colors. But when it comes to tempo, that's where the similarities end.

"Two different sides of the coin — we like to play fast, they like the ball control. I think that's the game plan for both sides. It's going to come down to who can execute the best," said Look.

The Raiders go no-huddle and get the ball downfield in a hurry to score. QB Tai-John Mizutani has thrown for 2,928 yards, 25 TDs and 12 interceptions on the season.

"That's going to be the key, that is to keep them off the field," Tihada said on slowing down Iolani. "The less touches they have the less opportunities they have to score and we have to limit their opportunities."

Justin Genovia, Iolani's leading receiver with 858 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, is out due to injury. However, Carter Kamana (742 yards, six TDs) and Jonah Miyazawa (697 yards, seven TDs) have shown they are capable of stepping up.

"We lost Justin for the remainder of the playoffs. I feel bad for him because he is one of the premier receivers in the league and for him not being able to showcase his talents on the highest level, I feel bad. As a team, we have other guys to step up and show what they can do," said Look.

Although Iolani doesn't run the ball a lot, Kaua Nishigaya leads the team in rushing with 304 yards and seven TDs while Mizutani called his own number and rushed for five scores.

Mika Makekau provides another scoring option for the Raiders as she has made five field goals and 35 extra points on the season.

Projected starting Lahainaluna quarterback Etuati Storer has only thrown for two TDs this season, but the Lunas' scores on the season comes from a running game that averages 175.0 yards per game.

The Lunas look to run it against an Iolani defense that has given up an average of 228.7 rushing yards and aim to string together long drives to eat up clock to keep the Raiders off the field.

"On our side, we have to put up points and not just hold onto the ball," said Tihada.

Elijah Ragudo (10.0 yards per carry) leads the team statistically with 271 rushing yards and four TDs while Joshua Tihada adds 205 rushing yards on the season and five TDs.

"I don't think you can stop them. You would have to control them," said Look.

As far as the players to really key in on, there aren't too many specific players or units to really focus on according to Tihada.

"We used four different quarterbacks and our offensive and defensive lines have been shuffled around," Tihada said.

However, the one consistent unit has been the defensive backfield and they will draw some tough assignments to slow down an offense that averages 405.3 yards and 36.3 points.

"Our defensive backfield has been a constant this season with Siale Hafoka, Bailey Honda and Laakea Shim," said Tihada. "We have to play smart and we can't give Iolani the same look every series."

Kickoff is set for approximately 6 p.m.