In the end, two teams enter and one team leaves with a state tournament berth.
When No. 9 Damien (8-2, 6-2) and No. 10 ‘Iolani (8-2, 6-2) meet today in the feature game at Aloha Stadium, there will be technicalities and formalities, but the bottom line is only one Division I team from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu will play in the upcoming state tournament.
“The kids know this is winner-take-all. Their approach hasn’t been any different, but they know what the situation is,” said Wendell Look, now in his 29th season head coach at ‘Iolani. “It’s not like any other game.”
When they met during the regular season, ‘Iolani pulled away for a 38-21 win. It was a dramatic chase by the Raiders, who trailed in the standings early on, then passed the Monarchs, only to finish in a first-place tie, necessitating this tiebreaker playoff game.
“It’s just a next game on the schedule. We don’t want to make too big a deal of it because the kids know what’s at stake,” Damien coach Eddie Klaneski said.
Two weeks have passed since each team last played.
“Of course, it’s good to heal up. We like that. Sometimes, when you have longer breaks, you start thinking too much, trying to do too much. As coaches we want to stick to what we do well and don’t overthink it. Just correct the mistakes you’ve made and work on execution,” said Klaneski, the former Damien and Hawaii defensive back, now in his ninth season as head coach.
On paper, ‘Iolani has a bit more offensive depth. Damien has game breakers. ‘Iolani has a one-two punch at running back with Brock Hedani (693 yards, 15 touchdowns from scrimmage) and Brody Bantolina (542 yards, 11 TDs). Damien has a hammer in Amo Sulu, who has amassed 1,507 yards and 17 TDs from scrimmage.
The Raiders have reliable hands across the field in their four-wide system, led by wide receiver Wailoa Manuel (47 receptions, 723 yards, four TDs) and Cole Ichikawa (19, 265, six). They also have a healthy Carter Kamana (21, 257, two) back in the fold.
Like ‘Iolani, six different Monarchs have caught at least one TD. Jarvis Natividad has been electrifying at times, capable of instant voltage on kick returns or on routes. He is among the state’s leaders with 44 receptions for 817 yards and nine TDs. Makanalea Meyer (39, 411, two) and Ezra Kaina (26, 322, three) have also provided a broad palette of choices for senior quarterback Jake Holtz.
At nearly 6 feet, 4 inches, Holtz’s explosiveness and power as a runner separates him from most signal-callers. He has passed for 1,494 yards and 13 TDs with just five picks in 227 attempts. Holtz has also rushed for 386 yards and six TDs despite missing two games.
His counterpart, Jonah Chong, has also been wise in the pocket, throwing for 18 TDs with just four interceptions in 196 attempts. Chong has run for four TDs, but relies on his backfield to do the tougher sledding in the trenches. As a team, ‘Iolani has run the ball 282 times and thrown it just 230 more, a run-pass ratio of 55 to 45 percent.
Chong has run the ball just 47 times in 10 games, just enough to keep a defense honest. Holtz picks his spots, too, and his attempts to break loose will be heavily monitored by ‘Iolani safety Lanakila Pei. The senior is in a select group of defensive brainiacs, like Punahou’s Alaka‘i Gilman, who are all aces at reading offenses and helping teammates with on-field adjustments.
“If everybody does their job, things work out. If they try to do too much and feel they need to do more than their share, then that’s where we get into trouble,” Look said. “Just do your job and do it correctly.”
When the teams met on Sept. 20, Holtz rushed for 37 yards and a TD on eight carries before being ejected for throwing a punch. The senior passed for 142 yards, going 15-for-26 with two picks that day. Sulu picked up the slack, rushing for a career-high 225 yards and a TD on 29 carries, but ‘Iolani got the win.
Chong threw the ball just 14 times for 82 yards, but Bantolina had 64 yards and two TDs, and Hedani had a season-high 102 rushing yards and a TD.
Holtz, clearly, is the keystone element in this Damien-‘Iolani ecosystem.
“Holtz is a good athlete, and athletes compete,” Look said.
Damien is prepared for virtually any kind of look, no pun intended.
“We kind of got an idea of what they’re going to do. They kind of stick to their guns, but we’ll be ready for any surprises,” Klaneski said. “We’ve seen different looks from them whether we’re in heavy set or spread set. We have plays for certain things like anybody else.”
It was the first Damien-‘Iolani meeting that sparked Klaneski to do something new.
“I sent a video in to all the referees about the first game. The first time I did that in nine years. ‘Iolani plays physical. They had a lot of unnecessary shots to the head that weren’t called, not just against Jake but our receivers, our running backs,” Klaneski said. “Jake got hit a lot with some cheap shots, to be honest, and that’s what set him off. He just needs to grow and mature from that. He’s learning to walk away.”
It’s been quite some time since the Raiders have been called overly physical, cheap shots or not.
“It’s football. We try to play the game right. We try to play hard and play smart, and we try to play fair,” Look said. “That’s how we teach them to play the game.”
Technically, there is no ILH D-I champion. The HHSAA doesn’t recognize a champion unless a league has three teams in a division.
“We don’t have an all-star team, either, because there’s only two teams,” Klaneski said. “There’s no championship plaque like when we had three teams. Everyone at your school, your parents, will recognize you as an ILH champion. At the end of the day, it’s about how you became the ILH representative, the overall goal to be a state champion.”
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No. 9 Damien Monarchs (8-2) vs. No. 10 ‘Iolani Raiders (8-2)
Today, 7:30 p.m., Aloha Stadium
>> Series history: ‘Iolani leads 76-21-3
>> Series notes: The Raiders have won 19 of the last 21 meetings, including a 38-21 victory in the regular season this year.
