KEALAKEKUA, Hawaii >> Donovan Defang and the Ironmen of Lahainaluna are special, all right.
The MIL Division II champions excel at special teams, and it paid off with a 28-14 victory over Konawaena on Saturday night at Julian Yates Field.
Lahainaluna (8-4) advanced to the championship game of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships, disappointing a standing-room only crowd of roughly 2,000. The 100 or so fans in Luna red shirts were happy, to say the last, as their team used a ground-and-pound approach to overcome a wide-open, hurry-up offense of Konawaena (8-2).
Lahainaluna will meet KIF champion Kapaa in the title game Friday night at Aloha Stadium.
Freshman Joshua Tihada led Lunas rushers with 103 yards. The Lunas used multiple ballcarriers at QB, often as wildcat playmakers, including two-way standout Defang.
“They’re a really good team. They were killing us with their passing game, but we made our adjustments and our coaches motivated our (offensive) line,” said Defang, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior.
Lahainaluna’s misdirections and power were on full display as the game wore on. The visitors finished with 295 total yards, all on the ground after an 0-for-4, three-interception passing demonstration in the first half.
“That’s a good football team. Konawaena is very explosive,” Lunas co-head coach Garrett Tihada said. “Our kids came in very well-prepared (for Konawaena’s hurry-up), but it’s hard to duplicate their speed. We got very, very lucky tonight to get out of here with a win. That’s a hard team to stop. To keep them to 14 points might be their season low.”
Konawaena QB Austin Ewing finished 23-for-42 with 276 yards, one TD and three picks against a stellar Lunas defense that featured several two-way starters.
The Lunas scored two touchdowns in a span of 39 seconds early in the third quarter to break the game open. With Konawaena’s punting game shanking to the left and right — yardage in the teens and even minus yards on one try — Lahainaluna enjoyed their hosts’ hospitality all night. After gaining possession at Konawaena’s 38-yard line, they needed just three running plays to score. Dominating the trenches, their O-line paved the way for Defang’s 19-yard TD run off left tackle.
After their PAT run was stuffed, that gave the visitors a 13-7 lead with 9:59 left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, kicker Pablo Rico’s knuckleball line drive was mishandled near the goal line and recovered by Lahainaluna’s Hoaka Phillips at the 1. Two plays later, Defang, at wildcat QB, ran in for a touchdown, and Elijah Ragudo ran in the PAT run for a 21-7 lead and the Lunas’ second TD in 39 seconds.
The Wildcats got a 67-yard catch and sprint by Austin Aukai to regain momentum. A trick play, with Micah Laban tossing a 1-yard TD pass to Katakana Ching, brought Konawaena within 21-14 with 1:22 left in the third.
Konawaena couldn’t get closer. Ewing threw a second interception, this time by safety Derek Perez, and after a Konawaena three-and-out, Joshua Tihada blasted through the middle for a 43-yard TD run with 3:45 to go. That opened the lead to 28-14.
Konawaena’s next series ended with an overthrown deep pass by Ewing to Ching, picked off by Bailey Honda with about three minutes remaining.
“They adjusted (in the second half) and made more plays than us,” Wildcats coach Brad Uemoto said. “They’re big and physical. Hats off to them. They’re well coached.”
The first half ended at 7-all with turnovers — a combined three giveaways by the teams in the first quarter — and wild momentum swings. Konawaena took a 7-0 lead on a 5-yard TD pass from Ewing to Ching.
The Lunas tied the game at 7 on a 1-yard TD run by Radon Sinenci with 9:15 to go in the second quarter. Gradually, however, Lahainaluna’s powerful ground attack wore down the Wildcats.
