A look at the final Maui Interscholastic League football statistics shows precisely why Lahainaluna and Baldwin high schools are in the state tournaments.
The Lunas (8-1 overall, 7-1 MIL) are coming off a season of unprecedented numbers. They surrendered just 98.0 yards per game on defense while posting six shutouts in league play. On the other side of the ball, they generated 300.8 yards per game, and had an average margin of victory of 30 points.
The stellar season helped draw the No. 2 seed in the Chevron Division II State Championship bracket announced Friday and a bye into the semifinal round - Lahainaluna will begin play Nov. 17 at Aloha Stadium against the winner of this Friday's game between No. 3 Konawaena and Nanakuli.
Article Photos
Keelan Ewaliko of Baldwin High School was the Maui Interscholastic League leader in rushing and scoring this season.
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
That means the Lunas will have gone three weeks without a game following their regular-season finale, a 31-0 win over Maui High on Oct. 26.
"I have no concern because at this point of the season you are trying to get healed, get back to basics, and at the same time put in some new things," said Lunas co-head coach Garret Tihada.
MIL co-champion Baldwin (7-2, 7-1), which defeated Lahainaluna 20-17 in overtime on Oct. 13 after a 32-0 loss to the Lunas on Sept. 7, is the league's Division I representative for the eighth straight season. Quarterback Keelan Ewaliko, a two-time MIL Offensive Player of the Year and University of Hawaii recruit, was the league rushing and scoring champion this season despite missing two games due to injury - he also finished third in passing yards.
Fact Box
FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK STATE FOOTBALL
DIVISION I
Friday's Games
First round
Mililani vs. No. 3 Baldwin at War Memorial Stadium, 5 p.m.
Leilehua or Farrington at No. 4 Kealakehe or No. 4 Hilo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 16
Semifinals * At Aloha Stadium
No. 2 Punahou vs. Mililani-Baldwin winner, 4:30 or 7:30 p.m.
No. 1 Kahuku vs. Leilehua/Farrington-Kealakehe/Hilo winner, 4:30 or 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 23
Championship * At Aloha Stadium
Semifinal winners 7 p.m.
DIVISION II
Friday's Games
First round
Radford at No. 4 Kauai, 3 p.m.
Nanakuli at No. 3 Konawaena, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 17
Semifinals * At Aloha Stadium
No. 2 Lahainaluna vs. Konawaena-Nanakuli winner, 4 or 7 p.m.
No. 1 Iolani vs. Radford-Kauai winner, 4 or 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 23
Championship * At Aloha Stadium
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.
The Bears are the No. 3 seed in their bracket and will play Mililani, which lost 50-13 to Kahuku in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship Friday night. Baldwin will host the Trojans at War Memorial Stadium on Nov. 9.
"Mililani, they like to throw the ball on offense," said Baldwin coach A.J. Roloos. "They throw the ball I would say 80 percent of the time. I watched some old game this year on (channel) OC16 and they throw the ball the majority of the time, they run very rarely. They have a good slot and they have a good quarterback. Their defense, they fly around. When opportunity knocks we have got to take advantage of it."
Kahuku, last year's D-I champion, is the No. 1 seed this year.
The Bears - who have made six trips to the D-I semifinals, losing each time - last played on Saturday, beating King Kekaulike 21-0 in a game shortened to two quarters because of a tsunami warning.
The Lunas are 4-8 in the state tournament overall, including 3-6 in D-II. They have drawn a bye into the semifinals of the six-team tournament on three other occasions, including 2007, when they were the No. 1 seed and lost 28-21 in the state final to Iolani. It was the start of five straight titles for the Raiders, seeded first in D-II this year. The Lunas are 0-3 in state tournament games at Aloha Stadium.
Lahainaluna beat Konawaena 23-6 in a state first-round game last year before a 19-14 loss at Waipahu.
"Invaluable," Tihada said of the state experience for a young team last season. "These kids, they know how to travel; they know what a bigger, stronger state-slash-Oahu team looks like; they know what defeat tastes like and they don't want to taste that again."
The Lunas have picked off 19 passes this season, and own a 25-9 takeaway-to-turnover ratio in total.
Tytus Lucas had six interceptions in MIL play, Jeffrey Ancog had four and Semisi Filikitonga and Asi Fatongia had three apiece. Ancog and Filikitonga each returned two for touchdowns.
Kiko Kohler-Fonohema, second in MIL passing and scoring, and sixth in rushing, missed the final game of the regular season with an ankle injury. Ancog, the backup quarterback and a starting safety, was out with a concussion. Tihada said both will be ready for the start of the state tournament.
"Ever since that loss to Waipahu last year, this is what they have been working for, everything that they did from that time until now, now they see it paying off," Tihada said.
If the Lunas advance, Tihada expects to see Iolani on the other side of the field in the Nov. 23 championship game.
"I think so," Tihada said when asked if this team can win it all. "It goes back to preparation. We may have to get a little lucky. We know that if we do get to the state title (game) and it is Iolani, we will just be looking - from what I've heard - at a mirror image of ourselves as far as being disciplined. They are a machine, there is no secret about what they do. They come out and they do it."
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com
