NONCONFERENCE
Iolani shows enough emotion to beat Moanalua
The Iolani Raiders were efficient to a point, but Wendell Look wanted another big "E."
Look, imploring his team for some emotion during a halftime talk, saw his squad explode in the second half for a 26-7 win over gritty Moanalua yesterday afternoon at Eddie Hamada Field.
Running back Justin Yamamoto finished with 95 yards on 23 attempts, while Ryan Dung passed 15-for-21 for 149 passing yards. Moanalua's defense, led by Savai'i Eselu, bent without breaking. The Raiders did not turn the ball over, but a 3-0 halftime lead gave Look plenty to discuss during intermission.
"We came out in the second half more enthused, with more energy. We played with a little more emotion from the start," the longtime Raiders coach said.
Eighth-ranked Iolani stood its ground relatively well against Moanalua's myriad formations. Menehune quarterback Jordan Monico, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior, had 99 hard-earned yards on 20 carries.
"Iolani is a pretty good team. They work hard," Eselu said. "We didn't execute like we should have."
Na Menehune opened in an I-stack formation -- three running backs lined up in a line behind Monico -- but turned the ball over on their first two possessions. They switched to double-wing and shotgun formations, but didn't get deep into Iolani territory until midway through the second quarter.
Moanalua drove 77 yards behind Monico and backup Jarin Salvador-Atabay. However, on fourth and goal from the Iolani 3, Monico was stopped at the 1. Iolani took over and drove nearly the length of the field. Cody Adams, who missed on a 34-yard attempt in the first quarter, drilled a 21-yarder to give Iolani a 3-0 lead with 24 seconds remaining in the first half.
Moanalua had possession of the ball for more than two-thirds of the half (16 minutes, 13 seconds to Iolani's 7:47) but was scoreless. Matters got more difficult in the second half, when humidity began to wear down Moanalua's two-way players.
The Raiders drove 56 yards in four plays to open the second half. Dung connected with Aaron Fong down the right sideline on a 24-yard touchdown to give Iolani a 10-3 lead just 57 seconds into the third quarter.
Na Menehune responded with an eight-play, 72-yard march, ending with Monico's 3-yard midline keeper. Moanalua was within 10-7 with 7:46 remaining in the third.
Iolani answered right back with a 10-play, 66-yard drive. Marciel finished the drive by breaking two tackles, including one head-on on the perimeter, for a 17-yard touchdown run. Iolani led 17-7 with 3:44 to go in the third.